Gettin' Figgy With It

I came across a recipe for Fig Foldovers in the February 2013 edition of Parents Magazine and knew these were a must make based on my family's love for this delectable soft cookie.  I'm not going to lie, they did take a bit longer to make than I thought they would, but, in the end it was so worth it.

First, I gathered all my ingredients for the bars (missing from photo is salt).

Then, I took my figs, cut off the stems, and placed them (a few at a time) into my mini food processor to chop them up.

 

After that, I put the figs, brown sugar, zest, and OJ into a saucepan and brought it to a boil, then simmered until most of the liquid was evaporated.

 

Once that was done, I took it off the stove to cool a bit before putting it back in my mini food processor and making the mixture nice and smooth.

Then it was time to make the dough.  I creamed butter in my mixer and then added granulated sugar.

Next came the eggs and sugar.

Then I combined flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl, and beat it into the butter mixture on low.

Once my blob of dough formed, I divided it up into four smaller balls.

Then rolled it out between two pieces of parchment paper.

After that, I gently peeled off the top layer of parchment and spread 1/4 of the fig mixture down the middle of the dough.

I discovered that folding the dough over was much easier if you just folded the bottom parchment along with it and gently pressed it down then peeled it back.

 

Then, I cut the dough into 10 pieces (the recipe said 12 but I wanted them to be more of a normal cookie size).  Since I can't roll out a perfect rectangle, some were bigger than others.

After cutting, I placed the bars onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (adding a few minutes on the end for one tray to get a little more golden on the bottom).

While they were baking, I made the glaze, which consisted of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.

 

It was a little stiff for my liking, so I added a smidge more milk.

Voila, runny, drizzleable (is that a word??)  icing.

When the bars were done, I transferred them to a wire rack to cool off a bit.

MMMM....looks so yummy!

Then drizzled them with the glaze.

 

My #1 critic thoroughly enjoyed them!!!!

Although, since I was distracted in the kitchen, this is what happened to my living room.  Ah, boys!

And FYI- these are not the figs you want to use for this recipe.  Be sure to get the Mission Figs (I found them at Wegman's).  G has been enjoying snacking on these though, so they weren't a waste.

Hope you enjoy making these.  Although a bit laborious, they are SOOO worth it!

Fig Foldovers (from Parents Magazine, February 2013)
Active Time- 25 mins
Total Time- 1 hour
Makes- 48 bars

8oz dried Mission figs, stems removed, chopped (1.5 cups)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp finely shredded orange zest
1 cup orange juice
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, divided
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
A dash of salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tsp of milk

In a saucepan, bring figs, brown sugar, zest, and juice to a boil, lower heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until nearly all of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Mix in a food processor or a blender until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add granulated sugar, beat until combined.  Beat in eggs and 1 tsp of the vanilla.  In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Beat into butter mixture on low speed.

Divide dough into 4 pieces.  Roll each between parchment paper into a 12x5" rectangle.  Spread 1/4 cup fig mixture down the middle of each rectangle.  Fold rectangles in half lengthwise over filling; seal edges with the tines of a fork.  Cut crosswise into 12 slices.  Place 2 inches apart on parchment on a cookie sheet.  Bake 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Remove; cool on rack. 

Stir together powdered sugar, remaining vanilla, and milk; drizzle over bars.  Allow to set.