Cakes & Bakes: Fig rolls

Home-made fig rolls | H is for Home #recipe #baking #cooking #cookery #figs #figrolls

A biscuit recipe twice in as many weeks. We’re on a roll! This week, I’ve made a batch of delicious fig rolls… nothing like those dry horrors you tend to get in the shops. The pastry is buttery, crumbly and melt in the mouth; the filling is sweet, figgy and boozy – just lovely!

Fig roll filling

Jacobs is the brand that most people in the UK associate with fig rolls. Americans have Fig Newtons and the French, Figolu.

Strips of pastry | H is for Home Lines of fig filling on pastry | H is for Home

There’s a fair amount of debate online on the subject of, “Fig rolls: slice before or after baking?”. I decided to conduct my own experiment to find out.

Fig rolls before going into the oven | H is for Home

I’ve decided that I prefer them to be sliced before. The pastry is neater and the fig filling softly oozes using this method.

Cooked fig rolls

Disagree with my opinion? Have a look at my photographic proof below! The two on the left were sliced prior to cooking, and the pair on the right, after.

Fig rolls: left, sliced before cooking - right, sliced after cooking | H is for Home

If you’ve given industrially manufactured fig rolls a try, not liked them and have turned your back on them – try making your own. Believe me, you’ll wonder what took you so long to embrace them!

Click here to save my recipe to Pinterest for future reference.

Home-made fig rolls | H is for Home #recipe #baking #cooking #cookery #figs #figrolls

Fig rolls

Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine British
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

For the pastry

  • 125 g/4½oz plain flour
  • 75 g/2⅔oz plain wholemeal flour
  • 25 g/¾oz ground almonds
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 140 g/5oz cold butter diced
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tbsp milk

For the filling

  • 200 g/7oz dried figs stems removed, roughly chopped
  • Juice of ½ a lemon
  • 2 tbsp dark rum
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp muscovado sugar
  • ½ tsp mixed spice
  • 1 egg beaten

Instructions
 

For the pastry

  • In a food processor or large mixing bowl, combine the flours, ground almonds, baking powder, caster sugar and salt in a large bowl or food processor
  • Pulse/rub in the butter to make crumbs
  • Mix in the egg yolk and just enough milk to bring it together into a coherent dough
  • shape into a rough rectangle, wrap and chill for about ½ an hour

For the filling

  • In a small saucepan, bring the figs 2 tbsp water, 2tbsp dark rum, lemon juice, sugar and spice to a simmer. Cook gently for a few minutes until softened
  • Remove from the heat and allow to cool

To combine

  • Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • Lightly flour a work surface and roll the pastry out to around 20cmx30cm and ½cm thick. Cut in half lengthwise to make 2 long strips
  • Put a line of filling down one side of each, leaving a slight gap between it and the edge
  • Brush the edge with water and fold the pastry over the top of the filling pressing down gently to seal
  • Cut into 4cm lengths and arrange on the baking sheet
  • Brush the tops with beaten egg before baking for 20-25 minutes until golden brown
  • Allow to cool on a wire rack before eating
Fig rolls ingredients
Keyword biscuits, figs