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fig nibbler: best fig dessert recipe - like a fig cobbler crossed with a fig newton and made with no cane sugar
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Fig nibbler - a cross between fig newtons & cobbler (no cane sugar!)

Part fig newton and part cobbler, fig nibbler is a delicious fig dessert made with maple syrup (no cane sugar) and mostly whole wheat flour. Can be made with either fresh or dried figs!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword fig dessert made with maple syrup, healthy fig cobbler, healthy fig desserts, healthy fig newtons, sugar-free fig dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Servings 8
Author Aaron von Frank

Equipment

  • 1 SMALL sauce pan (for making fig preserves)
  • 1 immersion blender (alt: food processor or blender) (for making fig preserves)
  • 1 Electric mixer (for cake/cookie dough)
  • 1 9″ x 5″ bread pan, ideally glass

Ingredients

For the fig preserves

  • 1 pound fresh figs (about 2 cups once pureed) (if using dried figs, use 4.64 ounces)
  • 1/6 cup fresh orange juice (ideally fresh-squeazed)
  • 1/2 tbsp dried orange zest (or 1.5 tbsp fresh zest)
  • 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp liquid stevia (or to taste before finishing)
  • 1 tsp vanilla, added at very end so flavor doesn't cook out
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tbsp molasses (optional, but adds great rich flavor)
  • *try to use organic ingredients if possible!

For the cookie/cake dough

  • 79 grams organic King Arthur’s organic white whole wheat flour (about 5/8 cups)
  • 64 grams King Arthur’s organic all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
  • 20 grams Bob’s Red Mill super fine almond flour
  • 85 grams unsalted butter, room temp (6 tbsp)
  • 1/2 cup REAL maple syrup
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt (we used fine pink Himalayan sea salt)
  • 1/2 tbsp dried orange zest (or 1.5 tbsp fresh zest)
  • 1 egg (we use a duck egg, but large chicken egg is fine)
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For sugar-free fig preserves

  • If using FRESH figs - Quarter fresh figs then add all ingredients (except for vanilla) into SMALL saucepan over medium heat. You don't want a large/wide saucepan or the ingredients will cook too quickly.
    If using DRIED figs - Quarter dried figs then add all ingredients (except for vanilla) into SMALL saucepan over medium heat. Also add 1 cup of water to saucepan. You don't want a large/wide saucepan or the ingredients will cook too quickly.
  • Stir ocassionally to make sure ingredients don't stick to bottom of pan. After ingredients have been at a low boil for about 15 minutes, use an immersion blender to blend them. If you don't have an immersion blender, remove them and blend them in food processor or blender (careful with hot ingredients!) then return them to pan on stovetop. Note: If you started with dried/dehydrated figs, it's going to take a bit longer for the figs to soften enough to puree/blend.
  • Once ingredients are pureed, turn heat to low and use a loose-fitting lid that allows water/steam to escape while keeping any bubbling fig preserves contained to pan. Let cook down and thicken for about 1 hour: aim is to reduce total volume by ~25% so you end up with about 1.5 cups of thick fig preserves.
  • Remove from heat, let cool to room temp, then put in fridge to chill.

For the fig nibbler

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and butter a 9″ x 5″ bread pan (ideally glass).
  • In electric mixer, beat together room temp butter and maple syrup for about 1 minute. (Start low then speed up so you don’t make a mess.) Add egg, vanilla, and orange zest, then beat again.
    In seperate bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. Then slowly add dry ingredients into mixing bowl with wet ingredients with mixer on low. Once all ingredients combined, turn mixer up and continue mixing for another 30-60 seconds. Use spatula to make sure no un-mixed ingredients are left on side or bottom of mixing bowl.
  • Measure out half of the batter (3/4 cup or 228 grams). Keep half of batter reserved at room temperature, and put other half of batter into buttered baking dish. Flatten/even out batter with a spatula on bottom of baking pan. Bake in pre-heated oven for 23-25 minutes or until it’s just starting to get golden brown on sides. Remove from oven, put on cooling rack, and let cool to close to room temperature.
    Pour chilled fig preserves on top of pre-baked cookie/cake base, then evenly spread the preserves to uniform thickness. Next, dollop on small spoonfuls of the remaining batter (use two spoons - one to scoop, the other to remove the dough) until the dough is evenly distributed across the surface of the fig preserves. (See pictures in article!)  
    Place assembled fig nibbler back into the pre-heated oven for 50 minutes uncovered + another 5-10 minutes lightly covered with a sheet of aluminum foil. This allows the dough to fully bake in the center without the top browning too much.) When done, sides should be golden brown and center golden with no doughy appearance.
  • Place on cooling rack. Serve while slightly warm for more of a cobbler consistency. Or chill in fridge, making it easier to cut into tidy pieces. From there, microwave individual pieces until slightly warm, about 15-20 seconds, then serve.
    Serve as-is to keep sugar content low or with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.