A healthy twist to Fig Rolls. These are a perfect, guilt free sweet treat and fun to make. The original recipe can be found at T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. You can also watch author of this recipe, Kim Campbell from Plant Pure Kitchen demonstrate how she makes them. I have adapted this recipe with good results to use less almond flour and more oat flour.
Yield: 18 to 20 rolls
Ingredients for Filling
- 6 oz dried figs*
- ½ cup water or unsweetened orange juice
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Ingredients for Dough
- ¾ scant cup almond flour, 2 oz
- 1 ¼ cup oat flour*
- 1 Tbsp ground flax
- 1 Tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup apple sauce
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
To Make the Filling and Dough
- Remove the hard stems from the figs, cut them in quarters and put them in a small sauce pan with the water. Bring mixture to boil, cover and turn down heat. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until figs are soft and water is absorbed. Stir periodically to prevent mixture from sticking. When done stir in the lemon juice. Add mixture to food processor and process briefly to a smooth spreadable paste.
- Add to a large mixing bowl the almond flour (sift if necessary to remove lumps), oat flour, ground flax, tapioca starch and baking powder. Mix well to combine.
- In a small bowl stir together the apple sauce, maple syrup and vanilla. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Alternately, use your hands to incorporate the wet and dry ingredients until it can be formed into a smooth ball of dough. If the dough is sticky add more oat flour until it will be manageable to roll out.
- Separate the dough in half and get ready to assemble.
To Assemble
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat/silicone mat.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out one of the balls of dough into a 10 x 30cm rectangle. (4 x 12″ and ¼” thick). To prevent dough from sticking see notes.
- Spoon half of the fig mixture down the center and the length of the dough. Lift one long side of the dough along with the parchment paper/plastic wrap and fold it over the filling. Gently peel away the paper. Repeat with the other side. When gently pressed, you should have an overlap where the cookie dough will stick onto itself. If it isn’t sticking, use a little water brushed on the seam.
- Turn the roll over so the seam is on the bottom and cut into 9 or 10 equal pieces. Transfer them to a baking sheet.
- Repeat with the other half of the dough and filling.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to baking rack to cool.
- Store in a sealed container. Note the pastry will soften. These can also be frozen.
Notes
- Figs. I buy figs from Costco.
- Oat flour can be made by grinding rolled oats in a blender.
- Prepare counter top before rolling out the dough. You can use parchment paper, a Silpat or plastic food wrap. To prevent sliding, lightly wet the counter then lay the material you are using over the wet spot. Place a ball of dough on it, then using the palm of your hand, roughly flatten the dough into a rectangle shape. Lay another piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap over the top of the dough.