Walnut Fig Cookies - Little Broken (2024)

Fig cookies are buttery, light, and flaky cookies with a delicious cinnamon fig and walnut filling. They may look ultra fancy and maybe a little intimidating but the truth is, this fig cookie recipe is pretty easy to make.

It’s just a matter of mixing up the dough, chilling it, and rolling it up with filling inside.

The dough recipe is very similar to a traditional rugelach recipe. It’s made with cream cheese and butter. So it’s soft and easy to work with. The fig filling is totally customizable too. Simply use your favorite dried fruit and nuts!

Types of Figs to Use

For these fig filled cookies, you can use dried Mission or Smyrna figs. Both varieties of dried figs are readily available at most supermarkets.

Mission figs are small, with thin dark skin. Whereas, Smyrna figs (also known as Calimyrna figs) are larger than Mission figs, with thick, dry, beige skin.

When buying dried figs, look for figs without any added preservatives, additives, or sugar. Few brands that I like are this one and this one.

Ingredients

Before you begin, you’ll need the following ingredients for the dough and filling:

Making the Filling

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Set aside.

Assembling Fig Cookies

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and divide the dough into three equal portions. Working with one portion at a time on a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a roughly 13 X 11 rectangle, give or take. It should be between 1/8″ – 1/4″ inch thick.

What Other Fillings Can I Add to These Cookies?

During Christmas time, cookies are one of the most popular desserts to bake. There are so many different variations you can try with these rugelach-like cookies.

Try adding or replacing the ingredients in this recipe with almond paste, peach preserves, pecans, sliced almonds, toffee bits, coconut flakes, cinnamon sugar, or other dried fruits such as dried cherries, dried cranberries, raisins, or other dried fruit.

Any of these options will make for a delicious filling wrapped in rich, flakey dough.

Recipe Tips

Fig cookies are easy to make with these tips and tricks. It’ll be a new recipe that your family will request again and again.

• Measure the flour properly. For best results, use the spoon and level method for measuring the flour.
• Chop the figs then measure. You’ll need one cup of chopped figs. Measure the figs after you chop them.
• Check for doneness. All oven temperatures vary, so be sure to start checking the cookies for doneness around 25 minutes. Mine took exactly 33 minutes to bake. Cookies should be lightly golden brown. If they look pale golden, bake for a few minutes longer.
• Cool all the way. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before eating.
• Use dried figs. I only tested this recipe with dried figs so I can’t answer with 100% certainty whether fresh figs would work the same.

How to Serve

Serve these delicious cookies at holiday parties or bring them to a cookie bake sale or cookie exchange. They hold up well during travel.

They are the perfect addition to other festive holiday cookies like Melted Snowman Cookies, No Bake White Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies, or Chocolate Almond Biscotti.

Can I use dates instead of figs in this recipe?

Yes, but dates are sweeter than figs, so the cookies will be slightly sweeter than if you use figs.

Can I use fresh figs or fig jam to make fig cookies?

You can use fig jam to make these cookies. Fresh figs could possibly work but I can’t answer with certainty as I only tested this recipe with dried figs.

Can I freeze fig cookies?

Because of the cream cheese in these cookies, they don’t freeze well. The flakey tenderness just isn’t the same after it’s been frozen and thawed again.

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