This recipe was quite a journey.  After many attempts and too many references to mention, I persevered, as there seemed too much scrumptious potential in these cookies to give up. It felt like I was conjuring up a kind of magic, from the transformation of ingredients to the finished result – even more so due to the many attempts to get here.  I am now satisfied to share it with you.

In Ayurveda, sultanas are considered kingly of all the fruits, figs are considered precious and the winter citrus adds colour and zest to the last of these dark and rainy days.

Figs, whether fresh or dried, are an incredibly healthy treat and have favourable levels of calcium, contain iron, potassium, manganese and vitamin B6.  They also have high fibre content, keeping us feeling fuller for longer and have a helpful laxative effect.  When buying any dried fruit, look for organic and sulphite-free.

fig almond orange swirl cookies

Makes approximately 18 cookies.

Recipe inspired by here and here.

Not overly sweet, the luscious fig filling is deeply flavourful and the pastry is light and buttery. 

The filling could be replaced with any dried fruit of choice – dates would work nicely.  I used 1 cup whole almonds which I ground in a blender – blanched almonds would give a much more visually pronounced contrast between the filling and the dough.  I wanted to achieve a lighter cookie, so I used white spelt flour, but it can be replaced with whole spelt or for a gluten-free version, rice flour. 

I call this a dough but just to clarify it doesn’t handle like a normal dough – it is very fragile and easily crumbles this is why it is recommended to work between two pieces of baking paper – the end results are delicious and are worth all the fiddliness.

for the dough 

1½ cups/130g almond meal (1 cup whole almonds ground in a blender)

1 cup/120g white spelt flour

⅛ tsp fine rock salt

¼ cup/60ml olive oil

2 heaped Tbsp brown sugar/coconut sugar

¼ cup/60ml freshly squeezed orange juice

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

for the fig paste 

9 medium/180g dried soft figs

½ packed cup/80g dried sultanas/raisins

orange zest of 1 orange

½ tsp cinnamon powder

¼ cup/60ml fresh orange juice

sesame seeds for garnishing

preparation 

1.  Set the oven to 180C/360F.  Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

prepare the dough 

2.  Place in a medium bowl the almond meal, flour and salt, then whisk together. Set aside.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk the oil and sugar for 1 minute, then add the fresh orange juice, baking powder and baking soda – whisk until combined, it will billow up and turn into the most gorgeous, soft, golden colour.

3.  Slowly add to the flour and almond meal mixture, then gently combine.  The dough should be quite moist and soft. Cover and refrigerate while making the fig paste.

prepare the fig paste 

4.  Remove and discard the hard stems from the figs, chop in half, then place into a food processor, along with the sultanas, and orange zest, process until the figs are nicely broken up.

5.  Add cinnamon powder and pour in the orange juice – process until it forms a thick, sticky paste and starts to come to together.  Cover and set aside.

to assemble 

6.  Remove the dough from the fridge and place on a piece of baking paper.  Place another piece of baking paper on top and roll out the dough into a rectangle just under ¼-inch thickness, approximately 15-x 9-inches. (It is fine for the dough to be longer than 15-inches but makes sure it is no wider than 9 – 10 inches.)  To make a neat rectangle, trim off any excess dough around the sides and press it into the corners which need more shaping.

7.  Spoon the fig filling over the dough and spread evenly, making sure it comes all the way to the edges.

8.  Use the baking paper to gently roll the long side of the dough around the filling, so that it forms a neat log. Leave the seam side down as the weight of the roll seals the edge.

9.  Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds and use the outer edges of the baking paper to help press the seeds into the top of the roll and the sides, pressing any seeds which have fallen down.  The contrast between the dough and fig paste will be more pronounced after baking.

10. Place the log in the freezer for 20 minutes – this will make it firmer for easier cutting.

11.  With a sharp knife, slice into 2 cm thick pieces, wiping the knife after each cut. If wanting more of a perfectly round shape, rotate the roll after several cuts, then give them a gentle squeeze to reshape them into rounds on the tray.

12.  Carefully transfer them to the baking tray, laying them flat, with the spiral of the fig paste facing up.

13.  Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through baking and bake until golden in colour, remove from the oven.  Delicious eaten warm, or later that same day, or the next.

Goodness shared from Stacey