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Gluten-Free Fig Newtons – Healthy Snacks for Kids and an All-Clad Giveaway

Delicious homemade, gluten-free fig newton cookies with no added sugar. The sweet fig filling and the tender crust will keep your kids healthy and happy!  This post is sponsored by All-Clad and the Partnership for A Healthier America.

Gluten-Free Homemade Fig Newtons with no added sugar

Here we are, rapidly approaching the end of August and you know what that means.  Very soon, the air will begin to cool off, the leaves begin to turn, and the kids will be slinging their packs on their backs, heading off to school.  These things may already have begun in your area.  And I don’t know about your kids, but mine will be packing their lunches in with them every day.  I know that some school systems have vastly improved their lunch options, but in our area it still consists of hot dogs, grilled cheese and the like.  It’s a lot of work to make three lunches every day, but it’s worth it to me to make sure my children are eating healthfully at lunchtime.  And coming up with tempting but healthy treats is my defense against all the junk being served at school.

So I am thrilled today to be partnering with Partnership for A Healthier America, All-Clad and a group of other great, health-minded bloggers to raise awareness about childhood obesity.  We all know it’s on the rise, but when you look at the facts, it’s quite startling.  Did you know that 1 in 3 children and adolescents are now overweight or obese?  Did you know that over the past 30 years, childhood obesity in the U.S. has doubled among ages 2-5 and more than tripled among ages 6-11 and 12-19?

Gluten-Free Homemade Fig Newtons with no added sugar

You can see why we need to start fighting this with greater intensity.  And the strongest fight starts on the homefront, with our own kids.  We need to teach our kids about good nutrition, and we need to surround them with healthy, naturally delicious options.  We should, of course, demand that our school systems change their ways too, but how can our kids make healthier decisions when we don’t teach them how at home?

With my own kids, I like to take the approach of a healthier version of some of their favorites, like Fig Newtons.  This isn’t the sneaky approach; I let them know that they are made without sugar and are gluten-free, because I want them to see that there are better options than store bought cookies.  And I confess that it doesn’t always work, that I sometimes end up with something the kids won’t even touch.  But more often than not, I end up with a pretty good approximation of the commercial variety and my kids are more than happy to gobble them up in lieu of the real thing.

Gluten-Free Homemade Fig Newtons with no added sugar

These were pretty easy to make too.  The filling is simply dried figs pureed with some water, because figs are naturally so sweet.  And because our camps and schools are nut-free, I used mostly gluten-free oat flour and gluten-free all purpose flour for the crust.  The dough is a little on the fragile side, as are so many gluten-free doughs, but it patches together nicely, so you still end up with some nice-looking newtons.  Definitely a snack you can feel good about.

Gluten-Free Homemade Fig Newtons with no added sugar

Now check out this great giveaway, sponsored by All-Clad and A Healthier America in support of awareness for childhood obesity.  You have many chances to win so be sure to check out the other great healthy back-to-school recipes from the other bloggers!

  • 1 Grand prize winner will receive a 7 piece stainless steel All-Clad set
  • 9 runners up will receive a 11″ nonstick and covered All-Clad skillet

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Print
Homemade Gluten-Free Fig Newtons
Servings: 32 cookies
Ingredients
Crust:
  • 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup golden flax seed meal
  • 2 tbsp coconut flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener or other erythritol
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
  • 8 oz dried figs I used golden California Figs
  • 1/2 cup water
Instructions
Dough:
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the oat flour, all purpose flour, flax seed meal, coconut flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt.
  2. In another bowl, beat butter with erythritol until well combined. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.
  3. Beat in flour mixture until dough comes together.
  4. Turn out onto plastic wrap and shape into a low, flat rectangle. Wrap tightly and refrigerated 1 hour.
Filling:
  1. Combine figs and water in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth.
To assemble:
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Sprinkle work surface with some gluten-free all purpose flour and roll out dough to a large rectangle, about 10 by 16 inches. Cut into 4 even strips, about 4 inches wide each.
  3. Gently and carefully loosen each strip of dough with a sharp knife or an offset spatula. Spoon 1/4 of the filling down the center of each strip.
  4. Carefully fold edges over and pinch to seal. Patch any cracks or tears.
  5. Cut each strip into 8 cookies and place cookies on prepared baking sheet.
  6. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until light golden brown and just firm to the touch.
  7. Remove and let cool completely on pan.
Recipe Notes

Serves 16. 150 Calories; 8g Fat (46.1% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 29mg Cholesterol; 103mg Sodium.

Nutrition Facts
Homemade Gluten-Free Fig Newtons
Amount Per Serving (2 g)
Calories 0
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

More Healthy Back-To-School recipes:

Healthy Red Velvet Smoothies from Chocolate & Carrots

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies from Texanerin Baking

Tomato Balsamic Ravioli from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

Dried Fruit and Nut Trail Mix from Carla’s Confections

Raspberry Peach Fruit Leather from Country Cleaver

Nutella Breakfast Oatmeal from Eat Good 4 Life

Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders from BranAppetit

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Peach Bread from The Lemon Bowl

Lightened Up Chicken Salad Sandwich from Table For Two

Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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Comments

  1. You’re such a good mom to educate and make such healthy foods for your children. I feel like my mornings are crazy enough with making lunch for my husband and taking care of the food for my son every morning, but making lunches and breakfasts for three kids…phew! You’re amazing and so are these fig newtons. Such a classic snack treat and such a great idea to making them homemade! 😀

    Reply

    • Haha, truth be told, my husband very kindly took over making lunches when I got seriously burnt out on it. But i still try to have some healthy snacks prepared!

      Reply

  2. I agree with Caroline! Super impressive. Making three lunches every morning with nutritious (GF!) homemade treats must be a challenge. But I bet you must feel SO good knowing that they’re eating good stuff rather than junk for lunch.

    And loving these fig newtons! Amazing that the filling is just figs and water. 🙂

    Reply

  3. oooh I love fig newtons! and these look delicious! Beautiful photos 🙂 We are cutting out package foods and opting for fresh, whole foods to be healthier. It feels great!

    Reply

  4. We are trying very hard this year to eat “real” food and cut out processed stuff. Mornings are crazy, so to make sure we do the lunches right, we put them together the night before.

    Reply

    • G low in sugar and putting a half a cup of a sugar knockoff is misleading. Ten years ago it would have been some other sweetener of some sort.
      If sweet is a must use top grade honey or actually reduce the sweetness.
      Trying to masquerade the sweetness in foods does not teach anything. Less sweet all around should be the goal.

      Reply

  5. What a great cause. I spent the majority of my life extremely over weight. It’s so hard for children physically and mentally. Plus it causes so many learned bad habits. Teach them young. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  8. These look good, and I imagine they’d be quite tasty with other types of fruit filling too? If we don’t have to worry about nut-free classrooms, could a lower-carb flour be used (like in your hand pies recipe)?

    Reply

    • Yes, absolutely the hand pie crust would work and it would be good with another fruit filling. Just be sure to thicken the filling well with something so it’s not runny.

      Reply

  9. We are moving away from a standard lunch/fruit/chips etc. lunchbox to a bentobox-type of lunch. Smaller compartments but more fresh fruit and veggies to sample. Also makes us stick to consistent serving sizes.

    Reply

  13. To make sure I get everyone off to a healthy start in the morning I have started to batch bake healthy waffles, pancakes and muffins and freeze them so I’m not struggling with our hectic mornings to get everyone fed well!

    Reply

  14. We have alreadt stopped eating process foods and switched to whole, now we are going to incorporate exercise in our daily lives, and turn off the boob tube!

    Reply

  19. I came to the low carb/wheat free way of cooking late in life because my husband became type 2 diabetic, but what seemed a hardship initially is in fact a blessing because we now eat so well, and feel so well. Better late than never, but the emphasis on teaching young children is such an important thrust (perhaps the most important thrust) in the war against obesity.

    Reply

  26. Can’t wait to try these .. we LOVE figs and have been trying to find a good homemade alternatives to Fig Newmans!

    Reply

  28. This year, I’m going to do a lot more planning! I want to have healthy options available all the time so it’s just as easy to pick a healthy option as it is to grab something not so healthy!

    Reply

  30. For years it’s been easy to keep healthy choices an option during the school year, because I homeschooled my children. Last year my eldest decided she wanted to go to public school for high school though, and what an awakening it was about the difficulty of sending a child to school with healthy foods. At home we cook for lunch, and often use the blender or food processor for snack, but those aren’t option when you’re not at home. So this year my goal is to have my eldest’s lunch and snacks planned out so there’s no last minute scramble in the morning, which leads to poor choices.

    Reply

  33. What a great snack! Or treat for a lunch box! Our school district has really improved their hot lunch program, with a full array or fresh fruits and veggies to pick from every day. Over the last year they have gotten rid of so much of the hot dogs, and fried food. They do have pizza still, but even that now has a whole wheat crust and low fat cheese. I still pack a lunch for my son most days, and these would be a great addition!

    Reply

  39. I homeschool my children, but they still like to eat a lot of processed foods. This school year we’re going to gradually move away from processed foods.

    Reply

  41. These look yummy. Do you think I could use fresh figs and omit the water, and could I use chia seed meal instead of the flax? I really like your recipes.

    Reply

    • I definitely think the chia would work. The fresh figs might need something to help thicken them, like cornstarch or xanthan gum.

      Reply

  44. Nice recipe! … And … as someone that’s spent years working in professional restaurants, I can honestly say that All-Clad has the best stuff! It’ll survive just about anything!

    Reply

  47. I have missed fig newtons for years. I hope I can make a low carb version of these somehow. I guess figs themselves are pretty carby though.

    Reply

  49. This coming year we are fully adopting a gluten free low carb lifestyle. Will also be limiting many other grains for our health.

    Reply

  50. I used to be all about sneaking healthier ingredients into the recipes for the kids, but now, like you, I fully tell them that this version is healthier, here’s why and see how good it is!! It warmed my heart when I made granola for our car pool girls (4 girls headed to dance rehearsals) and one of them asked, “Is this a healthy version?” I responded yes, to which she said, “good… I like it that way.”
    I have a feeling these cookies would be a carpool hit!

    Reply

  52. Do coconut flour and flax seed meal count as nut free? My nephew who has a nut allergy doesn’t eat seeds or coconut.

    Reply

  53. I don’t have kids, so am not thinking about “back to school”, but I want to cut down on treats. We’ve been having dessert nearly every evening lately and need to cut back to mostly just weekends.

    Reply

  54. This school year, I’m going to be more prepared by keeping the pantry and freezer stocked with foods I know they’ll eat. Food has become a battle in our house and it’s time for it to end! Two of my six kids have celiac but the ones who don’t think they can eat whatever they want and unfortunately I’ve been allowing it. Going to try to change that–at home it’s easy since,thanks to blogs like this, I’ve found recipes we all like. But the second we walk out our door it’s a different story! This year, I’m going to bring food with me more often when we go out so that we can all continue to eat well, even when we’re not home.

    Reply

  59. Thanks for all the great post. My family loves your recipes and so do my nutrition clients.
    B. S. Human Nutrition and Dietetics

    Reply

  60. As always, these look delicious and as always, I am so impressed with your recipes! Keep up the great work!

    Reply

  61. I’m going to try and eat more organic foods this school year. Last year I was eating a lot of fruits, veggies, meats, eggs, etc, but not much of it was organic. Now all I think about is how many pesticides I probably ingested. It’s gotta stop!

    Reply

  62. Eat more fresh veges and fruits and make a green smoothie everyday. Exercise in and around my neighborhood everyday.

    Reply

  65. I keep trying your recipes and I’ve been cooking more than ever as a result. No more “junk food junkie” for me! Now I’ve been converted to a healthy food junkie! I’ve shared some of my results with my brother-in-law and he has enjoyed all of them. His twins have just started kindergarten and I’m going to try to make them “treats” that they’ll like for their lunches that will be healthy.

    Reply

  67. My kids are all grown now but my hubby and me have definitely cut out the processed foods and try to eat mostly homemade.

    Reply

  71. I love to cook but baking, especially gluten free, is a little more intimidating to me. This school year my goal is to make more of my kids treats or snacks instead of buying the sugar laden and high priced gluten free snacks at the grocery.

    Reply

  74. Love this healthier, gluten-free version of a classic favorite snack! I agree with you – it takes a lot of effort to keep our kids supplied with fresh, healthy foods every day, but it is totally worth it!! 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply

  75. Everyone in my family packs a lunch and we are trying to make healthy choices like fruit and veggies in lunch boxes.

    Reply

  77. Although I won’t be making the fig newtons for the school year, I will make them as fuel for ultras and daily life. I’ve missed my fig newtons. These will make a great replacement.

    Reply

  79. Thanks for the wonderful blog Carolyn!

    This year I am going to try and Get the artificial sweeteners out of our everyday lives. Focusing on small servings of naturally sweet foods, like these fig newtons, as an occasional treat and not a daily thing.

    Reply

  80. … and to answer the question: I’m going to work on cutting out fried foods. I am at a healthy weight level I’m working to maintain – but eating healthily is more than just maintaining a healthy weight. If I’m still eating fries – I’m not eating healthily. (Not that I can’t sneak a few from time to time either … heh – but when I eat them regularly …)

    Reply

  82. I loved Fig Newtons as a child, and my kids love them, but these are still too high in carbs for me. My kids will probably disagree and ask me to make them anyways. Do you have any flour suggestions for trying to make them lower carb?

    Reply

    • Same here, gluten don’t bother me but carbs do, unfortunately.
      @ Caroline: I wonder if subbing the GF All-purpose flour for Carbalose Flour would make much difference in the carbcount? And I’m thinking of subbing the Oat Flour for Almond or Coconut…. but knowing me, the whole thing would probably just fall apart before it ever gets to the oven LOL.

      Reply

      • Since I haven’t tried that variation, I can’t be sure. But you could try to make it more like the crust from my hand pies.

        Reply

    • It’s the figs themselves that give this recipe the majority of the carbs, so it’s tough to cut back on. But you could try the dough from my strawberry hand pies.

      Reply

  83. I have been walking everyday and I am trying to get off of sugar and gluten foods. This year I will suceed! My favorite cookie is fig newton.

    Reply

  86. Changes? Hmmm we’re going to continue on our path to healthier eating and find more ways to incorporate low carb recipes for what we used to eat – breads, desserts, etc. It has been fun to go try and explore new things – some have been a flop but some have been great…the best part is we are healthier!!

    Reply

  88. look yummy… hopen I can sub a starch flour like arrowroot powder for the gluten free mix cause I don’t have any! Can you get dried figs at most grocery stores? Never looked for them! 🙂

    Reply

  94. I am getting up a bit earlier and making a much more nutritious breakfast for my three kids each morning. We are taking a lot of sugar out of our diets and adding in fruit and veggies.

    Reply

  95. Actually, I don’t have school age kids anymore, but since my husband was diagnosed with diabetes earlier this year, we have given up sugar to be healthier. I’m learning how to make baked goodies with almond and coconut flour and some of the best desserts I’ve found have been on your site, so thanks very much!

    Reply

  98. It has been sooooooooo long since I’ve had a fig newton, I just might have to try this.
    Thanks as always for the fabulous ideas.

    Reply

  100. We eat pretty healthfully, but there’s always room for improvement! Reducing the amount of sugar my kids consume has been an ongoing effort!

    Reply

  102. We’ve done a really good job steadily making certain we don’t consume any processed or fakes foods and choose organic (when possible)….this year we’re going to focus on reducing our sugar consumption (honey, maple syrup, dried fruits, etc)!

    Reply

  105. I will continue to add more veggies to our diet and even less processed foods. We are doing pretty well so far but there is always room for improvement!

    Reply

  107. When I started out teaching, I was so shocked at how many obese children there were. I was so saddened by the school lunches and lack of exercise many kids got. I worked also in an after school program and I often taught a cooking class, which included nutrition, easy ways to eat healthy, and exercise. It was so well received and I got some good feedback from the kids. This year, my family is eating more vegetables and fruits. We are making a dedicated effort to create interesting salads, grill vegetables, and eat as organic as possible. So, now we’re eating much more delicious meals than ever before. Loving it!

    Reply

  110. What a terrific recipe for fig newtons. Hope I win the allclad. My pots & pans are so old they need updating. Thanks for the opportunity.

    Reply

  115. I am trying to find healthier snacks to make for myself that I truly enjoy or that I can take to an event or party and others won’t know it’s healthy–until I tell them. I also like
    chocolate and peanut butter. Big fan. LOL.

    Reply

  116. This year we have pleadged to walk to school at least two days a week instead of driving or taking the bus.

    Reply

  119. Awesome Blog! Awesome Recipe and an amazing give away!! Ty for all of your recipes etc., and for a a chance at the give away! Much Love and Many Blessings!

    Reply

  122. my girls aren’t in school yet. but I am trying to get my husband to take food instead of going out and buying everyday for lunches.

    Reply

  123. Well, since my family consists of just me, I’m not really affected by the school year. However, I do have a boyfriend and he has kids. I am going to try to do a lot more pre-planning for healthy meals and snacks for when they are around.

    Reply

  125. These look great! I used to love fig newtons back in the day. I love making naughty things healthy. I made my first batch of paleo ice cream a few days ago, so happy <333333333

    Reply

  126. When I get together with my homeschooling friends I bring healthy snacks for children and mommys alike, we all like healthy food!

    Reply

  129. We’re really trying to avoid processed foods and eat more whole, clean, homemade food. It’s been challenging because processed junk is so convenient, and it’s what I grew up on so me it’s just the normal thing to eat… but I don’t want it to be normal for my kids! Normal should be what comes from the Earth, not what comes from labs and factories.

    Reply

  130. No processed food.. No processed Sugars.. whole wheat.. Lots of fruits n veggies. Those Fig Newton.. look AMAZING!

    Reply

  131. Was just wondering the other day if there was a low carb newton type cookie out there. I may have to experiment with replacing the oat and gluten all purpose flour with something lower carb, but you’ve provided a good starting point. Might be possible to do this using your dried cranberries?

    Reply

    • Yes, I think you can put in dried cranberries but they will need more water to make them into a proper paste.

      Reply

  134. Making these for my 3 yr old today. Wonder if they will work as well with dates instead of figs. We’ll find out!

    Reply

  136. I’ve gotten the family to stop using canola oil for cooking. This school year, I hope to eliminate food with canola oil/vegetable oil from the house completely.

    Reply

  137. Thank you again for a delicious recipe. I was really excited to try fig newtons, but I don’t like figs, so I used Medjool dates instead. They look more like pillows and it ended up making less biscuits, but not to worry, I can’t wait until they are out of the oven.

    Reply

  139. These look amazing. My son is hypoglycemic so I am always looking for healthy ways to keep his blood sugar stable without packing in the empty calories and without adding too much processed sugar. I am definitely going to be making these as a healthy snack for this school year!

    Reply

  140. We have been clean eating a long time now; however, when we did buy processed goods the only two store-bought cookies I enjoyed were Oreos and Fig Newtons. I haven’t had either in years but now I’m definitely trying your recipe. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  144. Can I substitute millet or sorghum flour for oat or regular? I have some regular flour, but I also have these others that I haven’t used. I don’t have oat flour. I also have dried cherries as well as figs that I want to use with this recipe for my guy.

    Reply

  145. Can I substitute millet or sorghum flour for oat or regular? I have some regular flour, but I also have these others that I haven’t used. I don’t have oat flour. I also have dried cherries as well as figs that I want to use with this recipe for my guy.

    Reply

  146. Thanks Carolyn! My husband absolutely adores these. He loved fig newtons as a kid. And these are so much better for him. Just wish I liked figs, but then there’s more for him.

    Reply

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