Flour covering every surface like kitchen snowfall. Metal outlines of snowflakes and bells and holly. Rolling pins and baking sheets haphazardly strewn. Stealing the scraggly bits of the cookie dough to nibble. Smell of sugar wafting. Oven warmth emanating. Timer beeping. Not an un-sticky surface in sight.
That’s the stuff that Christmas cookies are made of. Yes, yes flour and sugar too, but the chaotic kitchen behind the sweet treats is the real magic.
Holiday cookie-making magic is best when shared, that is why I have come together with the some of my favorite bloggers to celebrate a Holiday Cookie Party! Combing the creativity and talent of twelve bakers to bring you an entirely gluten-free and vegan cookie recipe collection with treats of every shape, size, and sweet flavor.
For my own contribution to the Holiday Cookie Party, I created these festive Gingerbread Fig Bars. Think gingerbread man in a Fig Newton costume. Two of my favorite cookies combined.
Ginger molasses cookie + sweet seedy fig filling. So much yum…
Non-vegan dad approved. Actually, non-vegan dad went back for seconds!
Gingerbread Fig Bars
- Prep Time: 480 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 492 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- FILLING
- 2 cups dried figs
- 3 tbsps coconut sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3/4 cup water
- COOKIE
- 1 batch Vegan GF Gingerbread cookie dough
Instructions
- FOR THE FILLING: Combine the dried figs, water, lemon juice, and sugar in a medium sauce pan.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the figs are soft.
- Mash the figs with a potato masher until you have a paste-like consistency.
- TO ASSEMBLE: Roll out the chilled cookie dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut off any ragged edges to make a rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half width wise.
- Working on one of the halves, spread a line of filling about 1 inch wide down the length closer to one edge. Fold the other side of the dough over the filling and pinch the edges together to close. Cut into 4 cookies. Or just see diagram.
- Repeat with the other half of the dough.
- Transfer to a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350F.
Now let’s see what everyone else brought to the party…
1. Chocolate Candy Cane Crunch Cookies – Rebecca from Strength And Sunshine
2. Gingerbread Fig Bars – Me!
3. No-Bake Marzipan Rum Balls – Bianca from Elephantastic Vegan
4. Chocolate Drizzle Ginger Pecan Cookies – Laura from Chronicles Of Passion
5. Chewy Gluten Free Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies – Jenn from Veggie Inspired Journey
6. Cranberry Chocolate Coconut Macaroons – Linda from Veganosity
7. Vegan Orange Cinnamon Christmas Cookies – Sina from Vegan Heaven
8. Cranberry White Chocolate Ginger Cookies – Leah from Love Me Feed Me
9. Chocolate Tahini Cookies – Lucie from Win-Win Food
10. Sugar Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free) – Brandi from The Vegan 8
11. Orange Spice Cookies – Harriet from Harriet Emily
12. Vegan Cranberry Crunch Dark Chocolate Truffles – Sophia from Veggies Don’t Bite
With so many mouth-watering choices, which cookie do you want to try first?
Gingery in a fig costume!? O lord it’s perfect!!!! My dream of fig newtons has been realized! I love these so much!!! THANK YOUUUUU!!!!!!! <33333333333333333333333333333333333
Well gingerbread men don’t exist yet in October, so they have to save their costumes for Christmas time 🙂
Gingerbread fig newtons!!! You’ve combined two of my favorites in one special holiday cookie. Brilliant, just brilliant. Thanks, Natalie!
Thank you Linda! What is it about fig newtons that just claim favorite cookie status so easily? I absolutely love them too 🙂
I am in LOVE with these!!! I am such a huge fig lover and I think it’s obviously how much I love gingerbread if you know me at all! LOL! I would have never thought to combine the two flavors, but I am drooling over it now! Wow! They are so perfect looking!
And how did you know what my kitchen looks like??? HaHa!
December kitchens of food bloggers are all identical…a.k.a. disaster zone 😀
Oh wow! I have made fig bars, but never with gingerbread! Such a good idea. Thanks for all your work on the cookie party and can’t wait to try these!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fig bar I don’t like, but the gingerbread is very good with the figgy filling! And thank you for your gorgeous cookie contribution, I’m so glad to have connected with you 🙂
Hoooooolyyyyy! I didn’t think fig bars could get much better, but you just proved me SO wrong. These are so beautiful and I need them in my life!!
Well I didn’t think gingerbread cookies could get much better till you added white chocolate, so today is just a day of proving each other wrong 🙂
OH GOODNESS. You pretty much wrapped all my favorites into one bar. THESE ARE SO HAPPENING SOON!
It sounds like you and I have very similar tastes in cookies 🙂
A cookie party is my kind of party! So many good ones to choose from here!
My kinda party too! My inner cookie monster is very very happy 🙂
These remind me of Fig Newtons, except they’re FAR healthier – for sure!
★★★★★
Yes, yes exactly!
Nooo waaay, these are like gingerbread fig pillows!! I’m absolutely in love with those. I want to stuff them into my face, asap 😀 Did you buy the figs dried or did you make them yourself in a dehydrator? I’ve never seen dried figs… 🙂
You’ve never seen dried figs!?! These continental differences just never cease to amaze me. They are sooooo good just for snacking, probably my favorite dried fruit. And yes they come already dried here. You should look online maybe, because they are amazing. If you can’t tell I really really love them hahaha 😀
I’m really enjoying this cookie party!
Thanks Dianne!
I think I am going to cry… happy tears. I always used to LOVE fig rolls and haven’t had anything like this for years and years, You’ve really inspired me.
★★★★★
Thank you Trinity <3 That is why I love this blogging community, we are always inspiring one another!
Haha, your dad sure knows what’s good for him. These look totally incredible, I bet my whole non-vegan family would go back for seconds! Gingerbread and figs are such a wonderful flavor combination!!! Can’t wait to make these 🙂
★★★★★
Lol he’s a fig newton kinda guy, but they definitely passed his cookie test 😀 The fall spices and figs are awesome together, don’t know why I haven’t tried that sooner!
These look so incredible Natalie! Such a wonderful, healthy cookie with loads of flavor and they are so pretty too! I love that you created a fig center for your gingerbread cookie base, what a fabulous idea!! I can see why your Dad loved these so much! The centers look incredible!
Thank you Brandi! I could eat that filling with a spoon, I love the figgy flavor. Yes definitely very flavor-packed, but this whole party is. I have to tell you, I was talking to my mom this evening and after seeing the whole post the one she wanted to try most was your sugar cookies. So hopefully we will try them over the holidays 🙂
Awww that is so sweet to hear! I hope y’all do, thank you so much Natalie!
These are my dream cookie. Its my two favorites in one! I have one question, though. How long do you bake them for?
*it’s :p
Hahahaha I must have gotten so carried away with the diagram I forgot that part, I’m sorry 😀 Fixed now. You bake them for 12 minutes at 350F. Thanks for the reminder Elaney!
I adore figs!! And put them with gingerbread?! Genius. Love these and could eat the whole thing myself.
Oh yeah, totally a one person one serving sort of situation 😉 Thanks Sophia!
Its like if fig newtons and gingerbread cookies had a baby! I LOVE fig newtons and I haven’t had them since I was about 10! This cookie recipe is genius!
Yes, that description is spot on! Thank you for sharing, we clearly share a love for figgy cookies 🙂
Can I just tell you how much I LOVED fig newtons when i was growing up? It’s been YEARS since I’ve had a fig bar, but a gingery fig bar?! Yes, please!!! I love that your dad went back for seconds…they look amazing! This recipe is so creative! You’ve been coming up with so many of my old favorites, veganized…so, thank you!! xo
The old favorites are always favorites! Fancy desserts are fun and all, but honestly just the classics like brownies and cookies are always the most popular. I am a huge fig newton fan too, those Barbara’s bakery ones aren’t bad, but homemade is still better 🙂 Thank you for your sweet comment Mandy, I always look forward to reading them <3
These are fantastic Natalie. Love the look and sound of them.
Thanks Nissrine!
These look so good! I pinned them to my Christmas board. We are doing a cookie exchange on monday, yum! Thanks for sharing.
Ah you’re the best, thanks for sharing!
Ok, having an up close look at these beauties now that I have a breather — they’re absolutely stunning! I have some fig bars slotted for the making this week too, though my idea was a little different. Let’s see if it turns out 🙂 Last one sorta failed miserably lol I bet my husband would love these though. If mine fail, I’m making him these instead — that’s my plan B 😉
Fig bars are tricky, thats why these are a bit rough…no, we’ll say rustic in shape 😉 My dad was all over these, what is it about men and fig bars!? haha But I hope yours are a success…no, I know yours will be a success eventually because that’s just what you do–keep trying till it finally works, hence the ten bundt cakes 😀 Best of figgy luck to you!
What is your gluten free ginger bread dough? I don’t see a link and I’d love to know how to make it. Thanks.
Oops sorry, that link must’ve broken! Right here: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/vegan-gluten-free-gingerbread-men/
These look incredible! I love how simple they are too. Definitely NOT waiting for Christmas to try them though. I loved store-bought fig newtons as a kid and gingerbread cookies are my favourite…so I can’t wait to try these (and every other recipe on your site, every day, all the time..lol) Thanks!!
You are too sweet, thank you Deryn! Fig newtons and gingerbread are both lifelong faves of mine too–altogether it’s cookie heaven. I kinda wish “gingerbread” didn’t have such a christmas connotation because I could happily eat ginger-spiced sweet stuff year round!
Well, I’m only about 4 year late, and everyone said everything I could think of. Scrumptious, blissfully figgie mouthful. Didn’t know you had these in your repertoire. (I did a search for ginger and wow!) Simply amazing. And yes I adore fig newtons, they were my favourite ‘growing up’. Now i’m gf haven’t had one in a zillion years. Cannot wait to make these. thank you so very much for creating these. Um, can I use any of your ginger cookie cookie doughs to make these?
I am so happy you found these!! I love these cookies, I need to give them an update because the recipe is one of my favorites too. Any of my roll-out gingerbread cookie recipe will work with the fig filling, yes! Hope you enjoy, let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi! I want to make this recipe but I don’t see the recipe or how to make the Vegan GF Gingerbread cooking dough. Is this somewhere on your blog? Thank you, Ginger
Hi Ginger! I apologize the link was broken. Here it is: https://feastingonfruit.com/vegan-gluten-free-gingerbread-men/