Saturday, April 19, 2008

Fig Cookies

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One of these days I will learn that baking when you have imminent plans is not such a great idea, unless that aforementioned baking relates to those plans.

Today, it did not. Have anything to do with my plans that is. Cookies are in no way a prerequisite to the movies.
I've had Sherry Yard's Fig Bars via Luisa at the Wednesday Chef bookmarked for a couple months now, and finally had to make them. When I spotted dried Black Mission figs at the store last week I was so ecstatic that I bought a handful to test out, and then went back the next day, after my semi-successful granola bars (and pleased with the figs - I learned the hard way after hating some dried cherries) and bought 1 1/2 pounds of them. That was probably a bit excessive, but I can't always seem to find dried figs.
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I thought about making them Friday night, but I had plans at 6:30 and didn't have the 3 hours minimum that I knew I needed. So Saturday morning I took out a stick of butter, went out for breakfast, and started on them once I got home around nine...
And then had issues with the fig jam. I couldn't decide whether to cover and simmer or leave uncovered. I covered it half the time, and uncovered it half the time, because it seemed too runny. But I also had it on the stovetop for close to two hours! So at 11:30, the time I needed to be leaving for the movies to meet my friends, I was, stupidly, putting a second tray of cookies into the oven instead of putting them in the fridge to bake when I returned home from the movies.

I made it to the movies on time, thanks to something called a generous mommy with a car, and only missed half of a preview. Though my friends and I have now decided to see Made of Honor when it comes out.
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Oh, and the fig bar cookies. They're really good. But the jury's still out on whether they're worth the effort for someone who hates rolling things out. They aren't complicated or hard to make - I just have issues with rolling dough. But the filling - just spread it on a cracker with some greek yogurt or cream cheese and...
Well, it's delicious. The spread isn't much effort, and the hint of orange makes it worthwhile. Or I suppose you could just stir orange zest into storebought preserves and enjoy that instead.
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I didn't change anything at all from the recipe Luisa posted:
The Wednesday Chef: Sherry Yard's Fig Bars

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

These look really tasty Mar. There's a similar biscuit for sale in the UK called a fig roll and we've recently had a national shortage of them because of droughts in Turkey (our main fig supplier - nearest place with good enough weather I guess). It's good to know you can make your own if need be!