Fig Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Oatmeal Cookies: Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon in the bowl of your food processor. Process until combined. Add the cold pieces of butter and process until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add the rolled oats, milk, and vanilla extract and process until the batter starts to clump together.

Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment or wax paper until it is about 1/4 inch (.5 cm) thick. As you roll, periodically check the top and bottom sheets of parchment and smooth out any wrinkles. Place dough on a baking sheet (along with the parchment paper) and place in the refrigerator until cold and very firm (about 45-60 minutes). (For faster chilling, place in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes).

Once chilled, remove from refrigerator and peel off the top piece of parchment paper. Using about a 2 1/2 inch (7 cm) round cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Put the baking sheet with the cut out cookies in the refrigerator while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C), with the oven rack in the center position.

Meanwhile, gather up any scraps of leftover dough and re-roll. (You may need to refrigerate the dough again before cutting out the cookies.) Bake the cookies for about 12-14 minutes or until they are golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the fig filling.

Fig Filling: Place the figs, water, sugar, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the figs are soft and have absorbed most of the water (about 10 - 15 minutes). Remove from heat, leave to cool about 10 minutes, and then puree in your food processor until fairly smooth (a few lumps are fine).

To Assemble Cookies: Take one oatmeal cookie and spread a scant tablespoon of the fig filling on the flat bottom side of the cookie. Top with a second cookie, flat side down, and press together gently. Repeat with the remaining oatmeal cookies. The filled cookies can be covered and stored about 4 to 5 days.

Makes about 12 - 2 1/2 inch (7 cm) cookies