Like many of you, I'm guessing, you automatically think of Fig Newtons. I never got into those cookies.
So, I thought, what can I do with these? Off to the internet to find some recipes. I couldn't find any that didn't need the oven. Then I remembered fig preserves!
I found a recipe on Simply Daily Recipes. I have no canning experience so this recipe was right up my alley!
Ingredients:
1 pint of figs (about 15; I used 17)
2 tbl coconut sugar
2 tbl raw honey
1/2 cup water
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Chop figs, add to saucepan with sugar, honey and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate in glass container. Eat! Enjoy!!
Not pictured here, my son licked the wooden spoon dry. Because the figs are sweet, I had to find a vehicle to enjoy them. I thought about my friend, Vlada, when she offered me a crepe at her home last year filled with fig preserves.
I went to her videos on YouTube and found a recipe for a HUGE batch. I had to figure out how to cut it down to 1/3. I made some guesses but I think I've got a good start on my hands.
This recipe makes about 10 crepes.
2 eggs
1/4 tbl real vanilla
1/4 cup olive oil (I will substitute coconut oil next time)
1/4 lemon zest
1/4 cup of flax + 2 tbl
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 cup milk
3 tbl warm water
1/8 tsp salt
Mix all ingredients one at a time until you get to the milk. Slowly add the milk until it mixes thoroughly. Follow with warm water and salt. Add a little oil to the preheated pan (you don't need a special pan to make crepes). Cook one minute on side 1 and flip using non stick spatula. Cook for about another minute - it will slide off pan when it's cooked completely.
I found that after I made one crepe, it was pretty bland even when I dipped them in the fig preserves. So, I added 2 tsp of coconut sugar. The next time I make these crepes, I am going to add a touch of cinnamon in addition to the coconut sugar.
Figs? Check. Crepes? Check. What about the chocolate!? Well, I found this recipe online last week to make what I call, nearly guilt-free chocolate frosting. The first round didn't come out perfect but it was surely good enough to eat. The texture was between that of ice cream and that of frosting. It was smooth but I had to eyeball the other ingredients because my coconut milk didn't set like it was supposed to. So I'm not sure if the taste on batch #1 is what it's supposed to be. Either way, I think it's yummy. Not overly sweet. But enough to win over some taste buds.
Original Ingredients:
1 can of full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup plus 1 tbl cocoa powder
1/2 tsp real vanilla
dry sweetener to taste
My ingredients:
1/2 can of full fat coconut milk
6 tbl cocoa powder
1/2 tsp real vanilla
1.5 tsp coconut sugar
Because the texture was not quite thick, I decided to spread the 'frosting' over one of my crepes and stick it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Voila! An ice cream 'cookie'! Delicious!!
I didn't take a picture of it so use your imagination and take my word for it, it is good!
Batch #2 is in the refrigerator in an uncovered bowl. The first batch I left it in the can (both ways are talked about on the original recipe). The water and milk didn't thoroughly separate. I left it in the fridge for 12 hours. For the second batch, I am going to let it sit in for 18+ hours. We shall see what happens tomorrow! If it's the same results as Batch #1, I'll be making "nearly guilt free ice cream chocolate cookies" with the remaining crepes.
Choose, eat, and live well! =)
