Fig and oat cookies

Name: Fig and oat cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 5
Ingredients: 75g salted butter, softened; 100g soft light brown sugar; 50g soft dark brown sugar; 6 small figs; 50g plain flour; 50g wholegrain spelt flour; 50g rolled porridge oats; 50g jumbo oats; 30g chopped roasted cobnuts (or hazelnuts); 1 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; For the cardamom cream filling; Seeds from 8 cardamom pods, crushed in a pestle and mortar; 1 tbsp clear honey; 300ml double cream

Portion size: Serves 5
Prep time 20 min. Cook time 15 min, plus cooling
Difficulty: easy

Freezable

Vegetarian

Kathy Slack

Food writer, grower and cook

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These easy fig and oat cookies from food writer Kathy Slack are delicious enjoyed just as they are. Or, fill them with the luscious cardamom cream to make cookie sandwiches for an easy autumn dessert.

Make ahead: The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freeze ahead: “I make a double batch of this dough and keep it in the freezer for cookie emergencies. If you take the sandwich route, and I recommend you do, these can be assembled ahead of time and kept in the freezer until needed. In which case, thaw for 5-10 minutes before serving,” says Kathy.
Flexible recipe: “The fig pressed into the top adds sweetness and a subtle fragrance, but, in a crisis, can be swapped for a square of chocolate, a dried fig or a soft date.”
Autumnal treat: These seasonal cookies are made with fresh figs and cobnuts, which are both at their peak in late summer into early autumn. To make them at other times of year, use dried figs and hazelnuts.

Browse more easy cookie recipes, including classic chocolate chip and quick air-fryer cookies.

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Ingredients

75g salted butter, softened
100g soft light brown sugar
50g soft dark brown sugar
6 small figs
50g plain flour
50g wholegrain spelt flour
50g rolled porridge oats
50g jumbo oats
30g chopped roasted cobnuts (or hazelnuts)
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the cardamom cream filling

Seeds from 8 cardamom pods, crushed in a pestle and mortar
1 tbsp clear honey
300ml double cream

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Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Chop 1 fig very finely, then beat it into the fluffy butter mixture.
Stir in the flours, oats, nuts, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda to form a stiff dough. Divide the dough into 10 balls, then put them on 2 lined baking trays.
Halve the remaining figs from top to bottom, then slice them at an angle from the stem to the base in thin wedges, but without cutting right through the stem to create a fig fan. Press a fan into the top of each dough ball, flattening it out slightly as you do.
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Space out the cookies evenly on the trays, then bake for 15 minutes or until pale gold. Remove from the oven and, if the cookies have spread out too thin, nudge the edges back into a manageable size whilst they are still warm. This will cause wrinkles that will crisp up deliciously. Leave to cool on the tray.
While the cookies cool, stir the cardamom and honey into the cream, then whip to soft peaks (ones that flop over when you take the whisk out).
To serve, sandwich a dollop of the cream between 2 cookies and devour. Or, for something more refined, serve 2 cookies in a bowl alongside a spoonful of cream.