Deliciously chewy oatmeal fig cookies with a bit of candied ginger and dash of cinnamon spice–perfect for the holidays!
Something about these just SCREAM cozy to me, you know? Whether its the oatmeal, the cinnamon, the fig–who knows! All I know is that everything feels right and that I’m a happy guy when these babies are in front of me.
Let’s dive in, friends!
Oatmeal + Fig + Ginger = BLISS
I wanted to break down the three main components of these oatmeal fig & ginger cookies to give each ingredient their moment to shine! When these three lovelies work together, it’s magic. Pure, harmonious, magic. Let’s start with the oatmeal first…
Rolled Oats VS. Other Kinds of Oats
Rolled oats (also called old-fashioned or whole grain) are going to be your best bet when it comes to cookies because of their fast cook time & texture. They also have the ability to absorb more liquid and hold together better in the bake than other oats. What makes them “rolled” is the whole oats being first steamed, then pressed down flat.
I used Bob’s Red Mill “Organic Regular Rolled Oats” for this recipe!
Steel cut oats are going to be more coarse and take much longer to cook, as they are chopped instead of steamed/pressed like rolled are. You COULD substitute instant oats in some cases, but I wouldn’t recommend it generally. Instant oats cook much faster than steel and even rolled, resulting in an entirely different (and often mushier) end result.
So rolled/old-fashioned/whole grain oats it is, deal?? Okay deal. Onto figs!
Dried Black Mission Figs
These are my absolute favorite figs to eat/dream about–I love everything about them! I am definitely partial to Valley Fig’s “Sun-Maid California Dried Black Mission Figs,” so do check those out! Dried figs are smaller than fresh because all of their water’s been removed. I love their sweetness and chewiness–both of which really take these cookies up a notch.
Some studies say that dried figs have more nutritional benefits/higher concentrations of antioxidants than fresh figs. Though if we’re being totally honest–I don’t care! I’m not eating figs for the health benefits–I’m eating them because they’re freaking delicious. Moving along!
Crystalized/Candied Ginger
Ginger can definitely be a “hate it or love it” kind of thing, but I personally love it! In all forms really. I wanted to add something with a bit of a kick and surprise to help balance out the citrus and earthy notes of the other ingredients.
That’s also why I didn’t include TOO much of it in the recipe. You could go all-in and add double or even exclude it all together. I just love the little surprise of ginger in certain bites! A very welcome surprise indeed.
Materials You’ll Need:
- Various sized mixing bowls
- Large back sheet with parchment paper
- Cooling rack
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Cookie Scoop (1 1/2 Tbsp.)
Baking Times
As with any recipe, there’s a range for the bake time depending on what end texture you’re looking for! It’s also because everyone’s ovens are inevitably different and have unique temperaments. Isn’t that FUN?….
Anyways, back to what this is about and not your sassy oven–bake times!
I put 13-15 minutes as a general range for you to work within. If you bake them closer to 13, you’ll end up with slightly chewier cookies (though they’re already plenty chewy). Bake closer to 15 and you might get more of a crunch to the sides and bottoms–which is what I prefer honestly! I baked each batch of these for 15 minutes.
In the end, both will result in delicious cookies and you won’t be mad. Bless.
I hope to see lots of oatmeal fig & ginger cookies out there this holiday season! Truly so easy to whip up and they’re definite crowd pleasers.
Tag me on instagram @joshisbaking if you make them!
Happy baking, friends!
Print
Oatmeal Fig Ginger Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 Min.
- Cook Time: 30 Min.
- Total Time: ~1 Hr.
- Yield: 22–24 Cookies 1x
Description
Deliciously chewy oatmeal cookies with dried figs, candied ginger, and a little cinnamon spice–perfect for the holidays!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- 1 tsp. baking powder (4g)
- 1/2 tsp. salt (3g)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon (2g)
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (197g)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped dried black mission figs (180g)
- 1/2 cup chopped crystalized ginger (72g)
- 3/4 cup room temp. butter (1 1/2 sticks) (170g)
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar (307g)
- 1 egg room temp. (56g)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract (3g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and prep a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk your flour, baking powder, salt, & cinnamon together in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl with a spatula, mix together your oats, fig, & ginger. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together your butter & dark brown sugar on medium-high speed for about 2-3 minutes (until creamy & more pale in color), scraping down the bowl halfway through and at the end.
- Add in your egg & vanilla extract, mixing on medium until fully combined (about 30 seconds).
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in your flour mixture until just incorporated, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Then, with the mixer still on low, add in your oats/fig/ginger mixture until fully incorporated.
- If there are some bits at the bottom of your bowl after this step, take the bowl off the mixer and mix the dough together with your spatula until it’s all combined.
- Scoop out heaping 1 1/2 Tbsp. cookie scoops of dough onto your prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- These won’t spread much! To ensure they bake evenly, flatten the tops of each scoop by pressing down gently with your hand until they’re ~1 1/2 inches tall. Don’t get too hung up on this part or if you forget to do it! They’ll just be a little more “bulbous” instead of flat.
- Bake at 375°F for 13-15 min. or until desired browning on the sides/bottom (see notes below for tips).
- Let cool for 10 min. on your baking sheet before transferring to a separate cooling rack. Then continue with your next round of cookies, repeating steps 8 & 9!
- Makes about 22-24 cookies depending on your scoop size. Cookies should keep up to 2 weeks if properly stored at room temp. in an airtight container.
Notes
- Baking for less time will result in chewier cookies and baking for a little longer will give them more of a crunch–baker’s choice!
- Like I said, if you forget to flatten the tops–don’t worry! All will be well. They’ll just be a bit more rounded since they don’t really spread all that much. Also be careful not to flatten TOO much or certain parts may cook faster than others. Just give them a quick little press and peace out of there.
My husband eats figs and ginger throughout the week and oatmeal cookies are his favorite. Imagine my excitement to find an amazing recipe that combines ALL his favorite things!! Thank you, Josh, for this delightful recipe that has sky rocketed to the top of this family’s favorite cookie list!! Well done!!
Love love love this so much! Thanks for all the love!
I made three batches of these – two regular and one vegan and gluten free (using Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer, plant butter and King Arthur’s GF flour) for distribution to my office mates all over the city.. All were a hit. I got so many compliments. Loaded with flavor and not at all stodgy. These e on permanent rotation!
Love this Janet! Also happy to hear the gluten free and vegan versions were a hit too! Thank you so much!
Forgot to leave a 5-star rating.
How can I use fresh figs for these?
Hey Will, sorry about the delay here—didn’t see this come through! I never tested these with fresh figs so I wouldn’t be able to say for sure, but they contain more moisture so I would just use less than what the recipe calls for: maybe 3/4 cup fresh figs chopped up? Again, I only tested with dried so I don’t know how that would turn out with the added moisture. Definitely don’t sub 1:1.
What about using fresh ginger for us diabetics?
Apart from that I love fresh ginger
Hi Greg! I don’t test my recipes with all of the different variations so I couldn’t say for sure, but you could probably find a conversion amount somewhere online to swap in some fresh ginger instead. Might be just as tasty! Though you’ll lose the texture of the candied ginger. Hope it works out!