Like Fig Newtons? These homemade Raisin Newtons are made with real ingredients and taste even better than store bought. They make the perfect afternoon snack and your kids will love them.
This post is sponsored by California Raisins. I was compensated for my time and received free samples of the California Raisins used in this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Hi Friends!
I am SUPER excited to share today’s recipe with you guys!
As part of the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network, I was selected to have the opportunity to work on a campaign with California Raisins! We were asked to develop a recipe using raisins and as a life-long fan of this little fruit, I knew I wouldn’t have any trouble coming up with something delicious. Plus, you all said you wanted to see more snack recipes. So….I decided to tackle a homemade version of one of my favorite childhood snacks!
First, a few fun facts about California Raisins:
- They’re are an all-natural, dried-by-the-sun fruit you can feel good about sending with your kids as they head back to school, as an after-school snack, or to beat that 3pm craving. The ingredient list says it all: Raisins.
- They come by their sweetness naturally and the nutrition label rocks: Zero fat, no cholesterol and no added sugar. Plus, raisins offer 9% of your daily fiber and potassium, and 6% of your daily iron. (per quarter cup serving)
- They are a great value! According to the USDA, raisins are the most economical dried fruit.
And now, the recipe! If I’m being honest, this recipe is a little tedious. You need to plan ahead to make sure you have time for the dough to chill and rolling/shaping the actual cookies takes a bit of time…but I think the end result is worth it! I actually had to make two batches of these because when I went to write up this post, I could barely decipher my own chicken scratch so I thought I should re-test to make sure I got it right for you guys 🙂
Anyways, the second batch was a success as well. I actually increased the amount of raisins from 1 cup to 1.5 cups so that I could get a little more filling in each one and I liked it better that way.
So here’s what you do:
Homemade Raisin Newtons
A homemade version of a favorite childhood snack!
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/4 cup nut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 11/2 cups California Raisins
- 11/2 cups hot water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- In a large bowl, combine the butter, nut butter, honey, vanilla and egg and mix well.
- Stir in the cinnamon, baking soda and flour and stir until combined.
- Freeze for 45 minutes or refrigerate for 2 hours until dough is well chilled.
- Put California Raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot water.
- Let sit for 20 minutes, drain water and transfer to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth and set aside.
- Divide dough in half, leaving one half to chill while you work with the other half.
- On a piece of parchment paper, roll into a long rectangle, approximately 5 inches wide, using additional flour as necessary to prevent sticking to the rolling pin.
- Trim the edges so you have a neat rectangle.
- Spoon half the raisin paste down the middle of the rectangle.
- Lift one side of the parchment paper and fold dough in towards the middle, using your fingers to gently peel the edge of the dough off the paper.
- Repeat with the other side.
- Transfer dough log to the fridge to chill while you repeat these steps with the other half of the dough.
- Cut into newton-sized pieces (I got about 8 per log).
- Flip onto baking sheet so the seam is face down and peel off parchment paper off the top. Separate newtons slightly to bake.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
- Let cool completely.
- Bake
I know the directions sound a bit complicated. Hopefully these pictures will help:
If you have a lot of extra scraps after trimming, let them chill for a bit then re-roll and make a few extra!
I stored these in a ziploc bag. They stay nice and soft but they’re also kinda moist so after a few days I just left the bag open so they wouldn’t get moldy.
PS…I made these a few weeks ago and when I shared them on Instagram you guys went CRAZY! Here’s to hoping you enjoy them!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
I love you and your creativity so much! 🙂 Your little babe is going to be fed so well, I am envious! ha ha!
haha thanks!
you mean her little bean —> it’s going to sprout fast. hehe
I love this idea! Looks delicious!
Linds…your photos are amazing, I am this close to headbutting the screen.
FACT- I told my mates here that one of the greatest things from America was Fig Newtons. I love this idea with raisins!!!! Pinning, winning and making!!!!
thanks so much, friend!
I’ve made a similar recipe without the nut butter. But adding that may take it to a whole other level. Yum!
you know me, always sneaking in the pb 🙂
It’s like nutrigrain bars but better!
agreed 🙂 you could pretty much make fewer cuts and have a nutrigrain type bar!
of course.. these look delicious!!
OMG these look like so much fun to make! I can already see myself somehow screwing up the folding process, but it sure won’t stop me from trying. Thanks for sharing!!
OH WE LOVE THE NEWTONS TOO!!!
Yum!!! I love newtons!!!
These sound fantastic! Great job in coming up with a fun recipe.
Thanks amanda!
This brings me right back to my childhood!! Love love love.
woohoo for flashbacks!
How fun is this recipe?? I’m a fig newton freak so curious to make a raisin version 🙂
hope you like them!
AWESOME! My son loves, loves, loves what he calls “figgy bars” so I’m psyched to try this at home with raisins. 🙂
awww yay! hope he likes!
Wow. Talk about an awesome makeover. I love your recipe and the combo of ingredients. And now I will be heading over to Pinterest to pin it!! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks liz!
I never liked fig Newtons growing up, but I have a feeling that has changed since I have started eating healthier. I’ll have to give these a try. I’m sure your homemade version is much healthier and a lot more natural too!
they could be your new fav!! 🙂
These seriously remind me of a healthier version of my childhood. That’s like the ultimate comfort food!! I’m going to have to whip these up ASAP, and then find a swingset to eat them on!
i’ll join you!
Wow- I’m impressed… those look so professional, like you could sell them in a bakery, maybe? 🙂 Delicious, too.
haha thanks laura!
YUM! I haven’t had Fig Newtons in such a long time. I love this homemade version!!
This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!
I’m curious what the health benefits are to making homemade? The obvious benefit is reduced sodium (about half of store bought fig newton), but the store bought calories are half of this recipe and the sugar is a couple of grams lower in fig newtons according to my fitness pal.
The main benefit for me is the ingredient list. If you look at the ingredient list for store bought you’ll see a lot of sugars, oils, preservatives and flavorings. I like being able to make my own snacks with a simple ingredient list!
Being new to health and fitness and the like, I am always looking for good snack recipes. But I have a question that is probably a dumb question but I still need to know… LOL. What do you mean by nut butter? I’m assuming you don’t mean peanut butter… and where do I find it in the grocery store?
Not a dumb questions. Nut butter is just a general term. You can use peanut butter, which is what I did…or if you prefer almond butter, cashew butter, etc you can just use whatever your favorite is!
wow. home made newtons! these look amazing!
I used to love Fig Newtons so these are right up my alley. I love how cute they are too. 🙂
I just pinned these! I never loved fig newtons growing up (nor raisins) but I really enjoy both now!
Look great, Lindsay! Pinned for all to enjoy 🙂
I am so excited about this recipe. I am obsessed with fig newtons. Our cafeteria at work has them and I’m so guilty of buying a pack when I’ve got the afternoon munchies. I, will have to give this recipe a try 🙂
Yum!
I loved this cookies in my childhood. It looked the same but yours I think have more raisins inside and are healthier, no chemical ingredients. I love it 🙂
I remember taking a box of Fig Newtons to my son’s soccer games to share with the team for quick energy. These would be even BETTER!!!
Gonna try these because I love a FN and they look fabulous!
Fig Newtons were one of my favorite childhood snacks/desserts! I still have a major soft spot for them. Your version looks delicious and I’m also a little obsessed with raisins so this is perfect. What a fun project 🙂
love love these!! time to convert to a gluten-free version stat.
I’m so going to make this a project with the kids! Can’t wait to make MY childhood fave too! (Thx for the note that this is tedious…then I won’t get frustrated and make sure I set out enough time!)
These look so good! I used to adore eating fig newtons, so I must give these a try!
Raisin Newtons… genius! Beautiful photos too! 🙂
Great idea! I made them and really liked them, but for some reason, my dough was extremely sticky and I refrigerated them for 2.5 hours. When I was rolling the dough out, I had to use a lot of flour to stop them from sticking, and I had to place the made-bars into the fridge for 15 minutes so they would be firm enough to cut and not stick to everything. Any suggestions for next time (because there will be a next time!:) )?
maybe try freezing the dough next time? I did have to use a a decent amount of flour to keep them from sticking and i also let the formed bars refirm before cutting. sorry i forgot to mention that part!