Moo recently gifted us a log of fig and walnut paste, which I became hooked on immediately. As it’s a big ask to expect him to ship to us regularly from Adelaide, I thought I’d try to find a way to make this at home.
I’ve created my own recipe for this (and am feeling quite chuffed with how well it turned out!), influenced in part by Mark and Bruce’s Fig Cookie filling and in part by our previous attempts at making nougat. The end result is delicious – slightly softer than the commercial product and in Pete’s opinion, better tasting…
- 300g (1¾ cups) Turkish figs
- 200g (2 cups) walnuts pieces
- 25g (5 teaspoons) lemon juice
- 75g (1/3 cup) brown sugar
- 50g (2 US tablespoons or 30ml) honey
1. Chop the figs up coarsely, removing the stems. Place them into the bowl of a food processor and blitz until they form a sticky paste.
2. Scrape the paste into a heavy-based non-stick frying pan and add the lemon juice, brown sugar and honey. Stir for a couple of minutes over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the walnuts and continue stirring over a low heat until all the liquid has evaporated and the walnuts have coloured slightly. You want to keep stirring and turning the mixture over until it forms a thick, sticky paste – cook it as long as you can without burning, to allow the sugars to caramelise just slightly. Watch this carefully, we’re only talking about minutes of cooking time, not hours.
3. Line two small loaf tins with parchment paper (although it probably doesn’t matter what you shape these into). Scrape the mix evenly into each tin, flattening out the top with a spatula. Press a sheet of parchment onto the surface, then place an empty loaf tin on top and a weight on top of that to help flatten out the paste. In the photo below, I’ve stacked the first tin into the second, then topped them with an empty third, and weighted it all down with my tub of flour.
4. Allow to cool for several hours, until firm. Remove the parchment paper and slice with a sharp knife. I have my paste wrapped in thick plastic and stored in the pantry, although it would probably keep longer in the fridge.
I adore this fig and walnut paste with a little Picasso sheeps’ cheese and some Italian prosciutto on sourdough bread. Pete has taken to eating chunks of it straight, like a fruit and nut bar. It is indeed quite healthy – basically figs and nuts held together with a little sugar and honey!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
. . . . .
Edit: Pete asked me to make an apricot and almond version for him to eat as a bar. These are the ingredients I used, and he was happy with the result. Same methodology as above.
- 300g dried apricots
- 200g almonds
- 20ml pomegranate molasses
- 75 brown sugar
- splash of water at the start to help the sugar dissolve
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Oh my! I am making this. soon.
That looks really tasty! It sounds as if it would be a good filling for a version of fig rolls (do you have fig rolls/Fig Newtons over there?).
That looks amazing Celia
You are a clever cook.
Heidi and Gill, thank you!
Suelle, they’re similar to the recipe I used for fig rolls, but much stiffer. I blogged about the figgy rolls here, if it’s of interest…
Star……so glad for this recipe cause I had some with some American paté recently and fell in love. Superb Celia, superb
Hi Celia,
Roz McAllan sent me to your site. I love figs! I’ll be trying this soon. Thank you.
Debra Kolkka
Looks like a goodie for a Christmas box to me, yummy :)
Celia, you are a clever clogs – that looks gorgeous!
This recipe would lend itself very easily to being adapted for the Thermomix – I would like to have a go at that if you don’t mind.
I used to love the fig and walnut logs – right up until I got a piece of walnut shell in a slice and nearly lost a tooth!
Oz, I’m really pleased with it, thank you for the encouragement! :)
Debra, thanks for stopping by!
Jo, the nice thing is it’s quite quick to make. We’re going to try variations on it today – Pete wants an apricot and almond version.
Amanda, I think this would work well in a Thermomix, providing it didn’t crush the nuts up too much?
Thanks so much Celia for this recipe. I have seen similar prune and walnut logs at David Jones and Simon Johnson. They taste lovely, but the price is just too much out of my budget to actually buy them. I was wondering if I could make one myself. So I am very pleased to see your recipe and might try making one with prunes instead of figs, but the figs look good too.
Here is a link to Simon Johnson if you are curious about how much they sell for and how much you are saving by making them yourself. The rolls are in the middle on the botton row.
http://www.simonjohnson.com/store/Default.aspx?CN=CATEGORY&CA=08
Thanks again,
Peta
Peta, WOW! I can’t believe they’re that expensive! Do try them with prunes – I’ve just tried them with apricots, almonds and pomegranate molasses for Pete, who wanted a “health food bar”. Will report back on how they go.. :)
If I remember correctly, the Prune and Walnut logs have identical ingredients to your recipe except obviously swapping the figs for walnuts. I can’t see how the price is justified unless there is something extra special in their technique.
I imagine you could roll your paste in parchment paper to get that log shape as well. Dipping pieces in dark chocolate would be nice too.
Peta
Peta, I didn’t try rolling them up – I wasn’t overly fussed about the log shape, plus I wanted to weight it down to firm the paste up a bit.
The apricot and almond bars were nice – not as nice as fig IMO, but Pete was very happy with them!
What a clever recipe! It looks really amazing. Yummm delicious healthy fruit bars! Thanks for sharing.
That looks fantastic! have you considered selling it at some markets? I think people would go crazy for it! Not that you’d want to share it understandably … ;)
Tes, you’re welcome! I hope you like it!
Lorraine, thank you! Hehe..I am sharing it..with all of you (and the neighbours) ! :)
wow, that looks yummy!
That looks delicious Celia – not one for me, but I think my mum would absolutely adore it! I’ll have to remember this for when I next need a present for her….
You are quite right Celia, I do like this recipe – I think it’s a great recipe and well done you for coming up with it.
Bars of these would make fantastic Chirstmas presents too.
Yvette, thank you!
C, not for my son either! If you wanted to, I think that you could probably make a straight fig paste to go with cheese and leave out the nuts (and maybe reduce the sugar a little). I think you could still set it in a bar-shape, like a quince paste..
Choclette, I remember you commenting on the original fig and walnut log, so I was hoping you’d like this! :)
Ooh, this looks delicious…DH would love either version, fig OR apricot, but fig most…hm. Might make a lovely holiday gift…must remember this.
b
This looks amazing! Not to mention the apricot one sounds delectable as well! I’ll have to try one if not both soon. Great post!
Waw, Celia!!
You did a brilliant job!! these bars are easy to make & so good for you too!
MMMMMMMMM,… a real treat!
They look great Celia – better than the commercial version I think! Well done. I will have to add this to my list of things to try and make. My mum would love it – two of her favourite ingredients.
Great job ! As always much better than the store stuff.
Maybe when someone see’s the great work you are doing on your blog they will offer you a book deal.
Sign me up for an autographed copy of
“Celia’s Home Kitchen Compendium”.
Barb, I’m with your other half, my fave is the fig one too!
Dawn, thanks for stopping by! I hope everyone takes this idea and runs with it – I’m looking forward to lots of different variations!
Sophie, thank you! Gluten-free too! :)
SG, these were great fun. Someone who tried it today told me it would be best with St Agur…sigh.. :)
Moo, look what you’ve started! :) Seriously, thanks for bringing us the inspiration in the first place, you’re a sweetheart.
I’ll try your recipe Celia! Will let you know how it turned out :) I’ve been buying a local version of it, but it’s too pricey so I was looking for a recipe to make my own, it looks like you’ve got the ingredients right – off to the kitchen now!!! :)
Vita, thanks for trying out this recipe!
this looks great but how long does it keep for?
Hayley, we found it kept well for a couple of weeks at least. Thanks for stopping by.
This sounds fabulous. Would like to try it. Can you use fresh
figs ?
Helen, thank you! I’ve never tried with fresh figs, but I don’t think so – it might end up too mushy and not set properly?
Thank u for your reply..I will make your Jam with my figs and pick up some turkish figs for this recipe. It looks great. Thank you Celia
Celia, like a previous reader, I’ve had a craving for the Simon Johnson Prune Walnut log for ages ever since someone gave me one as a gift. But $20+ is too expensive to have as a regular habit! So i was so happy to come across your recipe. I made it last night and am thrilled with the result. i had to add a little more lemon juice and honey than your recipe as my figs were really dry. I made mine in one big loaf tin so it is nice and thick. i’ve just cut them up into triangles, wrapped them in baking paper and they are sitting on my kitchen bench ready to give away to friends with a nice wedge of cheese. next time i’m going to try them with prunes and see if I can’t replicate the Simon Johnson one! thanks again.
Nina, thanks for letting me know! I was really chuffed with how well this recipe worked out, and I’m so glad it worked for you too! :)
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