If you grew up in the ‘80s or ‘90s, chances are you occasionally had a Fig Newton or two in your school lunchbox. I know I sure did. But what exactly are Fig Newtons? Are Fig Newtons cookies? Let’s bite into this and find out the answers.
What is a Fig Newton?
Fig Newtons are a soft, doughy, chewy treat filled with a sticky and sweet fig paste. Back in the 1800s, a pastry called a fig roll was a popular snack. It was commonly believed that fruit, particularly figs, and biscuits were a great digestion aid and could improve overall health. In the 1890s, Kennedy Biscuit Works in Boston invented a cookie extrusion press that could squeeze out two mixes at once, such as fig jam inside of dough. Soon they were making an industrialized fig roll. Kennedy Biscuit Company named their products after local Boston area communities, and they named the Fig Newton after a nearby town called Newton.
What is in Fig Newtons?
Basically, Fig Newtons are made of dough and fig paste. Of course, being a mass produced, shelf-stable product, they include a whole host of ingredients. The label lists flour, figs, sugar, corn syrup, vegetable oil, salt, corn fiber, oat fiber, baking soda, calcium lactate, malic acid, soy lecithin, sodium Benzoate, and sulfur dioxide. There is no dairy in there or any animal based products, so, yes, Fig Newtons are vegan. However, Fig Newtons are not gluten-free. The dough is made of flour and starch, which contain gluten.
Is a Fig Newton a cookie?
Fig Newtons are found in the cookie aisle, but from the day they were invented, they were called cakes. Fig Newton packaging called them cake from the 1890s all the way until the 1980s, when Nabisco began referring to them as a doughy cookie. Around the same time, advertising popped up declaring that a cookie is just a cookie, but a Fig Newton is fruit and cake. The marketing worked and in the 1990s Fig Newtons were Nabisco’s third highest selling cookie brand, right behind Oreo and Chips Ahoy. In 2012, the former cake-now-doughy-cookie underwent another change. Fig Newtons were no longer Fig Newtons. That’s right, we’ve been calling them the wrong name! Fig Newtons dropped the Fig and rebranded as Newtons. I guess having a fig-based cookie that had fig in the name was just too much of a barrier for modern kids.
FAQs
Fig Newtons were no longer Fig Newtons. That's right, we've been calling them the wrong name! Fig Newtons dropped the Fig and rebranded as Newtons.
Are there real figs in Fig Newtons? ›
A fig newton is a soft cookie with a sweet fig filling wrapped in a very tender, chewy dough. They're not overly sweet, and they're definitely for people who love the sweetness of figs and the tiny pops of their seeds.
Are Fig Newtons actually healthy? ›
Fig Newton Cookies
They are also fairly healthy. Figs are well known for having fiber, which helps with digestion, as well as protein and several vitamins and minerals. This means there are quite a few health benefits of fig bars like fig Newtons.
Are Fig Newtons good for high blood pressure? ›
Figs. This fruit of the ficus often gets overlooked unless it's followed by Newton. Excess sodium in the diet can lead to potassium deficiency, which causes high blood pressure. Rich in potassium, figs restore balance and help lower blood pressure.
What happened to Fig Newton cookies? ›
The Kennedy Biscuit Company had recently become associated with the New York Biscuit Company, and the two merged to form Nabisco—after which, the fig rolls were trademarked as "Fig Newtons". Since 2012, the "Fig" has been dropped from the product name (now just "Newtons").
Do Fig Newtons really taste like figs? ›
The first thing to note is that fresh figs taste nothing like Fig Newtons. A fresh fig does not have the extreme sweetness, the chewiness, or the noticeable seeds of a dried fig.
Do Fig Newtons act as a laxative? ›
Figs made their way into the commercial market in 1892 with the introduction of Fig Newtons. Ounce for ounce, figs have more fiber than prunes and more potassium than bananas. At 20% of the RDA for dietary fiber, figs can act as a natural laxative.
Can too many Fig Newtons cause diarrhea? ›
Digestive symptoms
Since figs have a high fiber content, eating too many figs — especially dried figs — can cause diarrhea.
Why do Fig Newtons have so much sugar? ›
The dehydration process of drying this fruit results in a higher concentration of sugar relative to weight, so dried figs have a higher concentration of carbohydrates—mostly in the form of sugar—than fresh figs. For instance, a 60 gram serving of dried, uncooked figs has 6 grams of fiber and 29 grams of sugar.
What is the number one fruit to lower blood pressure? ›
The top fruits for lowering blood pressure include bananas, apples, pears, apricots, grapes, raisins, kiwis, mangoes, watermelon, pomegranate, plums, prunes, avocado, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, tomatoes, citrus fruit, berries, and more.
There are a range of drinks that may help lower a person's blood pressure in the morning. If a person with hypertension usually drinks coffee or sugary juice in the morning, it may be beneficial for them to swap it for beetroot juice, unsalted tomato juice, green tea, or unsweetened pomegranate juice.
How many figs to eat in a day? ›
When it comes to raw fruit, you can easily have 2-3 figs in a day. If you are having dried figs, stick to 3 figs and do not have them without soaking overnight. Our body can absorb the nutrients and digest some dried fruits and nuts in a better way when they are soaked well.
Can dogs eat Fig Newtons? ›
Do not feed your dog Fig Newtons. These sugary cookies contain additional ingredients (especially sugar and spices) that are not healthy for dogs and, in large amounts, could be toxic. The figs used in these cookies also aren't fresh—so when it comes to sharing your treats, just say no to your dog's begging eyes.
Why did Fig Newtons change their name? ›
Modern Changes to the Fig Newton
In 2012, they once again dropped the "Fig" from the name because, as the Kraft specialist Gary Osifchin told The New York Times, they wanted to change the core of the brand to fruit. "It was going to be hard for us to advance the Newtons brand with the baggage of the fig."
How long do Fig Newtons last? ›
These homemade fig newtons never last long in our house, so usually I store them in an airtight container on the countertop for up to a week. If you want them to last longer, place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
What kind of fruit is in Fig Newtons? ›
INGREDIENTS: FIGS, WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR, SUGAR, UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), CORN SYRUP, INVERT SUGAR, SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA OIL, PALM OIL, SALT, BAKING SODA, CALCIUM LACTATE, MALIC ACID, SOY LECITHIN, SODIUM ...
How many figs are in one fig newton? ›
How many figs do you need to make Fig Newtons? This will largely depend on the size of your figs. Since your fresh figs are going to vary widely in size, measuring by weight is the best way to go. In my original recipe for Fresh Fig Newtons, I called for 16 figs.
What's the difference between fig rolls and Fig Newtons? ›
The main difference between the two is that Fig Newtons are softer and squishier than the biscuity shell of fig rolls. I would almost say that they are slightly damp. That said, sometimes fig rolls can be a bit dry – I usually have mine with a mug of tea or coffee.
How many bugs are allowed in Fig Newtons? ›
The fig paste contains 13 or more insect heads per 100 grams of fig paste in each of 2 or more subsamples when examined by AOAC methods of analysis, 44.083(a) and (b), AOAC 12th Ed. or 44. A02 1st Suppl.
