National Fig Newton Day Date in the current year: January 16, 2025

The fig roll (fig bar) is a type of cookie consisting of a rolled pastry filled with fig paste. Figs have been a popular food in the Mediterranean and western Asia since ancient times, and the fig roll may have been invented as early as ancient Egypt. Eventually, the fig roll became popular throughout Europe, including Great Britain, and British immigrants brought it to the United States.

In the late 19th century, fig rolls became one of the first mass-produced baked goods in the United States. This was made possible by two people, James Henry Mitchell and Charles Roser. Mitchell was a Florida engineer and inventor who patented a machine consisting of two funnels, one of which produced a hollow tube of cookie dough while the other simultaneously filled it with jam.

Charles Roser was an Ohio-born baker working for a Philadelphia bakery who developed a pastry based on the British fig roll. He sold his fig filling recipe to the F. A. Kennedy Steam Bakery (Kennedy Biscuit Company), and the company began producing soft and chewy fig-filled cookies on Mitchell’s machine in 1891. The new cookie was named Newton, after the town of Newton, Massachusetts.

In 1889, William Henry Monroe bought the Kennedy Biscuit Company and seven other bakeries to form the New York Biscuit Company, which merged with the American Biscuit Company nine years later. The new company was called the National Biscuit Company, or Nabisco for short. After the merger, Nabisco continued to make Newtons and trademarked the cookies as Fig Newtons. They soon became one of Nabisco’s most popular products.

For a long time, original Fig Newtons were the only variety of the cookie available. In the 1980s, Nabisco began producing other flavors, such as raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, cherry, mixed berry, and apple cinnamon. As a result, the word “fig” was officially dropped from the name in 2012, and the cookies became known simply as Newtons, as they once were. However, many people still call them Fig Newtons for old times’ sake.

The origins of National Fig Newton Day are unclear, but there is no doubt that this iconic cookie deserves to be celebrated. You can celebrate the holiday by enjoying Newtons with coffee, tea or milk, or even trying some of the recipes featuring Newtons that have been developed by Nabisco.

For example, how about Brie-topped Strawberry Newtons? Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Place the cookies on a baking sheet a few inches apart. Top each cookie with a slice of Brie cheese and sprinkle evenly with sliced almonds. Bake until cheese is slightly melted and serve warm.

Warm Fig Newtons à la Mode are a fun and easy to make dessert for one that will lift your spirits when you’re down. Place two 100% Whole Grain Fig Newtons in a small microwaveable ball and microwave on high for about 15 seconds. Top with ¼ cup vanilla ice cream and 1 teaspoon caramel ice cream topping and serve warm.