I ran across a few recipes for fig bars that had me reminiscing about my childhood and enjoying those "special" fig newtons. I thought, why not make my own??? Last week I bought some fresh organic black mission figs and tried this recipe for the first time. I prepared it as written except I doubled the fig filling. I also used dried lemon and orange zest since I did not have fresh on hand. Handling the dough will take a bit of practice. As you can see, I had a bottom crust that is thicker than the top, but that did not detract from the taste one bit. They were "out of this world" according to hubby.
Don't be intimidated about making this recipe. Making the fig filling was incredibly easy. If you follow directions about how to prepare the crusts, it should not be a problem. Word of warning, use parchment paper for the dough. (Aluminum foil might work as they suggested. I did not use that myself.) Do not use wax paper. Parchment paper has better release properties and your dough should handle and come away from the parchment easily.
http://www.sugardishme.com/2012/06/19/fresh-fig-newtons/