Based on the classic fruit rolls, cookie, pastry, and mostly healthy little snack—these guys are packed with dried plums. Newtons are the trademarked fig filled cookies. In the BBC’s Call the Midwife they’re described as treacle wrapped in a doormat. However, I’ve always loved Newtons, Fruit rolls, all of them! I particularly love the raspberry Newman’s fruit rolls. Soft and chewy, my favorite kind of cookie.

Now, prune is not a particularly nice name for dried plums. Reminds me of pruning hands after washing dishes and the canned prune juice handed out in retirement homes to make sure all the residents were regular. A sad angle marketers are trying to change by means of branding. Prunes, plums—whatever. I love ’em. They’re so gooey and rich! Besides, plum jam is my absolute favorite. Though a little hard to find a really good jar, it’s purely magical when you do. So how about a little magic wrapped in a doormat? Nah, just a tasty little pastry!

Vegan Plum Newtons

Beat together the butter/oil and sugar. Then add the zest, ener-g, salt, and vanilla. Gently fold in the flour, being careful not to overmix. Once it comes together into a soft ball of dough, cover or wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours. I chilled my overnight. It allows for the gluten to relax for smoother cookie and hardens the dough, making it easier to roll out.

In a small bowl pour just a little orange juice over the dried plums. More if they are on the drier side. The ones I had were super moist, so I just added a few tablespoons worth. Let that soak and soften while your dough is chilling.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Before you get your dough rolled out, pour the plums into a blender or food processor. Blend down on low-medium, until it yields a soft-smooth paste. Not the prettiest plum product out there…

For the dough—lightly flour a countertop and roll out the dough to about 12 inches by 16 inches. With a knife or bread cutter, cut the rectangle into thirds: 4″x16″.

Spread a little bit of the plum jam along each strip and fold the excess dough over, one side at a time. Pressing together gently. Err on the side of a less jam, so it doesn’t run out the ends. Squish the ends a little to help seal the rolls.

Lift onto a parchment lined baking sheet and flip over, so that they will bake seam side down. Repeat with each strip of dough.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the bottoms are a soft, golden brown. You may need to lift them a little with a food turner to check. Turn the pan around half way through the baking time.

Remove from oven and allow to cookies to cool completely. Cut with a sharp knife or bread cutter into 2 inch pieces. Especially good with tea or as lunch box treat!