Newtons are a Nabisco-trademarked version of a cookie filled with sweet fruit paste. Fig Newtons are the most popular variety. They are produced by an extrusion process.[1] Their distinctive shape is a characteristic that has been adopted by competitors, including generic fig bars sold in many markets.
History
The Newton was invented by Philadelphia baker Charles Roser, who likely took inspiration for the recipe from the fig roll, a baked good introduced to the U.S. by British immigrants.[2] Roser used a machine invented by James Henry Mitchell which allowed for the extrusion of fig jam and cookie dough at the same time into a long, continuous roll. The recipe was sold to the Kennedy Biscuit company and entered mass production at the F. A. Kennedy Steam Bakery in 1891. The cookie was named the "Newton" by the plant manager, James Hazen, using the name of the Boston suburb of Newton, Massachusetts.[3]