Friends often ask my husband and I, "How are you not 500 pounds?" Quite honestly, I have one big rule: I don't make more sweets than the two of us can or should consume in a sitting or two. Mostly that means no whole pies or cakes, brownies, etc. unless I have someone else to share them with.

Yes, it means less projects during the year. It also makes sharing food with friends a special treat, as it should be. My momma is of course always quick to point out when the sharing train doesn't make a stop at her house, and she is the inspiration for this particular journey. My aunt used to always bring back candied figs from Guatemala and when our fig tree went into overdrive this year, producing more figs than anyone should jam and can in the heat of New Orleans summer (and keep some semblance of sanity), my mom requested I try my hand at these.

Definitely one of those best idea/worst idea suggestions. While her taste tests concluded I haven't gotten them "quite like she remembers", she keeps encouraging me to continue sending samples her way until I've gotten it right. Ever the crafty one, my momma. ;) They. Are. So. Good. It's truly testing my commitment to the sharing rule because I just keep eating them all. I eventually plan to dip some in chocolate too, if any of them make it that far... In the grand scheme, this recipe is quite simple: cook figs in sugar; dry them out. But the whole process does require quite a bit of time and patience.


Candied Figs
Ingredients
1 pint of ripe fresh figs, washed with stems removed*
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water

*Use figs that are ripe but whole and intact, without any bruising or skin blemishes.

Instructions
1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, line up figs in a single layer and cover with sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. The figs should be suspended in the syrup. Let boil for about a minute and remove from heat. Cover and set aside until cooled. Repeat process, leaving them to sit covered overnight. Repeat heat and cool cycle until skins are brown and look semi-translucent. 
2. Using a slotted spoon, remove from syrup and evenly space figs on a dehydrator rack. Reserve syrup for another use. Dehydrate according to your machine's manual, flipping and rotating figs until skins are dry and shriveled but the center still feels soft. Set them in a container continuing to air dry, until the skins are no longer sticky and tacky. The time it takes will largely depend on the size of the fig, with smaller ones will taking only a few hours. (For the larger varieties, I spaced 3-8 hour dehydrator sessions over one to three days.)

Crumby Notes:

• Stored in an air tight container, in a cool dry place, these will keep for quite some time. I've yet to make a batch that survives my picking for more than a week though! Check out information from the National Center for Home Food Preservation on storing dried fruit. 
• My personal preference is to let the skins air dry until you can see some of the dried syrup crusty and white on the outside, but the inside is chewy and soft. Alternately, when they are still tacky and warm straight from the dehydrator, you can roll them around in granulated sugar before setting in a container to finish air drying.
• The leftover syrup is deliciously figgy and I love it drizzled over fresh figs and yogurt for breakfast.
• This process is made easier with a dehydrator if you have one. I treated myself to this Nesco FD-80 Dehydrator when it on sale last year for around $60. My first few projects had mixed results but I was excited to put it to good use because it does take up some valuable real estate in the kitchen cabinets. I like this model's ability expand and add more trays, but the 4 included trays have served me well.
• If you don't have a dehydrator, set the figs, evenly spaced, on a cooling rack set inside a baking sheet. Dry figs in an oven set as low as it will go (mine goes down to 170F). Heat them for a few hours and turning the oven off, leaving the door cracked open over night. Check often for consistency, heating and drying as necessary. Swinging the oven door open every once in a while will help create air circulation. I've also seen people who will leave the oven cracked open with a fan pointed into the oven to circulate air.  The key here is heat and air circulation, so any way you can rig it to work for you will dictate how long the process will take. 

~Happy baking!