Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, with paddle attachment fixed, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix on medium for 1 minute or until fluffy. Add each egg one at a time, incorporating the first one fully before you add the second one. Add the vanilla extract and mix again to combine. Mix in the chocolate chips and finely chopped figs by hand. Form the the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place them on the cookie sheets, evenly spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Flatten them SLIGHTLY with the palm of your hand (they should still be puffy...don't flatten them the entire way). I got about 42 cookies. This amount may vary.

Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes or until slightly browned around the edges. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to wire racks to cool the rest of the way.

While your cookies are cooling, prepare your buttercream. In the bowl of your stand mixer with whisk attachment fixed, cream together the butter and seeds from vanilla beans. Beat on medium for about 2 minutes. Add the confectioner's sugar and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add the milk and salt to taste. Mix the buttercream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Once the cookies have cooled, pipe the buttercream onto the underside of half of your cookies. Top with the remaining cookies. Enjoy the chocolate chip cookie sandwiches immediately or store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.