Italian Fig Cookies
Cuccidati
The nonpareils called for to decorate these cookies are tiny pellets of colored sugar, not the chocolate
disks.
Yield:
Makes about 5 1/2 dozen cookies
Active Time:
1 hrTotal Time:
10 hrFor filling
1 cup packed soft dried Mission figs (8 oz), hard tips discarded
3/4 cup raisins (3 3/4 oz)
3/4 cup mild honey
1/4 cup brandy
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh orange zest
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup whole almonds (4 oz),
toasted and coarsely chopped3/4 cup walnuts (3 oz),
toasted and coarsely choppedFor pastry dough
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange or lemon zest
For icing
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Garnish: multicolored nonpareils*
Make filling:
Pulse figs and raisins in a food processor until finely chopped, then stir together with remaining filling
Italian Fig Cookies Recipe at Epicurious.com Page 1 of 2
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Italian-Fig-Cookies-107444 2/4/2012
ingredients in a bowl. Chill, covered, at least 8 hours.
Make dough:
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and blend with your
fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse
meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add eggs, milk, vanilla, and zest and stir with a
fork until a soft dough forms. Halve dough and gather each half into a ball, then flatten each half into a
rough 6- by 4-inch rectangle between sheets of plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least 8 hours.
Form cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll out 1 rectangle of dough (keep remaining dough chilled) into a 15- by 14-inch rectangle on a wellfloured
surface with a floured rolling pin. Trim to a 13- by 10-inch rectangle (chill trimmings), then cut
into 4 (10- by 3 1/4-inch) strips. Arrange 1/3 cup filling in a 1-inch-wide log lengthwise down center of
each strip, then fold sides of each strip up over filling to enclose it, pinching edges together to seal. Turn
rolls seam-sides down and press gently to flatten seams. Cut logs crosswise with a floured knife into 1
1/2-inch-wide slices and arrange 1/2 inch apart on buttered large baking sheets. Make more cookies in
same manner with remaining chilled dough, trimmings (reroll once), and filling.
Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until golden around edges, 16 to 20 minutes. Transfer cookies
to racks and cool until warm, about 10 minutes.
Make icing while first batch of cookies bake:
Whisk together confectioners sugar, vanilla, and enough orange juice to make a pourable icing.
Brush icing on warm cookies and decorate with nonpareils (if using), then cool completely.
* Available at some specialty bakeware shops and Sweet Celebrations (800-328-6722).
Cooks' notes:
• Filling can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.
• Dough can be chilled, wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil, up to 3 days.
• Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment paper, in an airtight container at
room temperature 1 week.
Cucidati (Italian Fig Cookies)
Yield: Varies based on size, I got about 4 dozen cookies out of this recipe.
Ingredients
Dough
4 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup milk
Filling
1 cup dried figs
1 cup dried dates, pitted
¾ cup raisins
½ cup walnuts, chopped or ground in food processor
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup honey
¼ cup orange marmalade
Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons milk (approximately)
Colored sprinkles (optional)
Method
1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar and combine
well.
2. Cut in the shortening with a fork or pastry blender and work the mixture until it looks like
cornmeal.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, vanilla, and milk.
4. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix with an electric mixer for a full 3 minutes.
Dough will be soft.
5. Remove the dough from the mixer and knead by hand for 5 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, wrap each with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least
45 minutes.
7. To make the filling, grind figs, dates, and raisins in a food processor until coarse.
8. Place fig, date, and raisin mixture in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Mixture will be thick. Set aside.
9. Preheat oven to 375° and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
10. Work with one piece of dough at a time, leaving the remaining pieces in the refrigerator until
needed. On a floured surface roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Cut dough into 2×3-inch
rectangles. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling into the middle of each rectangle. Carefully fold the
short edges over to meet in the center and pinch to seal. Seal the sides as well.
11. Place each cookie, seam-side down, on a baking sheet, leaving 1-2 inches between each
cookie.
12. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden in color.
13. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before icing.
14. For the icing, mix together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk to achieve the
desired consistency. You’ll want the icing to be thick enough not to be runny, but still easily
spreadable. Ice the tops of the cookies and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Let the icing set
completely before storing in an airtight container.
Cuccidati (Italian Fig Cookies)
Posted By Vera On December 21, 2008
Maybe not so photogenic, these cookies are amazingly good. There are a lot of similar recipes around, and I, myself, have tried about four or five of them. But I’m not in search for the perfect recipe anymore, I’m quite content and happy with this one. I bake exactly the same cookies for three years in a row for Christmas (they are traditional Italian Christmas cookies) and every single recipient always raves. They are a bit time consuming to make, but a prep, broken in stages, makes it relatively easy to put together.
Adapted from Gourmet magazine
Makes about 6 dozens
For the filling:
1 cup packed soft dried Mission figs (8 oz), hard tips discarded
3/4 cup raisins (3 3/4 oz), plumped
3/4 cup mild honey
1/4 cup brandy
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh orange zest
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup whole almonds (4 oz), toasted and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup walnuts (3 oz), toasted and coarsely chopped
For the dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange
For the Icing:
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
A few drops of natural orange oil (optional but very good)
Make the filling:
Pulse the figs and raisins in a food processor until finely chopped, then stir together with the remaining filling ingredients in a bowl. Chill, covered, at least 8 hours.
The filling can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.
Make the dough:
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and blend with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until the most of the mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly a pea-size) butter lumps. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla, and zest and stir with a fork (or pulse in the food processor) until a soft dough forms (starts to form – for the food processor method; do not overprocess). Halve the dough and gather each half into a ball, then flatten each half into a rough 6- by 4-inch rectangle between sheets of plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least 8 hours.
The dough can be chilled, wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil, up to 3 days.
Form the cookies:
Center an oven rack and preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Set aside.
Roll out 1 rectangle of dough (keep the remaining dough chilled) into a 1/8-inch thick rectangle, about 15- by 14-inch, on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Trim the edges to form a rectangle with one side exactly 13-inches long; another side can be as long as it can be assuming you rolled it evenly thin (chill the trimmings). Then cut the 13-inch side into 4 (3 1/4-inch-wide) strips. Arrange a little bit less than 1/8 of all filling in a 1-inch-wide log lengthwise down the center of each strip, then fold the sides of each strip up over the filling to enclose it, pinching edges together to seal. Turn the rolls seam-sides down and press gently to flatten the seams. Chill the logs, covered with plastic wrap, for about half an hour before slicing and baking. Cut the logs crosswise with a sharp knife into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices and arrange 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Make more cookies in the same manner with the remaining chilled dough, trimmings (reroll once), and filling.
Bake the cookies, in batches, until golden around edges, about 30 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and cool until warm, about 10 minutes. Glaze until the cookies are still warm.
Make the icing while the first batch of cookies is baking:
Whisk together the confectioners sugar, vanilla, and enough orange juice to make a pourable icing.
Brush the icing on the warm cookies. Let the icing to dry completely before packing the cookies for storing.
The cookies keep, layered between sheets of parchment paper, in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.
Cucidati Italian Fig Cookies – Nick Malgieri
The Dough
4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces cold unsalted butter or 1/2 pound cold lard, cut into pieces
4 large eggs
The Filling
One 12-ounce package dried Calimyrna or Mission figs
1/2 cup unblanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup plump golden raisins
1/4 cup candied orange peel, diced
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup dark rum
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large egg beaten with a pinch of salt, for egg wash
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
Makes about 5 dozen cookies
Method
Put flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse just to mix. Add the butter pieces and pulse 20 times. Add eggs and pulse until dough forms a ball on the blade. Remove from processor and knead briefly on a lightly floured work surface until smooth. Shape dough into a log and wrap in plastic.
Remove stems from figs and cut the figs into medium-size dice. Put figs and remaining filling ingredients into the food processor and pulse with the metal blade until finely chopped. Scrape filling onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead to blend it, and shape it into a rough log. Cut the log into 12 pieces.
Position racks to divide oven into thirds and preheat to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, on a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough under your hands to form a 12-inch rope.
Use a rolling pin to roll the rope into a 3- by 12-inch rectangle. Run a blunt knife under the dough to make certain it hasn’t stuck to the work surface and brush the top of the dough with egg wash. Roll a piece of filling into a 12-inch rope and center it on the rolled-out dough. Pull the dough up around the filling, making a seam, and roll it into a cylinder, about 15 inches long. Cut into 3-inch lengths.
Place a cut piece of dough vertically in front of you, seam side down, and make two 1-inch-long cuts, one from the bottom, the other from the top, toward the center. Use your fingers to separate the slashes and create an X-shaped cookie. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking pans and repeat with the remaining portions of dough and filling.
Bake cookies for 15 minutes, or until a light golden color. Transfer to racks to cool. Just before serving, dust with confectioner’s sugar.
This one deserves the picture, too, but I don't know how to copy it from the recipe file,
Let me know if you want the cheese-fig recipes.