Italian Fig Cookies Ii Recipes

ITALIAN FIG COOKIES

Steps:

• To make the filling, in a food processor, combine the figs, dates and raisins and process to finely chop. Place the mixture in a medium bowl, add remaining filling ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
• To make the dough, in a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the butter and blend with your fingertips until most of mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a medium bowl, beat the egg, milk and vanilla together. Add to the dry mixture and stir to make a rough dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cut the dough into 4 pieces, cover, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets.
• On a lightly floured surface, one at a time, roll out each piece of dough into a 12-inch square. Cut the dough into 4 by 3-inch rectangles. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling down the center of each rectangle. Fold the long sides of each rectangle inward to the center to enclose the filling; pinch the edges to seal. Turn the cookies seam-sides down and press gently to flatten the seams. With a floured knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices and arrange 1/2-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush with egg wash and decorate with colored sprinkles. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer to wire racks to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CUCIDATI (ITALIAN FIG COOKIES)

Steps:

• For cookie dough, sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
• Add sugar and stir well.
• Cut in the shortening with a fork or pastry blender and work the mixture until it looks like corn meal.
• In a bowl, beat egg, vanilla and milk together.
• Add egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes until well blended; dough will be soft.
• (The original recipe says to knead the mixture for 5 minutes on a floured surface, but I find my Kitchen-Aid works great for this step!) Divide the dough into four pieces and wrap each piece with plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate dough for 45 minutes.
• To make the filling, grind figs, dates and raisins in a food processor until coarse.
• (If you don't have a food processor, you can chop by hand until coarse) Place chopped figs, dates and raisins in a bowl.
• Add remaining filling ingredients and mix well.
• (Mixture will be thick) Set aside mixture.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Work with one piece of dough at a time, leaving the other pieces of dough in the refrigerator until needed.
• On a floured surface (I often use confectioner's sugar for rolling my dough), roll the dough to a 12-inch square.
• Cut dough into 2X3-inch rectangles.
• Spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling onto each rectangle.
• Carefully fold the long edges over to meet in the center and pinch to seal seam.
• Place each cookie, seam side down, on a baking sheet, making sure you leave at least 1-2 inches between each cookie.
• Make 2 or 3 diagonal slits on the top of each cookie with a sharp knife.
• Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until cookies are golden in color.
• Remove from oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
• For icing, place confectioner's sugar in a bowl.
• Add just a little water or milk, until you get a smooth consistency- but not runny!
• Ice the tops of each cookie and sprinkle with colored sprinkle.
• Let icing dry completely before stacking!
• Store in air-tight containers up to 2 weeks.

ITALIAN FIG COOKIES I

Steps:

• To Make Dough: Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt. Blend in flour and baking powder by hand. Knead dough until smooth and workable. Add milk to reach workable consistency. (This takes a while and you will get a workout, but you'll know when it's right.)
• To Make Filling: Cut up figs, orange, and apple into small pieces. (It is easier to grind this way). Grind figs, raisins, orange, and apple. If the mixture is too dry or thick, mix in up to 1 cup of water, if desired. (I do not use the water, the juice from the apple and orange are enough). The spices and chopped nuts are added to the ground fig mixture. After the fig mixture is ground, I sprinkle them in over the mixture and mix (knead) it in by hand. STICKY! But good.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll out some dough. (should be kind of thin). Put fig mixture in a line. Wrap dough over mixture, sealing figs inside dough. Trim to desired length, using a diagonal cut. Make small diagonal slits in the sides of the cookies. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes. (Dough makes good cookies without the filling also). Wonderful with coffee.

ITALIAN FIG COOKIES II

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar and baking powder. Cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles small peas. Stir in the milk and egg until the dough comes together. Divide dough into two pieces, wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until easy to handle.
• In a food processor or blender, grind the figs, raisins and almonds until they are coarsely chopped. In a medium bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup of sugar, hot water, cinnamon and pepper. Stir in the fruit mixture, cover and set aside until the dough is ready.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of the dough out to a 12 inch square. Cut each piece into 12 3x4 inch rectangles. Using a heaping tablespoon of filling for each rectangle, spread filling along one of the short sides of the rectangle. Roll up from that side. Place rolls, seam side down, on an ungreased cookie sheet. Curve each roll slightly. Snip outer edge of the curve three times.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Glaze with your favorite confectioners' glaze.

ITALIAN FIG COOKIES

Steps:

• For cookie dough:.
• Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder.
• Cut butter into flour mixture.
• Add eggs, milk, and mix.
• Knead dough until smooth. I use my Kitchen Aid heavy duty mixer with the kneading hook.
• Let dough rest 1 hour.
• Roll out dough and cut in 2x12inch wide strips. Place roll of fig filling in center of strip. Fold dough over filling and seal. Cut into 2 inch pieces. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
• For fillling:.
• Mix all filling ingredients and cool in refrigerator for one hour. After one hour, put flour on a smooth surface and take about a cup of filling and roll into a small cigar shape. Make it long enough to place in the 2x12 inch strips of dough.(The floured surface makes it easy to roll the filling. Also flour your hands. This filling freezes well and can be used for next year's St. Joeseph's Table or Christmas.) Repeat for each strip of cookie dough.

ITALIAN FIG COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. FOR THE FILLING: Bring the sherry and the orange juice just to a boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, put the figs, raisins, walnuts, honey, cinnamon, and lemon zest into food processor and pulse until the nuts are very finely chopped. Pour the sherry mixture through the feed tube of the food processor and continue processing the fig mixture to a finely chopped paste. Scrape the filling into a zip lock bag and set aside. FOR THE DOUGH Sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour till it resembles cornmeal. Stir in the eggs and milk, mixing until the dough is well combined. Divide the dough in half. and roll out each half to about 1/8 inch thick and 4 inches wide. Cut each sheet in half lengthwise so that you end up with 4 long, narrow strips of dough. TO FILL DOUGH: Use the zip lock bag with corner of bag snipped off to pipe a quarter of the filling down the middle of each strip of dough. With pastry brush, moisten the dough with water on either side of the filling. Roll the dough over the filling, completely enclosing the filling, then gently press on the seam to seal dough. Place the pastry logs seam side down, and slice them diagonally; about 1 1/2 inch size. Place cookies at least 1/2 inch apart on nonstick cookie sheet and bake until a pale golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Set the cookies on a rack to let them cool. FOR THE ICING: Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a wide bowl. Dip the top of each cookie into the icing. If you want sprinkles on them, add to top of cookie before icing dries.