Cucidati (Italian Fig Cookies)

Kim D.'s Note:

This is my favorite Cucidati recipe!!! These cookies are a little time consuming, but well worth the effort! It wouldn't be Christmas in our house without them. I make them every year, often doubling the recipe! I can't remember how many cookies this recipe makes, and often they disappear before I can start counting! (Prep time includes chilling time)

• Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 36 cookies

Cookie Dough

• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup milk

Filling

• 1 cup dried fig
• 1 cup dried dates , pitted
• ¾ cup raisins
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup orange marmalade
• ½ cup walnuts , chopped

Icing

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• water or milk
• colored sprinkles

Directions:

1. For cookie dough, sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
2. Add sugar and stir well.
3. Cut in the shortening with a fork or pastry blender and work the mixture until it looks like corn meal.
4. In a bowl, beat egg, vanilla and milk together.
5. Add egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes until well blended; dough will be soft.
6. (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.
7. Refrigerate dough for 45 minutes.
8. To make the filling, grind figs, dates and raisins in a food processor until coarse.
9. (If you don't have a food processor, you can chop by hand until coarse) Place chopped figs, dates and raisins in a bowl.
10. Add remaining filling ingredients and mix well.
11. (Mixture will be thick) Set aside mixture.
12. Preheat oven to 375°F.
13. Work with one piece of dough at a time, leaving the other pieces of dough in the refrigerator until needed.
14. On a floured surface (I often use confectioner's sugar for rolling my dough), roll the dough to a 12-inch square.
15. Cut dough into 2X3-inch rectangles.
16. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling onto each rectangle.
17. Carefully fold the long edges over to meet in the center and pinch to seal seam.
18. Place each cookie, seam side down, on a baking sheet, making sure you leave at least 1-2 inches between each cookie.
19. Make 2 or 3 diagonal slits on the top of each cookie with a sharp knife.
20. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until cookies are golden in color.
21. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
22. For icing, place confectioner's sugar in a bowl.
23. Add just a little water or milk, until you get a smooth consistency- but not runny!
24. Ice the tops of each cookie and sprinkle with colored sprinkle.
25. Let icing dry completely before stacking!
26. Store in air-tight containers up to 2 weeks.

Reviews

[Chef #173176]

My Aunt used to make these for our Holiday treats. We loved them. She did not ice them but she did cut "S" shaped cuts in the dough instead of just slits. This gave them a fancy look when cooked.

[Chef #1557569]

Positively superb recipe!!!! I always bought these at the italian speciality store and never thought I could make them myself! They came out perfect on first attempt. The dough rolled easily after spreading powdered sugar on my board. The filling was delicious. I did not have orange marmalade so used my home made peach jam in place and they were still delcious. I also used orange rind in the filling. They will be the only christmas cookie I make from now on. They were a little labor intensive, but well worth the work!!! Now that I know how to make them would probably make the filling one night and the dough another day just to break it up,but the dough mixed easily for me. It was a chore getting the figs to chop even in my new food processor. I would advise cutting the figs into much smaller pieces before putting in food processor. Try this recipe -- you won't be disappointed.
thanks for sharing.

[denisemcrews]

I would give 10 stars if I could! As stated by another review, these are time consuming but well worth it. All the flavors are so complex and better than any cucidati I have had from any italian bakery. I will make these yearly at Christmas from now on! Great italian recipe!