Sicilian Fig Cookies

Who’s Clara? She’s a home cook I came across on Youtube. When I saw her recipe for Cucidati I knew it was one I wanted to try. Problem was a recipe that yielded 100’s of cookies was just too much for my family … even if Cucidati keep for a month in an airtight container. Clara is right … her fig cookies are the best. And Clara, the suggested whiskey is a perfect touch. Here is Clara in action in 2008 at 93 years young. I have taken her recipe and made it manageable … yielding 50+ one-two inch cookies. Make this your holiday tradition. Absolutely the best! Thanks Clara!

Recipe

Two pieces of kitchen equipment make this easier. Food processor or blender, and a kitchen scale.
The nuts and dried fruits can be easily acquired here if you can’t find them locally. I used a raisin medley from nuts.com instead of the dark and light raisins below.

1/4 Tangerine-peeling only-dried
1/5 Orange, orange flesh and peeling
1.5 Ounces of each of these nuts: walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds-roasted

1.5 Ounces candied fruit
0.75 Ounces dark raisins
0.75 Ounces light raisins
0.75 Ounces dried dates
6 Ounces dried figs

1/2 Cup + 2T water-boiling
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 Tablespoons whiskey

Peel tangerine and let peel dry while assembling other ingredients.

Roast nuts all together on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes. Turning the nuts half way through.

Assemble all the dried fruit together in a bowl. Dissolve the 2T of sugar in the boiling water (let cool slightly) and pour over the dried fruit. Add the whiskey and stir.

Remove the roasted nuts from the oven and let cool. Then add the cooled nuts to the fruit and stir.

Add the tangerine peel (break it up a bit before adding), and add the orange (breaking it up a bit as well). Stir the nuts and fruit combination. Then add all into a blender or food processor. You can do this in batches to avoid some contents from becoming to fine. Blend until medium to fine. (If you have a question about the texture observe Clara’s Youtube.)

Refrigerate, covered, 24 to 48 hours. This will thicken with time. If too thick when assembling cookies add a little sugar water.

Cookie Dough

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 Cups all purpose flour (more for rolling out dough)
5 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 & 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/4 Cup each of cold butter and shortening
2 Eggs
3 Tablespoons milk
1Teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together the first 4 ingredients.

Cut in the butter and shortening as you would a pie crust.

Whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. With a big spoon or spatula stir and bring all the ingredients together. Form into a ball. If the dough is too sticky add a little more flour.  Cover and let set for 40 minutes or so.

On a well floured surface roll out half the dough as you would pie crust but just a bit thicker. Use a pastry cutter or sharp knife and cut the dough into a square or rectangle shape. Save the pieces with the remaining dough.

Spoon a row of the filling (1/2 inch thick) along the dough about 1/2 inch from the loose edge. Take the loose edge of the dough (If you need to loosen from the surface use a cooking spatula to loosen.) and pull gently over the filling all along the length of the dough and filling. Cut along the rolled dough (filling inside). Pinch together the loose edges to form a long rope of dough covered filling. With seam side down cut the rope into 1 & 1/2 to 2 inch segments and place onto a cookie sheet, seam down. Use parchment paper or nonstick surface for baking. These can be placed close together.

Repeat process with second half of dough.

Bake at 350 degrees until slightly golden. Depending on your oven this may take 12 to 20 minutes.

Once cooled these can be drizzled with powder sugar mixed with a little cream. These, however, will not keep as long as the plain topped cookies.

Enjoy!