Cucidati Christmas Sicilian Fig Cookies
 
 
The Sicilian Fig cookies are made with a buttery dough filled with a mixture of figs, raisins, nuts, honey, zests, and scented with cinnamon.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 48
Ingredients
Dough
  • 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest or lemon zest
  • 1 ¼ cups butter (room temperature)
  • 1⅓ cups cold water
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water for egg wash.
Filling
  • 3 cups dried figs, stems removed
  • 3 cups seedless raisins
  • 2 cups almonds, toasted
  • 2 cups walnuts , toasted
  • ¾ cup honey
  • 4 tablespoons orange juice
  • 4 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
  • ½ cup fig jam
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • multi-coloured sprinkles
Instructions
Dough
  1. In bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade, combine 4 cups flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and orange zest. Pulse to mix.
  2. Cut butter in cubes; add to flour mixture and pulse to blend until butter resembles the size of peas.
  3. Add water gradually and mix until ingredients hold together. If sticky, add remaining ¼ flour.
  4. Remove dough from food processor bowl and place on a lightly floured board.
  5. Knead dough for a few minutes until dough is smooth. Divide equally in 4 and shape each piece into a disc.
  6. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate while preparing the spiced fig filling.
Fig Filling
  1. Combine figs, raisins and nuts in bowl of food processor fitted with a steel blade.
  2. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
  3. Add the honey, orange juice, zest, fig jam, and cinnamon to the fig mixture.
  4. Pulse until well combined. Mixture will be sticky.
  5. Remove fig mixture from food processor bowl and place in medium sized bowl.
  6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Shape the cucidati cookies
  1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
  2. Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Bring dough to room temperature and cut each disc into 2 pieces. You will have 8 pieces of dough.
  4. *On a lightly floured board, roll out one piece of dough to form a rectangle (approximately 4x12 inches)
  5. Divide filling into eight pieces.
  6. *With floured hands, roll 1 piece of filling into a 12 inch log.
  7. Place the fig long in the center length of each rectangle. Fold one side over filling and fold the other side to overlap.*
  8. Repeat from * to * 7 more times.
  9. Place 2 fig logs seam side down on prepared cookie sheet.
  10. Brush top of logs with egg wash and top with multi-coloured sprinkles.
  11. Bake for 20 minutes or until logs are lightly browned.
  12. Cool on cookie sheets for 10 minutes.
  13. Remove logs and place on cutting board.
  14. Cut each log into 12 slices.
Notes
If freezing the cucidati, place logs into freezer bags. Cookies can be frozen for up to one month. Defrost at room temperature.
Recipe by My Cookbook Addiction at http://www.mycookbookaddiction.com/2011/12/10/cucidati-sicilian-christmas-fig-cookies/