August Fig Cookies Food

AUGUST FIG COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease two baking sheets.
• Mix butter, white sugar, and brown sugar by hand in a bowl. Add egg and vanilla extract; stir to combine. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a separate bowl; stir into sugar mixture.
• Scoop the meat out of figs and reserve 2 tablespoons. Chop figs and scooped middles. Fold chopped figs and walnuts into the cookie dough.
• Drop spoonfuls of batter on the prepared baking sheet. Top each mound with small amounts of reserved fig pulp.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cookie edges are lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes.

ITALIAN FIG COOKIES (CUCIDATI) RECIPE

Steps:

• Pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse again.
• Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. Process until the dough just starts to combine (like pie dough). Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until it comes together completely and looks smooth.
• Divide the dough into four equal pieces and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
• Place the dried figs, dates, pecans, raisins, and orange zest in the food processor. Give it a couple of pulses to start grinding the fruit.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
• Add the water and sugar mixture to the food processor and pulse until it grinds everything and comes together.
• Place in an air-tight container and refrigerate for at least overnight or longer.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Form the fig filling into ropes about the size of your little finger. To make it easier form all the filling and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• Using only one dough round at a time (leave the remaining dough refrigerated) on a well-floured surface, knead the dough a few times until it becomes smooth, roll the dough out fairly thin, about 1/8 inch thick.
• Trim the rough edges from the dough, place a rope on the dough edge. Lift the outer edge and start rolling it over the filling. Roll it completely over and trim it off. Place the seam side down.
• Slice each strip on the diagonal into about 1-inch pieces and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
• Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the tops a light golden and bottoms are browned. Watch them closely, all ovens are different. You may need to rotate the baking sheets for even browning.
• Allow them to cool on the pan for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

FIG-FILLED COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Divide dough in half; cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours., In a saucepan, combine the first eight filling ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-6 minutes or until the fruit is tender and liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; stir in pecans. Cool to room temperature., Roll out each portion of dough between two pieces of waxed paper into a 10x8-in. rectangle. Cut each into two 10x4-in. rectangles. Spread 1/2 cup filling down the center of each rectangle. Starting at a long side, fold dough over filling; fold other side over top. Pinch to seal seams and edges. Place seam side down on parchment-lined baking sheets., Bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cut each rectangle diagonally into 1-in. strips. Remove to wire racks to cool. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over cookies.

CUCCIDATI-SICILIAN FIG COOKIES

Steps:

• In a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth (1 minute). Beat in the sugars and soda until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Lower speed of mixer and beat in the flour. Divide dough in half in plastic wrap. Chill until firm. While dough chills, prepare the fig filling (see directions below).

FRESH FIG NEWTONS

Steps:

• In a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan, make the filling. Bring the figs, 1/2 cup brown sugar, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to a low boil, stirring as needed.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes, occasionally smashing the larger pieces with the back of a fork and stirring. They will cook down and thicken with a jam-like consistency.
• Remove the filling from the heat and cool completely. See Note**
• Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9 X 13 baking dish, then line with parchment paper or foil then butter the parchment or foil. Use plenty of butter.
• In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar until it's fluffy. Add the orange zest and eggs. Beat on medium until the dough comes together. Then stir in the vanilla.
• Gradually incorporate the flour mixture with the mixer on low. The dough will be sticky.
• Butter two "pan-sized" pieces of foil or parchment paper, measure 1 1/2 cups of the dough out, and roll or press the dough in between the pieces. This will be your top crust, so get it into a rectangle-ish shape if you can. Put it in the freezer.
• Press the remaining dough into the prepared baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes. It will be pretty and golden brown.
• Spread the fig filling across the baked crust and then get the top crust out of the freezer.
• Gently peel the foil or paper away from the frozen cookie crust and then place it over the top of the fig filling. Pat any stray crust pieces into place.
• Bake for another 20-25 minutes. Watch it closely! The top will turn a nice golden color.
• Let the whole thing cool completely in the pan, on a wire rack if you have one. Once cooled, lift the parchment (or foil) out of the pan and slice into squares.

ITALIAN FIG COOKIES

Steps:

• Make filling:
• Pulse figs and raisins in a food processor until finely chopped, then stir together with remaining filling 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 well-floured 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).