Italian Date Raisin Filled Cookie Food

CUCCIDATI

Steps:

• Place the first 7 ingredients in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. Set aside., In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough into 4 portions; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour., Roll out each portion between 2 sheets of waxed paper into a 16-in. x 6-in. rectangle. Spread 1 cup filling lengthwise down the center of each. Starting at a long side, fold dough over filling; fold the other side over the top. Pinch seams and edges to seal. Cut each rectangle diagonally into 1-in. strips. Place seam side down on parchment-lined baking sheets. , Bake at 400° for 10-14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Combine confectioners' sugar and enough milk to achieve desired consistency; drizzle over cookies. Store in an airtight container.

COUSIN LUISA'S ITALIAN DATE COOKIES RECIPE - (3.9/5)

Steps:

• In mixer, combine 5 eggs with sugar. Add baking powder, cocoa and on low speed, add chocolate chips, dates and nuts. Lastly, add flour. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread dough evenly wetting the spatula with milk to make the spreading easier. Bake at 350° F until dough springs back, about 15-18 minutes. While warm, cut into biscotti slices and roll in confectioner's sugar.

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).

FIG AND WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• For the pastry dough: Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl to blend. Mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the egg mixture and mix with a fork until the dough comes together. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough in 2 and flatten into disks. Wrap the dough disks in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, for the filling and cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Finely chop the figs and raisins in a food processor. Add the honey, orange juice, cinnamon, and lemon zest, and pulse just to blend. Scrape the fig mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in the walnuts. Transfer the fruit mixture to a pastry bag.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough on a floured work surface to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch diameter biscuit cutter, cut out dough rounds. Gather the dough scraps into a disk, then cover and refrigerate while assembling the cookies. Spoon the fruit mixture in the center of each dough round. Lightly moisten the edges of the dough with the egg wash. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges to seal. Arrange the cookies evenly apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops of the cookies with egg wash. Bake until the cookies are pale golden, about 18 minutes.
• Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely. Repeat with the refrigerated dough scraps and remaining filling.

ITALIAN DATE RAISIN FILLED COOKIE

Steps:

• Cream shortening and sugar; add eggs.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together.
• Add milk and vanilla.
• Mix well; roll out dough 1/4 inch thick.
• Cut with a round cutter.
• Place on cookie sheet.
• Brush top of cookie with egg white.
• Top with filling.
• Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
• FILLING:.
• Grind raisins, dates and candied cherries in a food processer.
• Cook on top of stove until thick, stirring constantly. This stuff will probably burn like no one's business.

GRANDMA'S DATE FILLED COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix in a sauce pan the dates, sugar and TBSP of flour, water, and lemon juice. Cook this for about 5 minutes on a medium heat, until all are blended well.
• Mix together the shortening, sugar, and eggs.
• Stir in the 2 Tbsps. thick cream and l teaspoons vanilla.
• Sift together the 2 1/2 cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Add to shortening mix to form dough.
• Chill dough for at least 1 to 2 hours.
• Roll out dough in thin layers in small batches and cut with round cookie cutter.
• Put mixture (about a tbsp.) in the center between 2 thin cookies pressed together.
• Bake at 350 degrees on lightly greased sheet pan for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.

RAISIN-FILLED COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream sugars and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate until easy to handle. , For filling, in a saucepan, combine the cornstarch, flour and brown sugar. Stir in water until smooth. Add raisins. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir and cook for 3 minutes or until thickened. Cool. , On a floured surface, roll out dough into 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 3-in.-round cookie cutters. Spoon 2 teaspoons filling on top of half the circles and top each with another circle. Pinch edges together and cut slit in top. , Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

OATMEAL COOKIES WITH RAISINS, DATES, AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil; butter foil. Blend first 5 ingredients in medium bowl.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter, vegetable shortening, and both sugars in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in honey, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, raisins, dates, and walnuts. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing mounds 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies slightly.
• Bake cookies until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on sheets. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

OLD-FASHIONED RAISIN-FILLED COOKIES

Steps:

• Filling:.
• Cook raisins with sugar and water for 10 to 15 minutes, or until thick, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and add lemon juice and butter.
• Let cool while preparing dough.
• Cookie Dough:.
• Cream sugar and butter; add egg and mix well.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, and add alternately to sugar mixture with milk and vanilla extract.
• Roll out a portion of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter.
• Place a teaspoonful of filling on the center of a round, then cover with another round and press edges together.
• Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown (10 to 15 minutes).

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES (FILLED)

Steps:

• Sift together flours and salt.
• Cut shortening into flour mixture.
• Melt 1/2 + 1/3 cup sugar in 1/2 cup water and pour into flour mixture and mix.
• Roll out and cut into circles the size of a large can like fruit comes in, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Make the filling by mixing together nuts, 2 tbsp sugar, and raisins.
• Place a tablespoonful of filling on one side of each circle.
• Wet the edges of the circle, fold over (should look like a half moon), and seal with a fork.
• Prick the top of all assembled cookies with a fork to vent.
• Bake at 400F for 7-10 minutes, until just turning golden.
• Let cool.
• Dust lightly with powdered sugar or make frosting by mixing 1 tbsp water, powdered sugar, and vanilla. If desired, frosting may be tinted with food coloring and sprinkles may be put on cookies immediately after frosting.

ITALIAN WALNUT-RAISIN COOKIES

Steps:

• Place the raisins in a medium bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover; let stand 1 minute, then drain well.
• In a medium bowl sift together flour and baking powder.
• In a large bowl beat butter with sugar until very creamy (about 7-8 minutes, there should be no sugar granules remaining in the butter).
• Beat in vanilla and eggs until well combined (about 1 minute).
• Add in flour/baking powder mixture; mix until combined.
• Stir in raisins (the dough will be very soft!).
• Chill the dough for about 1-1/2 hours to firm slightly.
• Set oven to 300°.
• Line one or more cookie sheets with foil, then butter the foil.
• Coarsley grind the walnuts in a processor.
• Mound the ground walnuts on a work surface.
• Working in batches, drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto walnuts (the dough will be sticky).
• Using your hands, roll the dough in the ground walnuts coating completely, then forming into balls.
• Transfer to baking sheet/s spacing 2 inches apart.
• Bake until cookies spread, and are golden brown (about 18-20 minutes).

GRANDMA'S RAISIN FILLED COOKIES

Steps:

• Raisin Mixture: Soak raisins in hot water.
• When plumb and soft, drain water and grind.
• Put in saucepan and add sugar, salt, and water.
• Mix the flour with just enough water to make smooth paste, then add to raisin mixture.
• Let come to boil, then set off to cool.
• Cookie: In large mixing bowl, cream together butter& sugar.
• Beat in eggs.
• Add milk and vanilla.
• Mix until well blended.
• Combine dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture.
• Roll out onto flour surface to about 1/4 inch thickness.
• Cut with round cutter.
• Lay on cookie sheet, and add 1 Tablespoon (about) ground raisin mixture to each cookie.
• Top with another round cookie, pinch sides together.
• Bake@ 350 8-10 minutes or until just starting to brown.