SANDRA SCALISE JUNEAU'S CUCCIDATA, SICILIAN FIG COOKIES
I love figs - they have slowly become progressively more uncommon in the American diet; I suspect because they are tender & do not transport well when fresh & have limited commercial value. In our area there are old fig trees in almost every back or side yard but few people eat them - such a shame. They used to be so important that folks would cook little pear shaped cherry tomatoes in sugar syrup & then pack in sugar for winter use as fig substitutes. Figs are very nutritious - high in manganese, magnesium, copper, potassium & vitamin K... and delicious to boot! This recipe calls for the ability to grind the dried figs to get the right texture. This will be my first foray into using my Electrolux for grinding. Oh, the recipe says it makes "several dozen" - i'm gonna guess and say 3 dozen but that's a guess until I make it.
Provided by Busters friend
Categories Dessert
Time 1h
Yield 3 dozen
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- FIG FILLING:.
- Remove stems from figs. Rinse thoroughly in warm water to soften. Drain.
- Season figs with cinnamon, mixing thoroughly. Coat with honey, then add orange zest and black pepper, blending thoroughly. Grind fig mixture, using an electric meat grinder (not a food processor), to a fine texture.
- After mixture is ground, mix thoroughly to blend all ingredients. Separate into 1- or 2-pound packages, wrapped in plastic food wrap and sealed in plastic bags. (Keep several weeks, refrigerated, or freeze for up to 6 months.
- CUCCIADATA DOUGH:.
- Add shortening to flour and blend (by hand or food processor) to a cornmeal texture.
- In another bowl, add warm water (not boiling) to sugar to dissolve. Gradually add sugar/water to flour mixture, blending until dough forms a ball. If dough is too dry, gradually add more water as needed. Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Separate dough into workable-sized balls, about 3 inches across. Knead each ball to a smooth texture and return to bowl. Cover again; let dough rest several more minutes.
- Roll a 2-inch ball of dough to the thickness of pie pastry. Cut dough into strips about 4 inches wide by 12 inches long. Shape a piece of the fig filling into a rope about ½ inch wide and 12 inches long. Center the rope on a strip of pastry. Fold sides of pastry over filling, overlapping dough slightly. Turn over with seam side down and pat lightly to flatten.
- With a sharp small knife, cut the rope at an angle into 1-inch long bars, cutting slits in sides and one on top to allow for thorough cooking. Place on cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated 250-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes, until cookies are slightly browned on the bottom only.
- Allow to cool before icing.
- ICING:.
- Add almond flavoring to milk and gradually blend into sugar, mixing to a smooth paste. Icing should be the texture of heavy cream.
- Working over a small bowl, spoon icing onto each (cooled) cookie. Let excess drip into the bowl. Let cookie dry slightly before sprinkling with colored non-pareils.
- Cookies must dry completely before packaging.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 2149.1, Fat 54.9, SaturatedFat 15.4, Cholesterol 0.7, Sodium 24.3, Carbohydrate 400.5, Fiber 20.5, Sugar 216.2, Protein 26.4
FIG-STUFFED COOKIES: CUCCIDATI ITALIAN
My husband's grandmother used to make these during the holidays. Now every year at Christmas, as a family, we take on some big project in the kitchen. One time it was to make a timpano (like from the movie Big Night) and last year it was to re-create the stunning sculpted fig-stuffed cookies of their childhood called cuccidati (Goo-ji-data). His sister Fran and I taught ourselves how to make them from a photo we had. We didn't have the original recipe - only memories - so thank God for the Internet! We found some recipes and compiled our own from what we read. They are beautiful to look at when they're done, shaped and carved with a small knife to look like birds, fish and baskets of flowers. And the icing gives them the look of porcelain. They really are almost too pretty to eat. But you can make a simple version by just rolling out a piece of dough and filling it with the fig filling, then rolling it up and cutting it into 1-inch sections.
Provided by Food Network
Categories dessert
Time 1h20m
Yield 5 dozen cookies
Number Of Ingredients 25
Steps:
- Make the Filling: In a bowl, combine the figs with 4 tablespoons of brandy and let soak overnight or up to 4 weeks.
- In a food processor, combine the soaked figs, the remaining 2 tablespoons brandy, and all the remaining filling ingredients. Process until chopped and well combined. (Alternatively, run all the ingredients through a meat grinder. Some Italian women bring their filling ingredients to the butcher and have him grind it for them.) Keep chilled until ready to use.
- Make the Pastry: In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse until it looks like fine crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 eggs and milk. While the motor in running, pour the liquid through the feed tube until just combined and a dough is formed. Form the dough into a disk and chill 30 minutes.
- On a floured work surface, roll out the dough 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut out large (3-inch long) almond shaped pieces from the dough. Transfer the pieces to a sheet pan; then chill.
- To form the cookies, have ready the filling, the chilled dough pieces, the egg wash with a pastry brush, and a sharp knife. Paint the edges of the dough pieces with egg wash and place 1 teaspoon of filling shaped into an oval in the center of half the pieces. Top each with a second piece of dough and carefully pinch the edges together to seal. Trim the excess dough from around the edges.
- Make each dough package look like a bird or fish, by shaping and cutting decorative lines. You can split 1 end to look like a tail, carve rows of lines to look like feathers or fins, cut a curved line for the gills or beak opening, and a hole for the eye. (There are many different shapes they're made into, such as wreaths, slippers, and crescents.) Re-chill the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brush the cookies with the egg wash. Bake the cookies until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile make the Icing: In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.
- Toss the cookies with the icing while they're still hot and sprinkle with the colored sprinkles, or leave them plain. The icing makes the cookies look like porcelain when they're done.
CUCCIDATI-SICILIAN FIG COOKIES
Cuccidati, also known as Sicilian Fig Cookies are traditionally served during the holidays, especially Christmas.The sweet dough is similar to that of a butter cookie and the filling is a mixture of dried figs, raisins, almonds, chocolate, jam, honey, and spices. The perfect cookie to give as a gift!
Provided by Lora
Categories Dessert
Time 1h12m
Number Of Ingredients 19
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).
CUCCIDATI
The compliments make these Sicilian cookies worth the effort. It's the best recipe I've found! -Carolyn Fafinski, Dunkirk, New York
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 40m
Yield about 5 dozen.
Number Of Ingredients 20
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 132 calories, Fat 4g fat (1g saturated fat), Cholesterol 7mg cholesterol, Sodium 67mg sodium, Carbohydrate 24g carbohydrate (17g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 1g protein.
ITALIAN FIG COOKIES (CUCCIDATI)
Finally nailed an old family recipe! Traditionally served at Christmas time, these Italian cuccidati are fig-stuffed cookies-think fancy, gourmet, adult-version of a fig newton! A flavorful fig and date filling is wrapped in a soft, sweet dough, then baked and dipped in festive frosting and decorated with sprinkles. Need to send cookies through the mail? These are perfect for gifting! My favorite way to enjoy these cookies is for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Alternatively, freeze un-iced cookies for up to 3 months and ice just before serving.
Provided by NicoleMcmom
Categories Italian Cookies
Time 9h45m
Yield 48
Number Of Ingredients 26
Steps:
- Prepare filling: Working in two batches with ½ of the figs and ½ of the dates at a time, pulse dried fruit in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a bowl.
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel orange zest into the empty food processer. Juice the orange until you have 3 tablespoons juice; add it to the food processor. Add raisins, pecans, honey, brandy, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg and process until finely mixed.
- Add fig-date mixture and process until well combined, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to reach a thick consistency. Refrigerate filling for 8 hours to overnight.
- Prepare dough: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and process for 5 seconds to combine. Add butter and shortening and pulse until crumbly. Add milk, egg, vanilla, and almond extract and process until a dough forms.
- Turn dough onto a well-floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and cut into 4 pieces. Roll one piece into a 4x12-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Trim off any excess to form straight edges and save to make more cookies.
- Place about ¼ of the filling in a 1-inch log shape down the rectangle, just to the right of the center line. Dampen the edges of the dough with water and fold the right edge over the filling. Continue rolling the dough toward the left edge, then rock back and forth gently to stretch and seal the edges. Cut the log into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Make 2 or 3 slits in the top of each cookie to allow steam to escape. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden on the bottom and cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Repeat to form, cut, and bake remaining cookies.
- Prepare icing by whisking powdered sugar and milk together in a bowl until smooth. Divide icing into thirds in 3 small bowls. Color one bowl with red food coloring to make pink icing, color another bowl with green food coloring to make green icing, and leave the remaining icing white.
- Dip each cookie into a different color icing and allow excess to drip off. Place iced cookies on parchment paper and decorate lightly with sprinkles. Allow to dry for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 159.3 calories, Carbohydrate 27.4 g, Cholesterol 9.3 mg, Fat 5.2 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 2 g, SaturatedFat 1.8 g, Sodium 65.9 mg
CUCIDATI (ITALIAN FIG COOKIES)
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)
Provided by Kim D.
Categories Dessert
Time 2h15m
Yield 36 cookies
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- For cookie dough, sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
- Add sugar and stir well.
- Cut in the shortening with a fork or pastry blender and work the mixture until it looks like corn meal.
- In a bowl, beat egg, vanilla and milk together.
- Add egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes until well blended; dough will be soft.
- (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.
- Refrigerate dough for 45 minutes.
- To make the filling, grind figs, dates and raisins in a food processor until coarse.
- (If you don't have a food processor, you can chop by hand until coarse) Place chopped figs, dates and raisins in a bowl.
- Add remaining filling ingredients and mix well.
- (Mixture will be thick) Set aside mixture.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Work with one piece of dough at a time, leaving the other pieces of dough in the refrigerator until needed.
- On a floured surface (I often use confectioner's sugar for rolling my dough), roll the dough to a 12-inch square.
- Cut dough into 2X3-inch rectangles.
- Spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling onto each rectangle.
- Carefully fold the long edges over to meet in the center and pinch to seal seam.
- Place each cookie, seam side down, on a baking sheet, making sure you leave at least 1-2 inches between each cookie.
- Make 2 or 3 diagonal slits on the top of each cookie with a sharp knife.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until cookies are golden in color.
- Remove from oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- For icing, place confectioner's sugar in a bowl.
- Add just a little water or milk, until you get a smooth consistency- but not runny!
- Ice the tops of each cookie and sprinkle with colored sprinkle.
- Let icing dry completely before stacking!
- Store in air-tight containers up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 197.3, Fat 7.2, SaturatedFat 1.9, Cholesterol 5.6, Sodium 67.8, Carbohydrate 32.1, Fiber 1.4, Sugar 19.1, Protein 2.3
CUCCIDATI (SICILIAN FIG COOKIES)
Make and share this Cuccidati (Sicilian Fig Cookies) recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Phil Franco
Categories Dessert
Time 1h20m
Yield 40 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Directions:.
- Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Run the blade a few times to mix.
- Add the butter to the bowl and pulse to combine. Add the eggs, and run the blade until forming a consistent dough.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and wrap in a plastic foil. Place in the refrigerator.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the figs, raisins, candied orange, almonds, chocolate, apricot preserve, rum, cinnamon, and cloves. Pulse the blade until a smooth compound is obtained.
- Transfer the fig paste to a bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Prepare the egg wash by beating the eggs with a pinch of salt.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and unwrap it on a floured work surface. Add a small quantity of flour. Knead the dough to make it soft and smooth.
- Cut the dough into 10 - 12 pieces. With the help of a rolling pin, flatten each piece into a rectangle approximately 3 x 15 inch (7 x 35 cm).
- Brush the egg wash on the dough.
- Place approximately 1/3 cup of filling in the center of the rectangle lengthwise.
- Take one edge of the dough and bring it over the filling to form a roll.
- With the palm of your hands roll the cylinder to make it even.
- Cut the roll into 4-5 pieces approximately 3 - 4 inch (8 - 10 cm) long. Set them aside. Continue forming the rolls until all the dough and the filling are used.
- Using a sharp knife, cut 4 - 5 diagonal incisions on the surface of the rolls. You can also cut straight incisions on the surface of the rolls, and curve the cookies in a "U" shape.
- Transfer the rolls to 3 cookie pans lined with parchment paper.
- Brush the surface with the remaining egg wash.
- Optionally sprinkle with multicolored nonpareil.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden. Transfer onto racks to cool.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 161.6, Fat 7.6, SaturatedFat 3.9, Cholesterol 43.9, Sodium 122.9, Carbohydrate 21.2, Fiber 1.6, Sugar 8.7, Protein 3.2
CUCIADATE (ITALIAN FIG COOKIES)
This isn't your normal Italian Fig Cookie recipe, but it's very good! The difference in this recipe, it that it calls for maraschino cherries and Amaretto! Yum! They do take a little time to make, put they are very good and the flavor improves after a day or two. It wouldn't be Christmas without them!
Provided by Kim D.
Categories Dessert
Time 50m
Yield 30 cookies
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- In blender, blend figs, cherries, pecans and Amaretto; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and sugar.
- Cut in butter with a pastry blender or a fork.
- Add eggs, vanilla and milk; mix well.
- Roll out strips of dough and cut into 2x4-inch rectangles.
- Place a teaspoonful of filling onto each rectangle.
- Roll so that short ends make the seam and place seam side down on a baking sheet.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly brown.
- Do not over bake!
- Let the cookies cool completely.
- To make icing, mix a small bowl of powdered sugar with very little water.
- Add water a little at a time until icing is a smooth constancy that can spread easily, but not runny.
- Ice cookies and add sprinkles.
- Store up to 3 weeks in tins until ready to serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 159, Fat 6.6, SaturatedFat 3.2, Cholesterol 26.6, Sodium 42.7, Carbohydrate 22.8, Fiber 1.6, Sugar 8.3, Protein 2.8
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