Italian Fig Cookies or "Cuccidati" have been a traditional holiday cookie for as long as this old gal can remember. I always make the filling the day before and grind all the ingredients. Then the following day I make the dough and create the cookies. Sometimes I even switch out some of the ingredients, depending on what I have on hand. Be creative! There your creations and you can choose what to use.
I told my mother-in-law when she got too weak to make them every year that I would continue to do so for the family. She passed away 6 years ago at 95 years of age. I told my husband when I was making them that momma was smiling.
This was her recipe.
Cuccidati
Filling:
1 c. dried figs
½ c. dried dates, pitted
½ c. raisins
1 can crushed pineapple (8 oz.)
¾ c. chopped almonds
¾ c. chopped walnuts
¼ c. chocolate chips
¾ c. honey
¼ c. brandy
½ c. strawberry jam
1 ½ tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 T. cinnamon
½ tsp. cloves
½ tsp. nutmeg
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This is what my filling looks like after grinding.
Note: If you have a heavy-duty grinder like I do, you can put all the ingredients in a bowl and grind it all at once.
If you have whole figs, be sure to cut out the hard stem in the center of the fig. I chop the figs into smaller chunks to grind easier.
Grind the chopped figs, dates, oranges, crushed pineapple, raisins, and brandy. The juice from the orange and pineapple will help to moisten the figs and dates as they go through the grinder.
Next, add the almonds and walnuts to the date mixture, along with the spices, honey, strawberry jam, and chocolate chips. Run it all through the grinder one more time. The mixture should be just moist but thick enough to hold its shape.
If you want to, you can stop at this point, cover the filling, and refrigerate it until you’re ready for the second stage, making the dough!
Cream together:
1 c. butter 2 sticks cut into cubes)
1 c. sugar
2 large egg
½ c. milk or cream
1 T. vanilla
Sift together:
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 ½ T. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients and form your dough.
- Flour your surface so the dough doesn't stick.
- Roll a portion in with your hands to form a log and roll it out into a long rectangle with a rolling pin.
- Make a line with the filling in the center of the rectangle and begin rolling the dough over the filling.
- Once completely rolled, cut the log into 1-inch slices or larger if you prefer.
- Place all the cookies fairly close together on a parchment-lined tray.
- Bake them for 12-15 minutes in a 190° C or 375°F oven until lightly golden. This recipe makes 14 dozen cookies.
- Transfer to a cooling rack. You can freeze these or keep them refrigerated until you are ready to frost them.
A few days later, I was ready to make the cookie trays so I frosted these and the Pepper Cookies from a previous post.
Icing:
2 tablespoons of softened butter ( melted)
1 1/2 cups of confectionary sugar
few drops of Anise Extract
milk or cream ( just enough to make it spreadable, not runny)
sprinkle of your choosing (I like the multi-colored ones)
It took me a while to get 14 dozen Cuccidati and all these Pepper cookies decorated. They do look festive, don't they?
I'm almost ready to put together all the trays. I still have a couple more cookies to add. Stay tuned for the next round.
"Pecan Sandies and Chocolate Pepper Cookies"
"Cherry Winks and Chocolate Kisses "
Until next time, this is Sunscape
Sun. Scape. Ing Your Day
