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ITALIAN FIG COOKIES

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Serves: 12

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  • Vegetarian
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A quite traditional Christmas cookie that I taught myself how to make. My Italian husband and his entire family, whom I also married them, were quite pleased! Hope you will be too. :)

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Ingredients

For the filling

  • 8 oz chopped dried figs
  • 6 tablespoons brandy
  • 8 oz honey
  • 2 oz raisins
  • 2 oz dates
  • 2 oz dried cherries
  • 1 cup toasted walnut pieces
  • 1 cup toasted almonds
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 pinches of ground cloves
  • orange zest
  • lemon zest

For the pastry

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter (and cut in cubes)
  • 3 medium eggs
  • ¼ cup milk

Method

Make the Filling:

  1. In a bowl, combine the figs with 4 tablespoons of brandy and let soak overnight or up to 4 weeks.
  2. 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. Keep chilled until ready to use. (I have actually kept this in my fridge for about a week even at this point. Stays fine)

Make the Pastry:

  1. 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.
  2. In a small bow, whisk together the 2 eggs and milk. While the motor is 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.
  3. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut out large (3 inch long) almond shaped pieces from the dough.
  4. Transfer the pieces to a sheet pan; then chill.
  5. To form the cookies, have ready the filling, the chilled dough pieces, an egg wash (1 beaten egg with a dab of water), pastry brush, and a sharp knife.
  6. Paint the edges of the dough pieces with egg wash and place 1 tsp of the filling shaped into an oval in the center of half the pieces.
  7. Top each with a second piece of dough and carefully pinch the edges together to seal. Trim the excess dough from around the edges.
  8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the cookies with egg wash. Bake the cookies until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. These can be decorated with icing and sprinkles. They are just as good on their own!

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