cuccidati

Shortbread pastry dough stuffed with soft, fragrant mix of dried figs, nuts, chocolate, candied fruit and a hint of cinnamon is what makes cuccidati cookies unforgettable from the first bite.

Cuccidati - Italian Fig Cookies

flour (, approx 480 g)

sugar (, approx 150 g)

oz butter (, approx 170 g)

tbsp baking powder

eggs

tbsp vanilla extract

salt

milk (, if needed)

oz dried figs (, approx 500 g)

orange lemon

tbsp Marsala wine

raisins (, approx 85 g)

chocolate

walnuts ((more to taste))

almonds ((more to taste))

cinnamon powder

confectioners sugar (, approx 110 g)

lemon juice

Color sprinkles

In a large bowl of food processor add all dry ingredients: sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cold butter cut in cubes. Process until you get a crumbly dough without big lumps.

Add eggs and vanilla extract. Process again until dough starts to come together.

The whole process can be done with dough blender which is really handy.

Transfer the dough onto a work surface and shape it quickly with your hands forming a smooth ball. Add some milk if the dough doesn’t come together.

Cover with a plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

You can also make the dough the night before and keep it in the fridge. Make sure to take it out at least 2 hours before making cooking, otherwise it’ll be too hard to roll.

Cuccidati Dough:

Steep dried figs in hot water for about 30 minutes. Take them out on a paper towel or linen towel and pat-dry to remove excess liquid.

In a food processor add figs, candied fruit and Marsala wine. Process until you get a nice paste.

In a food processor pulse nuts and dark chocolate. Or you can roughly chop them with a sharp knife. Set aside.

In a big bowl mix together fig paste, chopped nuts with chocolate, raisins and cinnamon.

Cuccidati Filling:

Preheat oven to 350F (175C).

Cut off a piece of the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to approx. ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Cut out a rectangular shape and save trimmed edges.

Place fig filling lengthwise closer to one edge of the rectangle and fold the dough over to the other side brushing with some water the very end of the dough before closing it. This helps to seal the seam.

Place formed log seam side down and using a pastry cutter or a sharp floured knife cut it into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cookies.

Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet line with parchment paper or a silicone mat about ½ inch apart from each other.

Bake in preheated to 350F (175C) oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges.

Let cool.

Repeat with the remaining dough (including trimmed dough leftovers) and fig filling.

Make Cookies:

Beat egg white until foamy, add a pinch of salt and lemon juice.

Continue to beat, slowly adding confectioners sugar. Increase speed to high and beat for another few minutes until soft peaks form.

Make Icing:

Once cookies are chilled to room temperature, dip them in the icing and top with color sprinkles.

Let dry for a few hours before packing.

If it’s too cold or humid inside you can turn on the oven and heat to 85F (30C) and let your cookies dry in the oven for 20-60 minutes, checking on them occasionally.

Decorate Cookies:

These cookies are traditional Italian made during the Christmas season. Called Cuccidati, or Italian fig cookies, represent a delicious treat!

Italian Fig Cookies Recipe (Cuccidati Cookies)

unsalted butter (softened)

all-purpose flour

sugar

baking powder

milk

vanilla

confectioner's sugar

lemon juice (fresh)

nonpareils (colored sprinkles)

figs

raisins

dates (optional)

walnuts

almonds

honey

orange marmalade

cinnamon

nutmeg

chocolate chips

brandy

lemon (orange zest)

Italian fig cookies recipe (Cuccidati Cookies)

For your Italian fig cookies filling, combine the raisins, dates, and figs and put them in a food processor to be finely chopped.

Add the chopped walnuts, almonds, and chocolate chips. Mix well.

Put the marmalade, honey, lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and wine. Mix well in a bowl.

Cover the bowl and store in the refrigerator for about 8 hours.

To make the dough, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Add the softened butter, and then the egg, milk and vanilla. Mix until all ingredients are well-combined.

Take the dough and put it in a floured surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.

Divide the dough in half, put them in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Cover 2 large baking dish with baking paper or lightly grease them. Set aside.

On the work table, sprinkle flour on the surface so the dough doesn't stick when you work on it.

Take one quarter of the dough and roll it into a square that measures about 12 inches. Then cut the dough into rectangles that approximately measures 4 by 3 inches.

Take the filling out the refrigerator. Put 2 spoonful of filling at the center of each rectangle.

Fold close each dough lengthwise, one side a little on top of each other and pinch close each end to seal the dough.

Turn the filled doughs to make the seams face downward, and carefully flatten each dough a little.

Sprinkle some flour on a knife and using that, cut the dough crosswise, about 1-inch wide pieces. Do this for all the filled Italian fig cookies dough.

Now, on to baking the cookies. Arrange the dough pieces at least half an inch apart on the baking pan, and bake for about 15 to twenty minutes, or until golden brown. When the cookies are done, remove from the oven and put on a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, mix the confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix well until it has a smooth consistency. But make sure it's not runny.

Brush icing or pour a teaspoon or so of it on top of each cookie and then sprinkle some of the nonpareils on top of that. Let the cookies completely dry before stacking.

Cuccidati are the classic Italian Fig Cookies topped with a simple glaze and sprinkles. These cookies are traditionally served at Christmas time but delicious anytime of year!

Cuccidati (Italian Fig Cookies)

raisins ((130 grams))

almonds ((145 grams))

walnuts ((110 grams))

liqueur ((such as brandy, bourbon, or marsala))

orange zest

cloves

flour ((440 grams))

butter,

milk ((2%

sprinkles

To a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, add in the dried figs, raisins, almonds, and walnuts. Pulse until they are finely diced.

Next, add in the honey, liqueur, orange zest, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Pulse until the mixture is well combined and forms a thick paste. Remove from food processor and set aside. (If making ahead, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.) Rinse and dry out the food processor for the next step.

Fig Filling

To the bowl of the food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.

Add in the cold cubed butter and eggs to the food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are well combined and a dough forms.

Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal pieces. Cover each section lightly in plastic wrap, then gently press down to form a disc. Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight.

Pastry Dough

When ready to make the cookies, start by preheating  oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Once the dough is chilled, remove it from the refrigerator. Unwrap the dough and cut each disc in half, to create 4 equal-sized pieces. Rewrap 3 sections of dough and return them to the fridge.

Place the section of dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Cover the top of dough with parchment or plastic. Using a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle shape, approximately 5 inches by 14 inches. Remove the parchment or plastic on top of the dough.

Next, divide the fig filling mixture into 4 equal parts. Use your hands to form one part of the filling into a long log shape, enough to cover the length of the rectangle of dough. Place the filling near the bottom of the dough (so you can roll it up).

Use a little bit of water to dampen the other end of the dough. Carefully roll up the fig mix into the dough and press gently to seal the seam of the dough log.

Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut the log  into 1-inch pieces. Arrange cookies about an inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining dough and filling.

Bake in preheated oven on center rack for about 15 minutes, or until the bottom edges of the cookie are golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest on pan for 5 minutes, then move to wire rack to cool completely.

Assembling the Cuccidati

In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and milk, and whisk until well combined. (You want a thick smooth glaze, adding more milk or powdered sugar as needed to achieve desired consistency.)

Dip the top of one cookie into the glaze, letting the excess drip off. Add sprinkles over the wet glaze, and set the dipped cookie on a wire rack to harden (about 15 minutes). Repeat with remaining cookies.

Decorating

Your cuccidati look amazing.  I roll the dough out on plastic wrap; it makes rolling the dough over the fig much easier.

My Cousin's Grandma Palermo,Made These cookies,when we we're young Kid's And I LOVE Them, Haven't had them for 60 or so year's,My Cousin told me,How to get the recipe,I will be making these for Christmas .My Cousin's are Italians in St Louis Mo,We Live in Southern Illinois.So this is a TRUE BLESSING,And Good Old Memories from the Old Day's. Thank YOU For Sharing Your Recipes and Information ☺️ God Bless YOU and YOUR FAMILY and MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄🎁🎈

Going to give it a try today and have to admit I didn’t realize there were nuts in the filling!

not too difficult and the best cookie. Flavor texture...

Hello…I’m going to try your cuccidati cookies.  They look delicious!   I do have a question.   Is it okay to use Marsala cooking wine?   I don’t bake much with any liquor &amp; noticed there’s a regular &amp; cooking wine.  Thanks in advance for your help!

Toda la receta me ha encantado... Llevaba tiempo buscando una que pudiese traducir al español... Me será de mucha ayuda y la haré exactamente como está explicado todo el procedimiento... Mil gracias 👍

Your recipe is very close to my Italian grandmother's recipe which is over 100 years old.  I have never seen her recipe duplicated.  I am sworn to secrecy, or I would tell you an important ingredient we use. I also appreciate seeing how you roll the dough out.  Your cookies look absolutely perfect.

Family and friends go ga-ga over these. I have modified the assembly to make it easier but I follow the ingredients exactly. They look and taste superb

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