HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN FIG COOKIES RECIPES

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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).

Steps:

• 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.