Description
Delight in these traditional Italian Fig Cookies featuring a tender, buttery dough encasing a sweet and textured fig filling enhanced with pecans, raisins, orange zest, chocolate chips, and a hint of rum. Perfectly golden and subtly spiced, these cookies offer a unique blend of flavors and textures that bring the warmth of Italian baking to your table.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces cold unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs
Filling:
- 12 ounces dried figs
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup apricot jam
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup rum
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt briefly to ensure all dry ingredients are evenly mixed.
- Add Butter and Eggs: Add cold unsalted butter to the processor and pulse approximately 20 times until the mixture achieves a coarse crumb texture. Then add the eggs and pulse again until the dough forms a cohesive ball.
- Knead and Chill Dough: Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until smooth. Shape into a log, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm.
- Prepare Filling: Place dried figs, chopped pecans, apricot jam, golden raisins, orange zest, chocolate chips, rum, and cinnamon into the food processor. Pulse until the filling is finely chopped and thoroughly combined into a uniform mixture.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ease cleanup.
- Portion Dough and Filling: Divide both the dough and filling into 10 equal portions. Roll each dough portion into a 3 by 12-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
- Shape Cookies: Shape each filling portion into a 12-inch rope or evenly spread it along the center of each dough rectangle. Carefully wrap the dough around the filling and pinch the seam ends to seal completely. Flatten each roll slightly with a spatula or your hands.
- Cut and Arrange: Cut each filled log into 6 equal pieces and place them spaced evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until they turn lightly golden around the edges.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool briefly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This ensures the cookies set properly and maintain their shape.
Notes
- Use cold butter to achieve the ideal dough texture and flakiness.
- For a non-alcoholic version, substitute rum with fresh orange juice.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days for best freshness.
- To make nut-free cookies, replace pecans with seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or omit entirely.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and simplify cleanup.
Keywords: Italian fig cookies, fig cookies, pecan fig cookies, holiday cookies, Italian dessert, fig and nut cookies, baked fig treats