Cucidatis (Italian Fig Cookie)
This is my family's secret recipe for the most delicious Cucidatis! We have been making them for over 50 years :)
Servings: 10 dozen
Equipment
- hand grinder
- cookie sheets
- oven
- electric mixer
- parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
THE DOUGH
- 2 cup butter
- 2 cup sugar
- 6 eggs
- 7 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 4 tsp cream of tartar
- 3 tsp vanilla extract or anise extract
FIG FILLING
- 2 lbs. figs
- .5 lb dates
- .5 lb raisins
- .5 cup walnuts
- .5 lb marashino cherries
- 1 orange, grated
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- .5 tsp cloves
- .5 cup grape jelly
- .5 cup whiskey
- 1 splash lemon juice
- 1.5 tsp almond extract
ICING
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 Tbsp. milk (of choice)
Instructions
MAKE THE DOUGH.
- In large bowl, whip butter with handheld mixer. Add sugar until well combined.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time until well combined. Add extract of choice and stir.
- In separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
- In batches, add dry mix to wet mix, and stir with wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Do not over-work dough -- should come together well.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cookie assembly.
MAKE THE FILLING.
- Attach handheld grinder to counter-top and place cookie sheet underneath.
- Add cinnamon, cloves, orange, lemon, almond extract to grape jam and mix until combined.
- Put your figs, dates, nuts, cherries and raisins in separate piles. Alternate adding some of each into the grinder, and use hands to press into grinder that cranks out onto cookie sheet. (It helps to put the fig on top so that you can press everything down nicely)
- Once everything is ground up, dump into bowl and pour whiskey over the top. Mix together, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to a week.
ASSEMBLE THE COOKIES.
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Pull out fig filling and cookie dough and work dough with hands to warm up and make pliable for rolling.
- Working with a lot of flour, roll out cookie dough into long rectangle, less than 1/4inch thick.
- Add a handful of the fig filling between two pieces of parchment paper, and roll out with rolling pin to a similar size of the dough rectangle.
- Place fruit-leather-like filling sheet on top of dough sheet, leaving 1/4 inch of dough on all sides.
- Starting from one side, roll the length of the dough over itself to create a pinwheel/spiral. 2 full rotations is enough. Slice when cookie is about 1 inch thick all around. (keep in mind these get larger when they bake!)
- Trim off any ends, wrap in parchment paper and place in freezer for about 10-15 minutes to slightly harden before you slice (to keep from smushing!).
- Pull out and slice, no more than 1 inch thick. Place on greased cookie sheet approximately 1 inch apart and bake for approximately 10-14 minutes depending on size of cookie. They will be slightly browned on bottom when done.
ICING
- Remove cookies to separate area to cool. Once cooled, mix icing with hand beater working milk into powdered sugar until it "coats the back of the spoon" consistency.
- Dip cooled cucidati into bowl of icing, wipe of excess, and place on sheet to dry. Add sprinkles if desired.
Notes
We have always used an old-fashioned hand grinder for the fig filling. If you do not have one, you could try pulsing in a food processor -- although we have never done it this way.
Anise extract is a preference thing. It has the flavor of licorice, so smell before you add!
You should be able to work in batches during the assembly period (and preferably with a team!) As one log is chilling, another can be baking, and another rolling.
As you cut off the sraps during the rolling process, you MUST taste-test. It's a very important step :)
We have used 2%, 1% milk and almond milk for the icing, and all work beautifully.