Cuccidati (Italian Fig/Date Bar Cookies)
Ingredients
Crust
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- Rind of 1 orange
- 4 teaspoons orange juice
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling*
- 1 string figs
- 8 ounces raisins
- 8 ounces brown sugar
- 1 pound walnuts
- 1 pound dates
- 1 orange
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 ounces whiskey
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups water
Frosting
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 4 ounces butter
- Orange juice
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Crust
- In large bowl, cream together first 3 ingredients. Add orange juice and orange rind.
- In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture along with vanilla.
Filling
- Prepare several days ahead of time. In a food grinder, grind figs and raisins. In large saucepan, simmer raisins and figs with brown sugar and water for 15 minutes. Grind walnuts, dates, and orange. Stir into hot mixture along with cinnamon, black pepper, and whiskey. Remove from stove, mix well, cover, and let mellow for 3 days.
- Roll dough into 3 inch wide strips on pastry cloth. Lay filling down the center and wrap dough to form a long "sausage-like" cookie. Roll back and forth until crust seems very thin. Cut in diagonal about every 1 1/2 inches. Place on cookie sheet close together and bake for 10 to 13 minutes. Cookies should be barely brown. Cool and store in tins 5 days, then frost.
Frosting
- In a medium bowl, mix together margarine and confectioners' sugar until well blended. Add enough juice to make a thick glaze. Top cookies with a thin coat. Let frosting dry a couple of hours then store in tins as follows.
Notes
* You have to make the filling 3 days ahead. The Filling recipe makes enough filling for 2 batches of crust and can be divided and frozen for up to six months.
To Store: Line tins with foil, place a layer of cookies, then a layer of wax paper (NOT plastic wrap). Keep repeating, ending with foil and then the lid. I do not like food touching aluminum foil, so I place wax paper over the foil before placing the first layer of cookies down.
Attribution
Posted by CookinMom at Recipe Goldmine May 14, 2001.
Source: vermontliving.com
Photo credit: storymom on VisualHunt
