SANDRA SCALISE JUNEAU'S CUCCIDATA ITALIAN FIG COOKIES

Prep Time: 2 Hours
Yields: 24 Cookies

Comment:
Each year, Sandra Juneau prepares well in advance for St. Joseph's Day. Her elaborately designed cuccidata cakes are used to decorate altars in honor of the patron saint of Sicily. This recipe will make about 2 dozen fig cookies. However, by modifying the dough and assembly process, fig cakes can be made instead. Traditionally, 10 pounds of figs or more are prepared at one time, so making cuccidata becomes a community project. Because of the elaborate process of grinding figs and rolling dough, family and friends are often invited to help with the preparation.

Ingredients for Fig Filling:
2 pounds dried Greek figs
1 tbsp cinnamon
4 tbsps honey
2 tbsps orange zest
⅛ tsp black pepper

Method:
Remove stems from figs. Rinse thoroughly in warm water to soften. Drain off any excess water. Season figs with cinnamon, mixing thoroughly. Coat with honey then blend in orange zest and black pepper. Using an electric meat grinder, finely grind fig mixture. Do not use a food processor. Blend ground ingredients well. Divide mixture in half, wrap each section with plastic wrap then seal in a plastic zipper bags. This mixture will keep in refrigerator for several weeks, or it may be frozen up to 6 months.

Ingredients for Dough:
5 cups flour
¾ cup white vegetable shortening
¾ cup sugar
1–2 cups warm water

Method:
NOTE: This amount of dough will make cookies or small cakes. For a larger cake, use 1 cup shortening, 1 cup sugar and additional water if necessary. In a food processor, blend flour and shortening to a cornmeal texture. Set aside. Dissolve sugar in warm (tepid, not boiling) water. Slowly add sugar water to flour mixture, blending until dough forms a ball. If dough is too dry, gradually add more water as needed until moist. Cover, set aside and allow dough to rest 10 minutes. Separate dough into workable sized balls (for large cakes, about 6 inches across, for individual cookies, about 2 inches across). Knead each ball into smooth texture and return to bowl. Cover again, then allow dough to rest several minutes.

Ingredients for Assembly:
prepared fig filling
prepared dough balls

Method:
Preheat oven to 250°F. Roll a small piece of dough (2-inch ball) into thickness of pie pastry. Cut into 4" x 12" strips. Shape fig filling into ½-inch wide rolls. Fill center of dough with fig mixture. Fold sides of pastry over figs, overlapping dough slightly. Turn over, seam side down, and pat lightly to flatten. Cut on an angle into 1-inch long bars. Cut slits in sides and on top to allow filling to cook through. Bake 20–30 minutes. Cookies should be slightly browned on bottom only. Allow to cool before icing cookies. NOTE: Large cakes can be made in any desired shape.

Ingredients for Icing:
1 tbsp milk
2 drops almond extract
2 cups powdered sugar
colored nonpareils (sugar sprinkles)

Method:
Combine milk and almond then gradually blend in sugar, mixing to a smooth paste. Icing should be texture of heavy cream. Thoroughly cool cookies before icing. Working over a small bowl, spoon icing onto each cookie, allowing excess to drip into bowl. Allow each cookie to dry slightly then sprinkle with nonpareils. Be sure cookies are completely dry before packaging.