What is cuccidati made of?

Cuccidati contain a filling made of dried figs, nuts, honey and citrus wrapped in a flour, sugar and butter based dough.

Where did cuccidati originate?

Cuccidati originated in Sicily and Southern Italy. It's thought that the recipe has Arab influences from the time there was Muslim rule over Sicily, as evidenced by the use of dried fruit, orange and spices.

Cuccidati (Italian Fig Cookies)

Name: Cuccidati (Italian Fig Cookies)
Prep time: 4 h
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: PT-493346H27M28S
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 ¾ cups (230g) ‘00’ flour (or all-purpose flour); ⅓ cup (80g) granulated sugar; 1 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (¼ tsp fine salt); 1 stick (113g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes; 1 large egg; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1-2 tbsp cold milk, as needed; ½ cup (60g) walnuts; 1 oz (30g) semi-sweet dark chocolate, roughly chopped (optional); ½ tsp ground cinnamon; Pinch ground cloves; ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (⅛ tsp fine salt); 8 oz (225g) dried figs, stems removed; Zest of one lemon (or orange); ¼ cup (85g) honey (I like orange blossom, acacia and wildflower honey); 1-2 tbsp sweet Marsala wine; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar; 2 ½ -3 ½ tbsp milk (can sub with fresh lemon or orange juice); 1 tsp vanilla extract

Description

Cuccidati are Italian Fig Cookies served during Christmas. They're stuffed with a delicious mixture of dried figs, nuts, honey and citrus.

Ingredients

Scale

Dough:

1 ¾ cups (230g) ‘00’ flour (or all-purpose flour)
⅓ cup (80g) granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (¼ tsp fine salt)
1 stick (113g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp cold milk, as needed

Filling:

½ cup (60g) walnuts
1 oz (30g) semi-sweet dark chocolate, roughly chopped (optional)
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
¼ tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (⅛ tsp fine salt)
8 oz (225g) dried figs, stems removed
Zest of one lemon (or orange)
¼ cup (85g) honey (I like orange blossom, acacia and wildflower honey)
1-2 tbsp sweet Marsala wine
1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:

1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar
2 ½ -3 ½ tbsp milk (can sub with fresh lemon or orange juice)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Rainbow or Christmas-colored Nonpareil Sprinkles, for decorating

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Instructions

Start the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well-combined. Add butter and toss to coat in flour mixture. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until crumbly. The butter should range from the size of small peas and to coarse cornmeal. Work quickly so the butter stays cold. You can also do this step using a food processor.
Finish the dough. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and gently incorporate together, using a fork. If there are still dry patches of flour, add 1-2 tbsp of milk, as needed, until the dough just comes together. The dough should hold together when pinched between your fingers, but should not be overly moist or sticky. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a square, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2-3 hours or until firm. You can chill the dough up to 24 hours.
Toast the nuts. Preheat oven to 325F. Toast nuts on a baking sheet on the center rack for 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant. Cool on a wire rack.
Optional step. If your dried figs are particularly hard and dry, place figs in a bowl and pour over enough hot water to cover. Let stand for 15-30 minutes until softened, and drain excess water. I did not need to do this with the figs I used.
Make the filling. Add nuts, chocolate (if using), cinnamon, cloves and salt to a food processor. Pulse until finely ground. Add figs and process until finely chopped. Add honey, 1 tablespoon of Marsala, vanilla and lemon zest, and blend until a spreadable paste forms. Add remaining tablespoon of Marsala if consistency is too thick. Cover and set aside until ready to use. You can also do this step by hand, but it is quite labor intensive.
Prep for baking. After the dough is chilled and firm, preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking trays with silpats or parchment paper.
Roll out the dough. Cut dough in half. Place one half of dough back into the fridge. Using a rolling pin, roll out the other half of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 7 x 9 inch (18 x 23 cm) rectangle. The dough should be ~3/16 inch thick (½ cm). Trim off any rough edges using a pizza cutter or knife. Cut the dough in half lengthwise. If the dough becomes too warm to work with, refrigerate before proceeding to the next step.
Add the filling. Spoon the filling into a disposable pastry bag and cut a 1 inch opening. Pipe half of the fig filling along the center of the dough. Fold the dough over the filling and roll to completely incase filling. Gently press the dough together along the seam. Place on a prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes so it’s easier to neatly cut the cookies. While the log of dough chills, repeat steps 7-8 with the remaining dough and filling. You can use a ziplock bag instead of a pastry bag, or just use a spoon to place the filling over the dough.
Cut the cookies. Remove chilled log of dough from the fridge. Trim off the edges and cut into 1 ½ inch (3 ¾ cm) long cookies. Arrange on a lined baking sheet 1-2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue to bake for 4-6 minutes or until golden on top and lightly browned on the bottom. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Bake in batches, as needed.
Decorate the cookies. In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Use enough milk to create a thick, yet runny glaze. Spoon glaze over each cookie. Top with sprinkles. Enjoy.

Notes

‘00’ flour is the traditional flour used for these cookies and provides a light, delicate texture, but all-purpose flour works well too.

If you’re in Italy, you can substitute Vanillina for vanilla extract in the dough and glaze. Mix the Vanillina with the dry ingredients instead of the wet ingredients. A few drops of Fior di Sicilia can be substituted for vanilla extract in the fig filling.

You’ll often see this recipe with half walnuts and half almonds, and occasionally even with some hazelnuts. After taste testing several variations, I suggest only using walnuts rather than spending money on multiple types of nuts.

These cookies are amazing with and without the chocolate, so chocolate is a completely optional ingredient, depending on your preference.

Many recipes use a combination of figs and raisins in the filling. I tried a version with 1oz of raisins and 7oz of dried figs which worked well, but it was difficult for me to discern a difference in flavor. To simplify things, I like to use only dried figs just like my nonna.

If you prefer a stronger citrus or orange flavor, try orange zest instead of lemon zest. You can also substitute half of the honey with orange marmalade or apricot jam. In the glaze, you can use fresh lemon or orange juice instead of milk. I have tried all of these variations, so it just depends on your preference.

If you don’t have sweet Marsala wine on hand, you can substitute it with brandy or dark rum. For an alcohol free version, use fresh orange juice or water instead.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Enjoy.