Cucidati – Italian Fig Cookies
Cucidati is a traditional Italian cookie, originating in Sicily, that is filled with a mixture of figs and other fruits, nuts, and seasonings. Some recipes vary but the “standard” typically includes figs, dates, raisins, and walnuts and is bound together with honey and orange marmalade. I am actually surprised that my grandma never made these since they are such a popular Italian cookie, but when I asked my mom about it, she said my grandma hates figs, so I guess I have my answer!
It was during a conversation with my Chief Culinary Consultant that I learned about cucidati. I was talking about the walnut pillow cookies that my grandma always made and he said that his grandma made something similar, but with raisins and figs. I stored it away in my memory bank, with intentions to try them at a later date. A few days later I was searching online for walnut pillow recipes because I was unsure if we would be able to find my grandma’s (we did!) and stumbled upon recipes for cucidati. I immediately saved them and decided I would make the cookies sooner rather than later.
These cookies are slightly time consuming but totally worth the effort. The dough is wonderfully tender and more of a “short” dough, which makes it melt in your mouth. The filling (perhaps not surprisingly) tastes quite similar to a Fig Newton cookie, but with a much deeper and complex flavor. With the addition of dates, raisins, and walnuts to the figs, as well as the cinnamon, honey, and orange marmalade, these cookies pack a huge punch when it comes to flavor and texture.
If you have a food processor, definitely use it for processing both the walnuts as well as the figs/dates/raisins mixture. If you don’t have one, just chop as finely as possible. As far as shaping and filling the cookies, the instructions provided below will yield a short rectangle “pillow” shape, but I experimented with many sizes and shapes, and encourage you to do the same!
Cucidati (Italian Fig Cookies)
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons (1.5 tablespoons) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- 1 cup (205 g) vegetable shortening
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (122 ml) milk
Filling
- 1 cup (149 g) dried figs
- 1 cup (147 g) dried dates, pitted
- ¾ cup (108.75 g) raisins
- ½ cup (58.5 g) walnuts, chopped or ground in food processor
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (84.75 ml) honey
- ¼ cup (80 g) orange marmalade
Icing
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons milk, approximately
- Colored sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar and combine well.
- Cut in the shortening with a fork or pastry blender and work the mixture until it looks like cornmeal.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, vanilla, and milk.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix with an electric mixer for a full 3 minutes. Dough will be soft.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and knead by hand for 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, wrap each with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
- To make the filling, grind figs, dates, and raisins in a food processor until coarse.
- Place fig, date, and raisin mixture in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Mixture will be thick. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375° and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Work with one piece of dough at a time, leaving the remaining pieces in the refrigerator until needed. On a floured surface roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Cut dough into 2x3-inch rectangles. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling into the middle of each rectangle. Carefully fold the short edges over to meet in the center and pinch to seal. Seal the sides as well.
- Place each cookie, seam-side down, on a baking sheet, leaving 1-2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden in color.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before icing.
- For the icing, mix together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk to achieve the desired consistency. You'll want the icing to be thick enough not to be runny, but still easily spreadable. Ice the tops of the cookies and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Let the icing set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Perhaps add a note to trim off the fig stems so novices like myself don’t attempt to grind them up in the food processor.
I have been wanting to make these cookies for a long time. I had some left over dough from the date and nut pinwheels that I make every Christmas so I figured why nit do the same thing with the fig mixture? I loved the idea of orange so I spread the marmalade in the dough before adding the fig. Spread it out rolled it up. Wrapped it in wax paper and froze for about 30min. Sliced and baked. Came out great and I didn’t have to deal with rolling and cutting all those squares. Haha. Next time I make them I’ll add some grand marnier to the fig mixture. I think that would taste great too.
I made these and they are so good! My husband is 1/2 Sicilian and they met his approval. I didn’t have exact measurements of all items so I improvised. I use 1/2 coconut shortening and 1/2 butter in place of shortening. Added a few more walnuts, and a little less raisins. No orange marmalade but used some fig marmalade and candied orange. Added orange zest to the icing. They really came out quite delicious! Thank you!
I tried making these twice and failed because of the dough. It was not soft. It was dry. So after leaving it in the fridge for the correct time, I rolled it, or should I say, I tried to roll it and the dough had cracks in it and there was no way I could be filling in the little rectangle and there would be several cracks in the dough. I have seen this exact dough recipe on several sites and the comments have been similar to mine. The dough is dry and tough. I have been baking a long time without this issue arising. Shouldn’t there be more liquid added or less flour. I made the dough twice with the same miserable result. I now have a bowl full of the tasty filling but need a proper dough recipe or direction as to why so many of us are not able to use the dough.
The same thing happened to me! This dough recipe is terrible! Don’t waste your time or ingredients. There is something wrong with the ratio of dry to wet ingredients.
I do agree the dough is tough originally but I added a tiny bit of water to soften it and also actually let it warm up. It is a stiff dough , so decided to only cook it 10 minutes as long as the underside of the cookie was slightly browned. They really came out delicious!
I’ve been using this website for the past 9 years to make this cookie for Christmas.
Alterations I made:
1) I don’t use the vanilla extract, the amount suggested was way too powerful for my taste
2) I add spice rum to the filling and let it macerate for a couple of weeks in the fridge before baking
3) I freeze the sprinkles before application to mitigate the color bleeding into the frosting. If I had patience I’d find the sweet spot of the frosting drying enough to apply the sprinkles.
I burned out 1 food processor when making the sticky filling, cut up as small as possible before using the food processor.
Very scrumptious cookies . However I am Italian. I reside here in Naples two months out of the year for months and Milano and the other six months believe it or not in Louisville Kentucky in the United States . Cucidati means sewing in both Italian Dialects Northern Italian, Over in Bari, Also in N Neapolitan slang if you will. Biscotti di fico means italiano fig cookie . Biscotti means cookie. I just want people to know the proper way of saying things and hopefully like I am always grateful to learn others are to thank you for the recipe it is absolutely delicious . Biscotti assolutamente scrumptious!!! Grazie!!
So the filling on this is perfect. The combination of dates and figs with nuts is perfect!
Th edough— awful. I’m not a great baker by any means but I’ve never had so much trouble with a dough before. I’ve tried it a few times and I can’t get it to bind properly. I always end up having to add to it to get it to roll out flat. And with the 1 cup of lard, not worth it anyway. I’ve been using a different dough recipe and they’ve been coming out much better.
I am Sicilian and know these cookies well. My mother is an amazing baker and usually has these in the freezer. She uses fig often but my favorite is the almond filling. I am looking forward to making your recipe and compare flavors. Thank you for posting.
My family adds Orange zest, chocolate chips, and brandy to the figs. Really makes them so delicious!
how much brandy ? do you leave it overnight? can you use whiskey?can’t find my original recipe, What kind of shortening is crisco okay?
How awesome!!!! I have personally never made these before, but have grown up eating them every Christmas. I’ve never heard that they were Italian I was always told they were Hungarian. We have a Hungarian settlement near where I live and they make them every year. My aunt is Hungarian so they were always available but no one ever showed me how to make them. I think it’s time for me to try. If you have any special tips for a first-timer would love to hear from you.
I am so excited to find this recipe. I had an idea how to make theses but this confirms it.
My best friends mom was Sicilian and made theses all the time. I cant want to make these for him. He has asked me many times “ When are going to make my moms cookies”. I love baking and it comes real easy for me. Thanks again
I’ve made these cookies several times over the years from an old recipe my Mom gave me many years ago. I have always made them one or two days in advance of serving. As I’m getting older, I’m trying to prepare for Thanksgiving well in advance this year. Can I make these from start to finish, then freeze them?
Hi Pat, Yes you could definitely make and freeze these!
Can you freeze fig cookies ? Also is it OK to frost them before freezing. I need to bake them ahead of time …
Hi Jean, Yes, you can freeze these! I always think it’s best to put the glaze on after they’ve been thawed, but if it’s easier to do so before, it won’t ruin the cookies. Enjoy! :)
I just enjoyed a couple of cookies using you fig cookie recipe. I used to make the filling and dough for Italian cookies we made for our church’s St. Joseph Altar and would make dough and filling for over 15,000 fig cookies we would give away and sell. I must say that this is a good recipe and just enjoyed those two cookies I just ate. Lol….. Only thing I did different was I used pistashios in place of the walnuts to give it a little more of an Italian flavor. No, I am not Italian. I’m Cajun actually. Lol……. My wife is Italian though. Great recipe!!!!!
BTW, we made close to 250 cookies. I tripled the recipe. I’d post a picture but can’t do it here.
Can vegetable oil be used in place of solid shortening when baking Italian cookies?
Hi Jeanne, I would not recommend making that substitution, as it might make the dough too wet.
Made these and the dough was very dry. I added a little more milk. Is the recipe correct? Only one egg?
Hi Cindy, Yes, the 1 egg was correct. I hope you still enjoyed the cookies!
Why no response on how dry the dough is with so many compliments?
In my family, this cookie is called a cucchi, and has several enhancements. We added rum, brandy and amaretto to enhance the flavors, orange and lemon rind gratings in the filling and dough. We also use a mix of white and dark raisins . Then I cooked with a bit of water, cane sugar until all delicious and then processed with the food processor . Cinnamon is important. I like the use of honey and I will try making the dough as you describe. This year I was planning to make a puff pastry dough and stop the filling in for a new style. Thanks for keeping the Sicilian traditions alive.
I’m so excited! I’ve always wanted to make these and was looking for a trusted recipe. Whenever I make your recipes they come out perfectly (the corn casserole for Thanksgiving dinner was my favorite food on the table!). I’m going to try these this Christmas. Thank you!!
I did use my kitchenaid attachment meat grinder for the filling and it worked out so much better for the filling than the food processor. I ran it through twice I believe.
This year I picked up some dried figs at Aldi’s and they are more like prunes. Do you think I could use those in place of the more typical “flat” ones?
Hi Katy, I think those would work fine!
Hi I don’t know what happened to my dough but it didn’t seem right. It kept breaking apart. The only difference was I had only cream so I used that instead of milk. Could that be why?i managed to finish them but it was a huge pain to complete because I found I was constantly having to reattach the dough. Any thoughts as to why it did that? I’d love to m ma these again because the taste is delicious! Thank you!
Hi Laura, I don’t think using cream instead of milk would cause the dough to break. Do you mean that the dough was breaking, as in it was dry and crumbly?
My parents’ best friends were Italian, and Christmas was a wonderful “event” with all the amazing foods, especially the baked goodies. These were my absolute favorite.. I didn’t know what they were called..Could you spell it out phonetically? (The way it sounds). Also, another cookie I liked, she called just wine cookies. It was a batter type cookie, as I remember, deep fried, and because I was only 12 or 13, I don’t know if the wine was in the batter, or possibly poured on or if the cookies were soaked in wine after deep fried. Have you heard of them and if so. Do you have a recipe that you should share?
Hi Janice, You would pronounce these “COOCH-E-DAHT-E”.
I am not familiar with the wine cookies you mentioned, but I’ll check with my father-in-law – he has all of his grandmother’s recipes!
This is a great recipe. Because my mom always had Chocolate in her filling I added about 3/4 + cups of milk chocolate chips and she always used Dark Caro syrup instead of honey. Those were the only two changes and it tasted just like hers. Thanks so much for a great recipe. By the way I went through to different steps. For the filling, instead of a food processor I used my Kitchen aid mixer with grinder attachment and ground everything up. Then added Cinnamon, Syrup, Marmalade & lemon and put it through the grinder a second time and used the sausage attachment to extrude long round logs of filling. This way I easily rolled the dough over the logs , cut and baked. I know it sounds like a lot of work but it actually made everything go really easy. Thanks again!
I’ve looked for this recipe for years. My Nana made these cookies for Christmas when I was a little girl and, after she died, no one in our family continued the tradition. If you like figs, you will love this cookie. It’s a time consuming recipe but worth it. Instead of rolling out rectangles, I rolled out and, using a 4″ round cookie cutter, cut out circles. I put a tsp of the filling in the center and folded it in half like a turnover. I then took a fork and pressed the edge to seal the turnover. I cooked them for 15 minutes and they were perfect. The extra filling can be frozen. You can also freeze the cookies before frosting. Take them out of the freezer and allow them to come to room temperature and then frost. Great recipe! Thank you.
I made these cookies in 2013 and gave them away for Christmas, people named them orgasm cookies. Last year we had a water even at our house and we were living in a hotel over the holidays, this year I am making 20 dozen of them. I use this recipe as a base and add some of my grandmother’s traditions, they taste exactly like the ones I grew up with. Thanks for posting them.
Thank you Michelle For The Reply Take Care :-)
I Have A Question My Wife Is Allergic To Nuts When I I Do Make These Cucidati”s
Can I Omit The Walnuts !
Thank You
Hi Jon, Yes, you can omit the nuts.
I followed the recipe and my dough just crumbles and is too dry to roll or pinch together. Any idea what went wrong? :(
Just A Thought Add A Little Bit More Butter I’m Not An Expert !!!
Good Luck
my recipe is similar..i don’t use the rasins or dates…and I don’t use orange marmalade…I cover the figs in a sauce pan with orange juice some sugar cinnamon and vanilla and simmer …when they are tender I drain them and finish in the food processor with walnuts and that’s it…taste and add more sugar or spices…it sets perfect …
I have a recipe that is very similiar except for the amount of sugar &eggs. Mine calls for 11/2c sugar & 3 eggs. Just checking the quantities in your recipe
Another great recipe. I made a small batch tonight and they are delicious. I forgot to get dates so I didn’t put any in my recipe. I didn’t have orange marmalade on hand so I used apricot preserves instead. I ate two just now and they are just right. Tomorrow I will finish baking my Italian cookies and put on the icing and sprinkles. Keep putting on your great recipes. A very grateful baker who loves to try new recipes.
The modern form of the “cicidata” is “wicidata” a similar cookie made with 3 kinds of nuts, orange marm, grape jelly, honey and the rind of a orange and a tangerine, powered cloves and cin. The dough is a cream and butter dough, very light and fluffy. Each bite is a bite of Christmas or whatever other joyous occasion you want to lable it! Oh, there is no icing or candy dots just powered sugar.