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.
My husband has been asking me to make these
for two years. I made a batch today and they like them without the frosting! what to do?
i copied a link to your recipe and the one i got was way different than this one and i cant find it now ‘
it calls to use
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tblsp of butter
1/3 sugar
1/4 tsp of baking powder
1 egg beaten
1 tsp of vanilla
i am not sure it is right says to divide in two and put in frig for 2 hours but it is not forming a ball is that normal?
Hi Helen, Unfortunately, I’m not sure what recipe you’re referring to. This is the only cucidati recipe I have made. I would go with what is written above.
I make these every year because they are a tradition for my family and my dad’s favorite cookie. He prefers his without any decoration/icing, so I always set aside several undecorated ones for him. I also make mine with buttermilk and only figs/walnuts in the filling. I make one large line and then cut them on a diagonal. This year my sister wants to do a gender reveal for her baby, so we’re coloring the icing and then giving them to people in little boxes. I love your blog!
My grandmother made these when I was growing up and I never loved them, mainly because of the way they looked. l recently tried them again and loved them! You can cut down on the prep time by making logs, the cutting them up. My grandma used to cut them on the diagonal. She’d sometimes make other shapes, like a Christmas wreath, which now I realize is a circle shaped log, with slashes on the outside to allow the log to be shaped into a circle. There are lots of options!
This brings back fond childhood memories. Thanks for posting these.
Is it possible to freeze the filling prior to using it? My Mom has to go out of town for a few weeks and I wasn’t sure if she should freeze the fig filling she just made or just put it in an air tight bag in the fridge? Thanks for any assistance!
Hi Dot, While I have not done so, I think you could freeze this filling without a problem. Enjoy the cookies!
We just made our family’s version last weekend…..I store them in an airtight bucket in my garage….they stay well. Once it starts to get warm, we then put them in the freezer and they are great. We made fig cookies and our recipe does not have dates, but does have chocolate chips. My husband favorite thing in the world.
I tried the recipe,it’s very delicious little cookies thnx to share it
I’ve recently come across your blog and was browsing around. I was pleasantly surprised to see this post! Like Vince (previous commenter) I’m from New Orleans…these are popular down here because there’s so many Sicilians. I used to help my grandma and aunts make these every year for St. Joseph’s Day. They have all passed away, unfortunately, but now my sisters, my mother, and I bake them for Christmas, along with sesame seed cookies. Smelling and eating them always takes me back to wonderful memories.
Our recipe is very similar to yours. We use orange zest/juice rather than marmalade. We always made such huge batches that we used a very heavy, very old meat grinder to process the filling (my grandparents owned a grocery). My sister broke her Magic Bullet attempting to make this filling in her apartment…lol!
Hi Jenny, I love that your family would make these for St. Joseph’s Day, what a great tradition! I may start doing that myself! :) I have yet to make sesame seed cookies, but they are on my list for the holidays this year.
I lived in New Orleans most of my life, and I come from an Italian background. When my aunt died, she took the recipe for these cookies with her. There are many places to buy cookies similar to these, but most are overbaked and hard. There was one place on the West Bank, DeSalvo’s Bakery, where I could find this wonderful cookie just the way I like it. They have since closed down and, of course, they wouldn’t give away their recipe.
When I discovered this recipe, I went home and made a batch. WOW!!!!! This is the one! It tastes and looks like the ones my aunt made and the ones from DeSalvo’s. The first batch went in minutes around my house. My family dragged me back to the kitchen and demanded more, more, more.
Thank you for a fabulous recipe.
This recipe is very similar to the one I’ve been making for the past several years, and cuccidati have become a regular part of my family’s holidays again! We are Sicilian and Calabrese, and my mom’s mom used to get a big box of cookies from the Italian bakery every Christmas. The cuccidati were so distinctive that they’re the only ones I remember being in that box, but I have nut allergies so I could never eat them. I make mine nut-free by leaving out the walnuts and almonds in the original recipe, and just increasing the amount of dried fruit. I’ve also considered toasting some sunflower seeds and using those in place of the nuts. I put dried figs, dates, prunes and raisins in my cuccidati, use fresh orange zest (I have an orange tree in the back yard) instead of the marmalade, and just enough orange blossom honey to loosen the texture just the smallest bit. My mom says she doesn’t notice that the nuts aren’t there!
As for the fat in the dough, I do use butter instead of shortening in mine, and it makes a softer dough, but if you chill it, or let it sit in the fridge wrapped in plastic for 24 hours, it firms up just fine. The filling can also be made a day or so ahead of time. In fact, the recipe I use specifically says to make the filling and dough at least a day before you bake them, and then keep the baked cookies (cooled, wrapped, at room temperature) for another day before you put the icing on! You can do it on the same day, but the cookies are softer if you mix, bake and ice them on the same day. It helps to spread the work out over a few days.
As for storing them, cookie tins lined with waxed paper have been fine for me. I just put waxed paper in between each layer of cookies (with the icing and sprinkles on and hardened) until the tin is full, make sure there’s a piece of waxed paper between the top layer of cookies and the lid, put the lid on tightly and leave the filled tin on the kitchen counter. We always eat the cookies within the month, but they have always kept perfectly well in the tin on the counter.
For those with other food allergies, I worked up a gluten-free, vegan, cane sugar-free version for my aunt and cousin this year. It needs a few tweaks to be perfect, but they loved it! The recipe is on my blog, The Cup That Cheers.
We have made these fig cookies for 50 yrs, and my suggestion to you for storing them weeks before the Christmas season, is simply use a Tupperware that is airtight, lime the carton with wax paper, after the cookies are totally cooled, line them up in rows onto the waxed paper, then lay another sheet over the cookies, and layer till the carton is full. Your cookies will stay fresh and soft this way. Then on the day you want to serve them to family or guests, Ice the cookies with powdered sugar. milk and vanilla or Anise flavor. Top them with colored sprinkles. You will have the most delicious moist cookies you will ever eat. When you ice them after baking and then try to store them for later eating the icing dries out and the cookies are dry as well. Just keep the carton on a shelf in a closet or any cool place. I have stored them successfully for up to a month.
Best ever, I used frozen butter instead of oil. To brown a little I brushed with butter. Now I will make another batch. Thenk you.
The best recipe I ever made, we love it, Thank you
Hi I made the cookies this weekend and they turned out amazing, so yummy! But my icing started to sweat an get sticky. I made the cookies on friday night an frosted saturday the icing seemed fine an hardened, then this morning i went to get one from the container an they were all stuck together. The house isnt hot, just not sure what went wrong… thanx.
Hi Danielle, Sometimes the house doesn’t have to be hot, but extra moisture can get trapped inside.
Hi Danielle. the problem is the container. Need air..I use a brown paper bag. Just plate them when its time to serve. Heck I eat them right outta the bag…lol
i love this recipe, but can the dough be frozen until a later date?
Hi Rita, Yes, I definitely think you could do that. Just thaw in the fridge for a day or so before you plan on using it.
These looks absolutely divine. Glad you did the roundup today or I would have overlooked these. These will be the first cookie I make of the season.
Can anyone comment to how these cookies store? Can I freeze them after making them? Or how long are they good in an air tight container? How far in advance can I make the filing or dough? Its already shaping up the be a busy holiday season and am trying to schedule out all my baking! I have wanted to make these cookies for a year and am finally going to do it. Any help is appreciated.
Hi Kelly, I have never frozen them, but you could keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks. You could make the dough a couple of days in advance; not sure about the filling. Hope that helps!
Kelly, The family would divide many pounds of these yummy cookies between several families(depending on the number of people in the family). We were 2 so we would get at least 5-7 pounds. They keep wonderfully. Even if they get a little hard ohhh so good dunked in icy cold milk. In those days it was a brown grocery bag..lol.Now it’s still a grocery bag(because of icing) but at some point I would put the bag into a plastic bag.I always felt that the plastic bag would melt the icing and ruin the cookie.I have never used a cookie tin. But at some point it’s worth a try.
P.S. I have kept these fresh for many weeks without refrigeration.Try a few in an air tight container in the refrigerator and see what the outcome is.
Oh, thank you for this recipe! Great childhood food memories came to me while reading it. A few years back, I tried to make these without a recipe…my attempt at food processing the dried figs and dates was not a success. The fruit kept getting stuck and preventing the food processor blades from turning. Do you have any special tips regarding this?
Hi Julie, No special tips, I just stop and scrape down the sides as needed.
Julie, a meat grinder is the perfect gadget for this. No need to scrape down , take out,put in more.. blah, blah. Just keep on feeding grinder with dry fruit. Works like a charm.
I am so glad that you mentioned a meat grinder. I made these last year and it was such a pain in my food processor. Will be trying the meat grinder this year!
Thank you!
OMG!!! I love these cookies. I grew up eating them as I’m from Sicily. Thanks for sharing.
A coworker shared a similar recipe about 30 years ago. Instead of figs and raisins, hers called for candied fruit. You are correct about these being time consuming, but they are absolutely delicious.
My grandmother (originally from Sicily) used to make these each Christmas, but one thing I haven’t seen. She used some kind of pepper (black, red?) in them to really give them a “kick”, but we all loved them. Does anyone out there have the recipe for the ones with pepper???? Thanks, Bob
Bob, My grandmothers recipe has black pepper in it… gets that certain little bite in it as you finish each bite..when anyone here’s black pepper. I have that same recipe.. It may not be the same as your Nonna’, but it has black pepper in it. Who would think pepper could do such an amazing thing to a sweet cookie.
ahhhhh….finally this is the cookies i have been looking for. I used to buy in Buffalo, NY bakery and nowadays we don’t see any Italian bakery around. Thanks for the recipe!
Ah, I love this recipe! Can’t wait to try it.
these cookies sound amazing! i love figs & dates, but have never used them in cookies – might need to give it a try now. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi Phyllis,
As you may be able to tell from the pictures, my cookies don’t get very dark either, but they do get lightly browned. My dough recipe doesn’t use evaporated milk; perhaps give my dough a recipe a try and brush on some melted butter prior to baking.
As far as the icing thickening, a 1/2 cup of cream seems like a lot for only 1.5 cups of sugar. I would measure out your sugar and then only add the liquid one or two teaspoons at a time and stir until you get the consistency you want. I find that I often use much less liquid than a recipe calls for.
Let me know how it goes!
These cookies have been a tradition in our Italian family for many years – typically made for St. Joseph’s altars. We make a dough of sugar, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, almond extract, baking powder, flour, and we bake at 350F. Our cookies just don’t brown – we even tried a batch brushed with egg wash and still no browning. Can anyone suggest anything? Also, our icing never seems to thicken (our recipe is 1.5cup powdered sugar + .5cup cream). Any suggestions? Thanks so much.
It’s so wonderful to see these cookies on your site. For many years at Christmas, the women in my family have gotten together for a day to make this recipe – a great tradition passed down from our Sicilian grandmother. A couple of notes: We make the filling a week before to let the flavours blend together well and include 1/4 cup of Apricot Brandy and chocolate bits. We use a hand-held ravioli press to make the cookies.
a l – In place of the walnuts you could add another dried fruit – cranberries or apricots come to mind as good complements, but whatever you like!
With a family member allergic to tree nuts, would I just substitute the equilavent amount of fruits for the walnuts? I’ve never baked anything close to a fig newton before, so I’m excited to try this one! Thanks.
yumm yumm yumm another cookie ill have to try
I adore these cookies! My Mom is Sicilian but my Nonna used to buy these cookies at the pasticeria so there was no ‘family recipe’ until I started making them and haven’t stopped! Yours look wonderful!
We just made these for the second weekend in a row, we like them so much. The second time, we used buttermilk, instead of milk, and the cookies came out really soft, like fig newtons. I think you may like the way the buttermilk softens the dough. Also, we divided the dough in half, rolled it out, put the filling on and put the other half of the dough on top, rolling it down snug, and baked the whole thing like that, then cut it into squares. Not a pretty as the individual cookies, but easier and just as good! And yes, coconut shortening works almost the same as butter in any dough I’ve tried….
What size pan did you bake your cookies in? I like the idea of a bar-type cookie.
I’m Sicilian and I make these every Christmas with all the women in my family, they are quite the joyful tradition! Even in Sicily, I don’t find them all that common, mainly in the north part. They are certainly worth seeking out though!
Great job!
M
These cookies are beautiful! The filling sounds really unique and delicious, I love anything that involves figs.
Gorgeous! They look like they would be behind the counter of one of the pastry shops in the North End of Boston. I just found your blog and I’m really enjoying going through your archives!
Ohh, these look really good! I’m Italian (and a fan of finding Italian desserts to make), but I’ve never heard of these. Thanks for the inspiration, I’ll have to try them sometime. :)
I’m in Heaven! I can’t believe I found this recipe. My Nonna always made theses every Christmas for her children and grandchildren. She passed over a year ago and I never got the recipe from her. Oh, I am so glad I found your site! I’m making these lovely little packages of warm Christmas memories this year for my Dad and his sisters, in memory of my Nonna. :)
MEGAN — I have never baked with coconut oil, but I think you could certainly substitute the butter without any problems.
Can you substitute fresh figs for dried ones?
I have not, but since they get ground up I think you would be okay doing that.
This is the 2nd time making Cucidati, as an adult. Was a yearly occurrence in my Nonna’s home. She made the most tender dough, and seven adoring children made the cookies.The figs should be dried. I have dried fresh figs many times. Don’t use them wet, because it will change the taste. This recipe is much the same,with minor changes. Like using lard instead of shorting..and white wine in the dough…Delicious tender. unfortunately so fattening, but a nicer flavor.
just came across your blog – i don’t really use vegetable shortening – do you think i could substitute either coconut oil or butter? these look amazing!!! =)
These look and sound SO good! I am definitely going to try them.
Oh my goodness I LOOOOOOOOOVE figs!!!! I need to make these ASAP! And I love love love love sprinkles. Can I have some?? Kthanx. :)
I love these cookies!! I’m totally going to have to try making them :)
EVAN — Thanks for the suggestion! That sounds amazing, I will definitely try it next time!
OMG these are sooooo cute! i’m so glad i stumbled across this post! I have to try these!
next time, add chopped dark chocolate and a splash of whiskey! both add a dark kick to it :)
Yes, Evan! This is the way my family makes them!
I saw the pictures before the title and thought to myself: “Why do those perogies have sprinkles on them?”
haha
I don’t think sprinkled perogies would be my thing, but they sound really lovely as cookies though.
My favorite cookies are the ones my Dad brings home from the North End, but never has he brought home a fig-filled one. I can’t wait to try these, figs are my favorite, and Fig Newtons – I could eat the whole package. Thanks for sharing!
Oh! I love that you made these! Just this past weekend I discovered this little show on YouTube about this 93 year old little Italian great grandmother, Clara. She has several little episodes about making good food from the Great Depression. One of the episodes is totally devoted to making these cookies! I’ve wanted to make them ever since.
I can imagine how great your house must have smelled when you made these. They look spectacular!
First of all, I love the sprinkles. There is something so happy about rainbow sprinkles. Secondly, these cookies look amazing. What an intriguingly delicious filling!! I can’t wait to try these little pillows.
Oooh, what tasty cookies. I love the fun sprinkles too!
These look so fun and absolutely delish!
Thanks for sharing.. can’t wait to try these! I love figs!
do you sell cucidati other than at Christmas time and will you ship out of town.
thanks.
I actually do not sell or ship any of the baked goods that I make.