Italian Fig Cookies

Dough Ingredients:

½ cup of milk

½ cup of cold unsalted butter

 Zest of 1 large lemon

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups of flour plus extra for rolling

½ cup of sugar

2 tsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for the filling:

20 dried figs (about 7 ounces)

6 dried dates (about 4 ounces)

1/2 cup chopped walnut

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup orange marmalade

2 tbsp brandy

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp of nutmeg

1 tsp of orange zest

1/4 tsp ground allspice

Ingredients To decorate:

2 cups of powdered sugar

3 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tbsp of milk

Directions:

Cut 1 stick cold unsalted butter into small pieces. Finely grate the zest of 1 large lemon until you have 1 tbsp. Set aside the lemon to juice for the icing. Lightly beat 2 large eggs in a small bowl.

Place the lemon zest, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and process until the butter is evenly distributed, 10 to 20 seconds. With the motor running, add the eggs, milk and vanilla extract through the feeding tube. Process until a dough ball forms on the blade, about 1 minute.

Remove the dough from the food processor and divide in half.  Roll each portion into a fat log and flatten slightly. Wrap each log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Meanwhile, make the filling.

Make the filling:

Trim the stems from the figs and halve each fig. Pit and halve the dried dates. Transfer the figs and dates to the same food processor.

Add the chopped walnut, golden raisins, marmalade, brandy, honey, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and 1 allspice. Pulse until raisins remain, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. (it does not need to be a smooth paste). Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to assemble the cookies.

Assemble and bake the cookies:

Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Unwrap one piece of dough and place on a well-floured work surface. Roll into a rectangle slightly larger than 8x10-inches.  Trim the long edges, then double check it measures 8 inches wide. Halve the dough lengthwise to make 2 (4x10-inch) rectangles. Make sure they aren’t sticking to the work surface. Set aside 1 rectangle while you fill the first.

Take 1/4 of the filling mixture and roll it into a 10-inch log with wet hands to prevent sticking. With a long side of the dough closer to you, place the filling down the middle of the rectangle. Carefully lift and wrap the top third of the dough over the filling, then roll the dough and filling over the bottom third, continuing to roll until the seam is facing up. There should be a small overlap. Carefully pinch the seam shut.

Roll it over again so the seam is on the bottom and gently roll along the length to seal. Trim the ends. Cut the log in half crosswise, then cut each half into 4 pieces, each about 1 1/4-inch placed close together. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets from front to back and between racks. Bake until firm and the bottoms are lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes more. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely.

Arrange the cookies on the wire rack over a baking sheet. Place 2 cups of powdered sugar, 3 tbsp lemon juice, and 3 tbsp milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Top each cookie with some of the icing using a butter knife and return to the rack glazed side up. Sprinkle with rainbow nonpareils after each one is iced. Let the glaze set completely before serving.