Make This Italian Cuccidati Christmas Cookie Recipe

I consider there’s room on the desk for all of the cookies throughout December. Certain, we’ve got our must-bakes—mine are gingerbread cookies and these anonymous, cherry-spiked butter cookies—however it is best to depart room for some new names. This yr, I like to recommend a traditional Italian cookie known as cuccidati. Possibly your grandparents made them a very long time in the past or maybe they’re fully new; regardless, these fruity cookies deserve a spot in your yearly lineup. 

I can confidently say Italians have an ideal eye for cookies. Biscotti, amaretti, pignoli, and rainbow cookies are superstars, simply to call just a few. Cuccidati, or bucellati, are traditional Sicilian Christmas cookies. Even should you’ve by no means had one, I’m guessing it would look awfully acquainted. Fig Newtons are just like these do-it-yourself treats, although not essentially based mostly on them. Mushy, buttery cookie dough wraps round a figgy fruit middle, and the cookies are topped with candy icing and colourful sprinkles. 

Practically something with rainbow nonpareils catches my curiosity, and I’m glad these did. Whereas they’re not as straightforward as drop cookies, like chocolate chip or oatmeal, the dough and filling may be made shortly in a meals processor. These fruit-filled cookies make an ideal addition to any Christmas cookie tin you’re delivering to buddies, and consuming them is far more satisfying than the same old sugar cookie. 

make cuccidati

1. Load an everyday blade into your meals processor. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse the combination two or 3 times to combine them up. Add the butter in tablespoon-sized chunks, and pulse the combination about 10 instances, or till the butter items are the dimensions of peas. Add the extract and one chilly egg. I used almond extract however vanilla extract is nice too. Flip the meals processor on till the dough comes collectively, about 20 seconds. The dough needs to be comfortable and simply come out of the meals processor. Put it in a bowl, cowl it, and set it within the fridge whilst you make the filling.

Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

2. Put the blade again into the meals processor. The dough ought to have collected practically all the elements so there’s no want to scrub something out. Add the figs, nuts, and raisins to the meals processor and mix it till the whole lot is about the identical dimension. This takes 30 seconds to a minute to do. Test on it each 15 seconds or so to see the way it’s coming alongside. Add the marmalade, brandy, and orange zest, and mix all of it once more till the combination turns into a paste. In the event you don’t have brandy, you need to use marsala wine, one other candy wine, or skip the alcohol and use a juice. Unload the filling right into a small bowl.

Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

3. To form the cookies, mud your work floor with flour. Be beneficiant with the flour as a result of the dough is a little bit sticky. You may divide the dough into two halves first, which is likely to be simpler than rolling all of it out directly like I did. Both approach, collect the portion of dough into an oblong form on the flour, then roll it out a quarter-inch thick. I rolled my dough out to be six inches broad and 20 inches lengthy. I ended up with extra dough on the aspect—which I used later, so no large deal—however should you work in two installments of dough, you may keep away from the surplus. Simply roll it out to be about 4 inches broad and 10 inches lengthy. 

Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

4. Then I used a spoon to dollop filling alongside the left aspect, and the complete size of the dough. Moist your fingertips to pat the fig filling down so it’s a little bit flatter. You’ll have additional filling. Fold the left fringe of the pastry up the aspect of the filling, then proceed to fold the 2 of them up and over to wrap the filling in pastry. I had an inch and a half or so extra on the perimeters, so I trimmed that off and used the remainder of my filling to make extra cookies. 

Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

5. Use a pointy knife to trim the very edge off of the ends after which slice the cookies to make them about an inch broad. Line the cookies up on a parchment lined baking sheet about an inch aside, and bake them in a 375°F oven for 12 to fifteen minutes or till the underside begins to brown. Enable the cookies to chill fully on a wire rack.

Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

6. Make a easy royal icing with powdered sugar and a little bit little bit of egg white. The egg white dries arduous, so you find yourself with a skinny, crackly topping that doesn’t smear or squish after it dries. I like these things if I’m delivery cookies. You should utilize uncooked egg white however should you’re fearful about any meals borne sicknesses, use carton egg whites, that are simply pretty much as good and are pasteurized. Combine the 2 collectively till it’s a thick frosting. It needs to be spreadable however not runny. 

I used a pastry brush to use the frosting to every cookie, however you need to use a spoon or attempt to dip the cookies within the icing. Sprinkle the rainbow nonpareils on after the icing for every cookie. Royal icing begins to type a pores and skin instantly so you’ll be able to’t ice all the cookies first and return to sprinkle; you need to do every one straight away. 

These Christmastime favorites are comfortable and buttery with an earthy, caramel-tinged taste within the figgy middle. Retailer them at room temperature in a lined container for as much as every week. 

Cuccidati recipe 

Elements:

For the dough:

• 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 stick butter, chilly 

• 1 teaspoon almond extract (or substitute vanilla extract)

• 1 egg, chilly

For the filling:

• 7 ounces dried figs (about 1 heaping cup)

• ¼ cup walnuts or almonds

• ¼ cup raisins

• ¼ cup orange marmalade or different jam

• 2 tablespoons fortified wine or brandy (or substitute apple cider, orange juice)

• Zest of 1 small orange

For the royal icing:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a meals processor bowl and pulse just a few instances. Add the butter in tablespoon-sized chunks and mix till the butter turns into the dimensions of peas. Add the egg and extract and mix till a unified dough varieties. Dump the dough right into a bowl, cowl it and set it apart within the fridge.

3. No want to scrub the meals processor; simply pop the blade again in and cargo it up with the figs, nuts, and raisins. Mix it till the elements are fairly small and are all about the identical dimension. Add the marmalade, alcohol or juice, and orange zest. Mix till the combination turns into a paste.  

4. Flour a piece floor generously. Divide the dough in half and press it right into a rectangle form. Roll the dough out right into a quarter-inch thick rectangle 4 inches broad and 10 inches lengthy. Dollop tablespoonfuls of the fruit filling onto the pastry, alongside your complete size. Pat the filling down flat with damp fingers.

5. Roll the filling over the pastry and ensure the dough connects on the seam. Trim the perimeters, then reduce the log into one-inch segments. Line up the cookies on the baking sheet about an inch aside. Repeat this with the opposite half of the dough and filling. 

6. Bake at 375°F for 12-Quarter-hour, or till the bottoms start to brown. Cool fully on a wire rack.

7. To make the icing, stir the powdered sugar and egg white collectively till mixed right into a thick frosting. Dip the cookies, or use a pastry brush to swipe some onto the highest of every cookie. Working separately, add icing and add sprinkles. Enable the cookies to dry for just a few hours earlier than packing into cookie tins.