The cookie known by many names. Italian Fig Cookies, Cucidati, Sicilian Fig Cookies or Buccellati are a few common ones. However, no matter what name you give them the one thing they all have in common is… they’re delicious!
There’s nothing better than a great big platter of Italian Cookies to share with friends and family around the Holidays. Italian Fig Cookies are the perfect addition to that platter.
Known as Cucidati in Italian, these Sicilian Fig Cookies have a sweet, nutty, fig and date filling with hints of citrus. It’s wrapped in a buttery cookie dough then baked, sliced, topped with a drizzle of icing and rainbow nonpareils.
Italian Fig Cookies Ingredient Options
First lets go through the list of ingredients that I added to my Italian Fig Cookies then we’ll talk about some other substitutes that you could use.
I added the following ingredients to mine:
- Dried Mission Figs
- Pitted Dates
- Candied Orange Peel
- Lemon Zest
- Sugar
- Dark Rum
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Cinnamon
You could also use Orange marmalade or Apricot jam in place of the candied orange peel.
Substitutes for the Dark Rum would be an orange liquor, brandy or spiced rum.
In place of the sugar you could add honey or agave.
Feel free to add other warm spices along with the cinnamon. Like nutmeg, cloves and allspice.
It’s also common to use raisins in place of dates in Italian Fig Cookies.
Tips for making Cucidati
- Plan ahead:
This is the type of cookie that needs a little planning. It’s best if you can make the dough and filling for your Italian Fig Cookies the day before you make them.
The dough will need to chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours and the filling should chill for at least an hour. However, if you can let them both sit over night that’s even better. That way the filling ingredients will have time to meld together and will produce the best flavor.
- Best way to bake your Cookies:
There are more than one way to bake your Cucidati. You can slice them before they are baked or after.
My preference is to slice them after they are baked. That way you are sure to show off all of that beautiful filling.
- Best way to roll out the dough:
The easiest way to roll out your chilled Cucidati dough is on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper lightly dusted with flour. It will not only help prevent sticking, the paper also is a great guide for wrapping your dough around the filling.
How to Freeze your Cookies
Italian Fig Cookies freeze very well. Once your baked cookies are cooled place them in an air tight container. Layer them with parchment or wax paper separating layers of of cookies.
It’s best to wait until they are thawed to add the icing and nonpareils.
Here’s a video to help you make your Cucidati
Try more of our Favorite Italian Cookies:
Italian Fig Cookies {Cucidati}
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie Sheet
- Hand mixer or Stand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Scraping spatula
- Spatula for removing cookies from cookie sheet
- Cooling rack
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 Cup Dried Mission Figs or Calimyrna Figs ,stems removed and chopped, about a 6-7 ounce package
- 1/2 Cup Pitted Dates ,Chopped
- 1/2 Cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
- 1/4 Cup Candied Orange Peel ,or Orange Marmalade or Apricot preserves
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar ,or honey
- Zest from 1 Lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/4 Cup Almonds
- 1/4 Cup Walnuts
- 2 Tablespoons Dark Rum
For the Dough
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter ,softened
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar ,packed
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 3/4 Cups All purpose flour
For the Icing
- 1 1/4 Cups Confectioner Sugar ,sifted
- 3-5 teaspoons Lemon juice , gradually add until loose enough to drizzle and coat tops of cookies
Garnish
- Rainbow Nonpareils , optional
Instructions
For the Filling
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until a paste is formed and no large chunks are left.
- Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour but preferably overnight so ingredients can meld together.
For the dough
- In a large mixing bowl cream butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add both sugars and baking soda and mix to combine.
- Add egg, vanilla and salt and blend together, scraping sides of bowl with spatula.
- Add the flour in four batches mixing well between each addition.
- Once incorporated remove dough to a cutting board. Cut into two halves.
- Flatten each half and wrap in plastic wrap then place in the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours- overnight.
For the Icing
- Sift confectioner sugar into a medium mixing bowl.
- Add 3 teaspoons of lemon juice and whisk together. Add more lemon juice a teaspoon at a time as needed until desired consistency is achieved.
Put Cookies together
- Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove chilled dough and filling from the fridge. Let dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Place a 14 x 10 inch piece of wax paper on a cutting board. Lightly dust with flour.
- Unwrap one piece of dough and roll into an 8×10 inch rectangle.
- Cut in half so that you have (2) 4×10 strips.
- Split your filling into 4 equal portions and fill the center of each strip of dough from end to the other the long way.
- Use your wax paper as a guide to help lift the dough to wrap around the filling.
- Pinch the edges together to seal and make a seam. then pinch the ends together to enclose the filling completely.
- Place on your lined baking sheet seam side down then repeat with remaining dough and filling.
- Place in preheated oven on center rack. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.
- Remove from oven and cut in 1 inch slices at an angle.
- Place each slice on a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Drizzle tops of cooled cookies with icing and sprinkle with nonpareils.
**Watch video to help with instruction…
Video
Nutrition
Recipe Adapted from Saving Dessert
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know in the comments below and any alterations you made to your Italian Fig Cookies to make them your own!
I love your site & plan on making a lot of your recipes. The snowball cookie recipe I found in the 1970s while sitting under the hair dryer at a beauty shop. I was looking through a magazine and was allowed to tear the recipe out. I used to have a pastry shop and we had these every day. They are also called a Mexican wedding cookie. An insurance mane came to Lubbock and bought many dozens from us because mine were better than he had been buying in San Antonio.