I believe theres room on the table for all the cookies during December.
This year, I recommend a classic Italian cookie called cuccidati.
I can confidently say Italians have a great eye for cookies.
Even if youve never had one, Im guessing it might look awfully familiar.
Fig Newtons are similar to these homemade treats, though not necessarily based on them.
Nearly anything with rainbow nonpareils catches my interest, and Im glad these did.
How to make cuccidati
1.
Load a regular blade into your food processor.
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Pulse the mixture two or three times to mix them up.
Add the extract and one cold egg.
I used almond extract but vanilla extract is great too.
Turn the food processor on until the dough comes together, about 20 seconds.
The dough should be soft and easily come out of the food processor.
Put the blade back into the food processor.
The dough should have collected nearly all of the ingredients so theres no need to wash anything out.
This takes 30 seconds to a minute to do.
Check on it every 15 seconds or so to see how its coming along.
Unload the filling into a small bowl.
To shape the cookies, dust your work surface with flour.
Be generous with the flour because the dough is a little sticky.
I rolled my dough out to be six inches wide and 20 inches long.
Just roll it out to be about four inches wide and 10 inches long.
Wet your fingertips to pat the fig filling down so its a little flatter.
You may have extra filling.
Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack.
Make a simple royal icing with powdered sugar and a little bit of egg white.
I love this stuff if Im shipping cookies.
Mix the two together until its a thick frosting.
It should be spreadable but not runny.
Sprinkle the rainbow nonpareils on after the icing for each cookie.
These Christmastime favorites are soft and buttery with an earthy, caramel-tinged flavor in the figgy center.
Store them at room temperature in a covered container for up to a week.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the butter in tablespoon-sized chunks and blend until the butter becomes the size of peas.
Add the egg and extract and blend until a unified dough forms.
Dump the dough into a bowl, cover it and set it aside in the fridge.
Blend it until the ingredients are quite small and are all about the same size.
Add the marmalade, alcohol or juice, and orange zest.
Blend until the mixture becomes a paste.
Flour a work surface generously.
Divide the dough in half and press it into a rectangle shape.
Roll the dough out into a quarter-inch thick rectangle four inches wide and 10 inches long.
Dollop tablespoonfuls of the fruit filling onto the pastry, along the entire length.
Pat the filling down flat with damp fingers.
Roll the filling over the pastry and check that the dough connects on the seam.
Trim the edges, then cut the log into one-inch segments.
Line up the cookies on the baking sheet about an inch apart.
Repeat this with the other half of the dough and filling.
Bake at 375F for 12-15 minutes, or until the bottoms begin to brown.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the icing, stir the powdered sugar and egg white together until combined into a thick frosting.
Dip the cookies, or use a pastry brush to swipe some onto the top of each cookie.
Working one at a time, add icing and add sprinkles.
Allow the cookies to dry for a few hours before packing into cookie tins.
