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Buon Natale! A Special Christmas Cookie, Courtesy of Open Line's Maryanne Dickey

Maryanne Dickey says a trip through Italy this year inspired yummy new endeavors in her Christmas baking. 

There are many traditions during the holiday season. Putting up the tree, and putting up with family. Hanging the stockings, wrapping the presents, and kicking back with a cup of good nog.  

Many enjoy baking Christmas cookies for family and friends this time of the year. Last week Open Line host Maryanne Dickey brought a type of cookie into the station that we’d never had before.

She told us it was Italian. We told her it was delicious.

We sent Connor Ito to get us the recipe, and she brought us this report:

courtesy of Maryanne Dickey:

Cucidati - Sicilian fig cookie meaning "little bracelet"

2 ½ cups – sifted white all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. – salt

2 ½ tsp. – baking powder

½ cup – white sugar

1 cup – unsalted butter

2 eggs - beaten

½ tsp. – vanilla

¼ cup – milk/cream

2 cups – dried Turkish figs (yellowish/white, not black)

1 cup – pitted dates

1 cup – toasted almonds, chopped (bake ten minutes at 350°)

1 cup – dark, dark semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 orange’s juice, plus zest from orange or 2 mandarins’ juice and zest from both

1 cup – honey

½ cup – dark rum

1 tsp. – ground cinnamon

To make pastry: combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in food processor.  Then add butter, eggs, vanilla, and milk and process until a ball is formed.  Remove and shape into a circle.  Cut into four equal pieces.  Wrap each quarter separately in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

To make filling: combine figs, dates, toasted almonds, and dark chocolate chips, in food processor.  Add juice and zest from one orange, honey, rum, and cinnamon until well blended.

Preheat oven to 375°.  No need to grease cookie sheets if Teflon.

Remove ¼ of dough from refrigerator.  Roll into 8”x 8” square, ¼” thick.   Cut into two 8”x 4” strips.  Add 2Tbs. fig filling in a centered 1 inch strip along the long 8” length of the dough.  Fold the dough over the filling from the top and press to seal the edges.  Cut the strips into six even rectangles and place on cookie sheet.  Repeat with remaining three sections of dough.  Bake 13 to 15 minutes, or until tops are golden.  Let cool before frosting.

Makes six dozen.

Frosting: Frost over bowl, because they drip.  (Should be texture of heavy cream)

2 cups – powdered sugar

2 drops or more – almond extract

2 or 3 Tbsp. – milk/cream

Sprinkle colored nonpareils on each cookie after frosting three or four, because they dry quickly.

al dente!