Figsinmybelly

Ahh the foods of childhood…

Wagon wheel shaped pasta, Dunkaroos and those cookie koala’s with the chocolate inside, Fred Flintstone popsicles, shark gummy snacks, rock candy, that rainbow stripe gum, FIG NEWTONS!

Fig newtons… In the 1980s, Nabisco produced a popular advertising slogan: “A cookie is just a cookie, but a Newton is fruit and cake.”

Stand up comedian Brian Regan comments on Fig Newtons: “I was reading a Fig Newtons label — I’ve always liked them, and I was trying to see if it was OK to eat them. Everything looked pretty good, the fat content and everything. So, I’m thinking I could eat these. I looked at the serving size: two cookies. Who the hell eats two cookies? I eat Fig Newtons by the sleeve. Two sleeves is a serving size.”

While on a little family vacay a few weeks ago, my dad told my mom, “why don’t you buy some Fig Newtons? I miss those…”

This got me thinking about homemade Fig Newtons. I got slightly sidetracked in my search for homemade Fig Newtons when I came across theBrownEyedBaker’s Italian cucidati fig cookies!

These cucidati are similar to fig newtons, but less cake-like; they have this pie feel to them…more like shortbread than mushy.

The filling is AWESOME! Better than your typical Fig Newton. It almost reminded me of a Passover “Charoset” sans apples and wine. The texture was on the ball—crunchiness comes from walnuts and the fig seeds, and a smooth sweetness from dates, prunes, honey, and jam. Next time I would roll the dough out thinner to maximize the filling-to-cookie ratio! Mmm!

These cucidati are pretty labor intensive. You first make the dough, then you knead the dough, then you refrigerate, roll it out, cut it out into little rectangles, fill it, fold, and bake. On top of that, you have the option to frost and decorate. I nixed the frosting so as to enjoy the cookies as more of a snack than a dessert.

You could always halve the recipe to save time and energy because this recipe makes A LOT of cookies!

Nevertheless, my family went bonkers over the cookies and they were gone in an instant.

Enjoy!

Cucidati (Italian Fig Cookies)
Adapted from theBrownEyedBaker

Makes about 4 dozen

Dough
4 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
1 cup butter (can also use vegetable shortening)
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I used my own homemade extract!)
½ cup milk (I used nonfat)
**Note: my dough came out a little bit tough, so more liquid may be needed to smooth it out! Just eyeball it and add more milk as needed!

Filling
1 cup dried figs
1 cup dates, pitted (I substituted some of the dates with a few prunes!)
¾ cup raisins
½ cup walnuts, chopped or ground in food processor
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup honey
¼ cup apricot preserves (or marmalade or a jam of your choice!)

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar and combine well.

2. Cut in the butter and work the mixture until it looks like cornmeal. (I used my fingers and rubbed the butter into the mix, but feel free to use a fork or pastry blender!)

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, vanilla, and milk.

4. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix. The dough should be soft. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead by hand for 5 minutes.

5. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, wrap each with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.

6. To make the filling, grind figs, dates, and raisins in a food processor until coarse. Place fig, date, and raisin mixture in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Mixture will be thick. Set aside.

7. Preheat oven to 375°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

8. Work with one piece of dough at a time, leaving the remaining pieces in the refrigerator until needed. On a floured surface roll the dough into a thin layer. Cut dough into 2×3-inch rectangles. Spoon filling into the middle of each rectangle. Carefully fold the short edges over to meet in the center and pinch to seal. Seal the sides as well.

9. Place each cookie, seam-side down, on a baking sheet, leaving 1-2 inches between each cookie. (Optional: As an alternative to icing, you can sprinkle some raw turbinado sugar on the tops of the cookies before baking!)

10. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden in color. Remove from oven and let these babies cool!

11. If you plan to put icing on the cookies, make sure they are completely cool. You can decorate with sprinkles, too!

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Swimming goggles. My new best friend. You really do make a difference. I can see under water! How ‘bout that?

I’m trying to swim more. Besides being a full body workout, the weather is warm and the pool is cold. Go take a dip in the pool and cool off.

It’s hot.

It was hot at 9 am. It is hot at midnight.

Strawberry agua fresca. You are my savior in this extreme heat wave! I want nothing but to quench my thirst with your smooth, slurp-me-up refreshing vibes. Strawberries, water, and a touch of sugar. Nothing fancy—blend and serve over ice.

If you do not have strawberries, use any fruit of your choice—melons, berries, citrus…

Strawberry Agua Fresca

1 basket of (organic) strawberries
¾ cup of sugar
1 quart of water (roughly 4 cups)

1. Wash and take off the green top of the strawberries.
2. Put the strawberries and the water in a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Add the sugar and blend for a moment more.
4. Put ice cubes in a glass and pour in the strawberry agua fresca.
5. Gulp, gulp, gulp!

Dulce de leche. Literally “sweet milk.” You have a similar consistency and taste as caramel. You work wonders drizzled in ice cream and spread on baguette (the French call it “confiture de lait”). Today you are the gooey filling nestled between two crumbly butter cookies sandwiched together to make an alfajor.

Alfajores are commonly seen in Latin American counties (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Mexico…) and Spain. They are often dusted with powdered sugar (sometimes cinnamon or cocoa powder, too!), rolled in grated coconut, and/or dipped in chocolate.

David Lebovitz’s easy recipe for dulce de leche is a must!

Alfajores
adapted from nook&pantry

1 – 1 1/4 C AP flour
1/2 C corn starch
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 C sugar
1 stick of butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Dulce de leche (store bought or homemade)
Powdered sugar, cinnamon, and/or cocoa powder (optional)
Freshly grated coconut (also optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In another bowl whisk together the flour (starting with 1 cup), cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

3. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat until the dough comes together. Add some of the remaining 1/4 C of flour if the dough is too wet.

4. Roll out the dough to about 1/8 in thickness and cut into whatever shape you desire. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown.

5. Cool on a rack.

6. To assemble, slab a thick layer of dulce de leche on one side of a cookie and top with another cookie.

7. Dust the tops with some powdered sugar (add a tiny bit of cinnamon/cocoa if preferred). Dip the sides in freshly grated coconut so that the white flakes stick to the dulce de leche.

**I skipped the dusting part and just went straight to the eating part! Be prepared for a crumbly mess of gooey goodness!