23 Days of Holiday Cookies- Fig Nuggets

These are Italian style cookies. If you love Fig Newtons you will love this recipes. Like all of the recipes in this series, these cookies are easy to make. This is a roll out and fold cookie. With the cookies I use a pastry towel and use Powder sugar as a dusting, instead of flour. It is how to keep the cookies from sticking and does not add toughness as adding more flour would do. I also uses a food processor like the Kitchen Aid Processor. I  really like the kitchen gagets we have today, it makes holiday cookies easier and faster to make. Most of the time I can cook three cookies sheets at once and be done in about one hour.  Be sure to read through the recipe first. So, you will have every thing you need ready. The key to this cookie is working fast so that the cookies are tender. The butter needs to stay cold.  so the less touching is important.Now Lets Bake some cookies!

Preheat the Oven to 350°F

Fig Nuggets

For the dough:

2 + 3/4 cups Unbleached  All Purpose Flour
1 + 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar.
1/4 teaspoon table Salt
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
 Put these ingredients in the Processor and pulse til mixed about 4 to5 pulses.

 Now add 6 Tablespoons (cut in tablespoons or small sizes) of  Cold Unsalted Butter  Now pulse the processor until it is mixed into the flour, resembles small peas.
Add 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract and 1 Tablespoon cold Water. now process until dough is soft, this doesn't take long. You will finish kneading it on the pastry towel.

turn dough out on lightly sugared Pastry Towel and knead about three times. dived into three pieces and cover and let rest.

Now make the filling. Into a clean food processor put the following:

12 ounces Figs ( cut of the stem ends)
1/4 cup slivered Almonds
3 Tablespoons Apricot Jam
2 Tablespoons full pulp Orange Juice

Process until minced and in a paste constancy. set aside. divide the filling into three ( you can eyeball this as you put it on the rolled dough.)

Back to the dough. Roll one of the dough pieces into a  strip 2 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. place  the Fig paste in the center of the strip .fold  dough over the filling and seal edges.
 cut into bite size pieces ( about  1/2 inch). Put on Parchment Paper lined cookie sheets about 1/2 inch apart ( this do not spread out, you can put them close but leave room for browning)

Bake for 15-18  minutes or until lightly brown.  Still white with a hint of color.
Cool completely on wired rack. Store in a tin when cool.

Recipe copyright 2016 by "Auntie E Cookbook/EM Dubros"