by Helenthenanny
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A&M's Testing Notes:
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1 tablespoon
orange zest (from one orange)
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8-10
large dried Turkish or Caliymirna Figs (the light brown ones)
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1 teaspoon
freshly ground nutmeg
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1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
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1 cup
whole milk
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1 1/2 cup
All Purpose Flour
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1 teaspoon
kosher salt
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3/4 cups
(or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
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3/4 cups
Confectioners sugar
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1 1/2 cup
Confectioners sugar
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1/2 cup
unsalted butter, softened
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2 tablespoons
Brandy
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1/2 teaspoon
Vanilla Extract
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Sift together flour, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a bowl and set it aside.
Ask the hotline about this step!Dice figs into small chunks and put them in a saucepan with the milk. Heat on low, stirring occasionally for about 15.
Ask the hotline about this step!Put 1 1/2 sicks of softened butter in the bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on med-high until the butter is fluffy, about two minutes.
Ask the hotline about this step!Sift 3/4 cup of confectioners sugar into the fluffy butter and mix until smooth.
Ask the hotline about this step!Add in one egg and reduce speed to low.
Ask the hotline about this step!Add in flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Ask the hotline about this step!Strain the figs from the milk. Add them, along with the orange zest, to the dough. Fold in until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Ask the hotline about this step!After the dough has cooled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough until it is 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet, spaced one inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
Ask the hotline about this step!While the cookies are baking, combine all the ingredients for the Brandy-Sugar Glaze in a saucepan on med-low heat, and stir often, until the sauce comes together. After the cookies have cooled, use a fork to drizzle the warm glaze on them.
Ask the hotline about this step!Please enjoy and have the happiest of holidays!
Ask the hotline about this step!I just found this site and made these cookies for a cookie swap, following the recipe exactly, except x4 (for a lot of cookies to swap). I brought extras to work and many who tasted them made that face. You know the one, the "ohmygodthisissogood" face. I ended up with ALOT of extra glaze, but that's great, cause I will use it on something else. One question regarding the curdling of the milk when you warm the figs. Do you strain the milk and throw the figs and curds into the dough? Not knowing that it was okay, I thought something had gone wrong and rinsed them all clean! Still made fantastic little lovely cookies.
I'm on a bit of a fig-craze and I made these cookies last night! the batter was delicious, but I found that the cookies came out a little dry or just not as soft/chewy/pudding-like as I would have expected from the name (though still delicious - and keep in mind I have made the glaze yet, that's tonight's activity).
my hunch is I used too much flour while rolling them out, but the dough - especially with the figs - was so sticky! or maybe i made them too thin?
any thoughts? thanks!
I am glad you posted that AJ - I am making them for XMas and I was thinking about chilling in a log and slicing (because I am lazy) - thoughts? Helen? AJ? Bueller? Oh and I think that milk warm with brandy will be nice to sip on too ...
An update: the logs freeze, cut and bake perfectly, but keep in mind that a log sliced and baked does not produce the same cookie as one that is rolled and then cut. I gently press the slices down a bit to eliminate the roughness around the outside edge and to make them a bit thinner, knowing that they rise when baked. I love these cookies, and am including them in the holiday boxes, tins and plates that will be distributed this year. ;o)
I am glad you posted that AJ - I am making them for XMas and I was thinking about chilling in a log and slicing (because I am lazy) - thoughts? Helen? AJ? Bueller? Oh and I think that milk warm with brandy will be nice to sip on too ...
"These cookies are seriously killer," said my son, after tasting some this morning. I agree! Although I chilled the dough overnight, it was too sticky to roll out easily. I heavily floured my work surface, but by the time I'd rolled and cut a dozen, the dough had warmed up to the point where the cookies lost their shape when I rolled them. Perhaps my figs are just juicier than most, or perhaps I soaked them too long. (I started the timer for 15 minutes once the milk had gotten warm.) No matter, though. I rolled the dough into balls, then pressed them down with the bottom of a glass and they turned out fine, though not as pretty as the ones in the photo. But who cares?! These are going into the holiday gift boxes this year!! ;o)
I brought your yummy cookies to a Food52 book signing party today, and everyone loved them! Amanda recognized them right away. I appreciate the tip in the slide show about not worrying when the warm milk curdles. Also, the tip in the testing notes about the wet dough firming up nicely when chilled.
hi celliejoe! the "reply" button wasn't working for me, so i hope this reaches you, but yes, i think that would work just fine! let us know how it goes, it sounds like a lovely alternative to the glaze! i hope you enjoy these little cookies, thanks!
i'm always on the lookout for fig recipes, and this one sounds wonderful. but instead of rolling out the dough, do you think i could use a very small cookie dough scoop, then flatten the mounds with the bottom of a glass dipped in turbinado sugar?
I made these for Christmas and I still can't stop thinking about them! Delicious cookies and the brandy sugar glaze is magical!
thank you SO much! i'm so glad you enjoyed them and i appreciate the feedback!
These came out fabulous! Extremely wet dough, but with ample flour, they roll out surprisingly well, and the resulting cookies are tender and flavorful.
Thank you so much, I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Yes, the dough is definitely very wet at first, but I'm so glad it worked out! Thanks again, and happy holidays!
The ratio of sugar to butter + 2 T. brandy looks off to me. Usually the sugar-to-liquids ratio is five or even six to one. Dissolving the sugar in the melted butter would reduce the volume of the sugar as well. When I make icing for cookies, I always work backwards, starting with the sugar and then adding the liquid gradually. I've never tried melting butter with sugar in it, though. I would just stir the liquids, carefully, into sifted confectioners sugar to get the right consistency and I wouldn't worry about what the recipe says is the right amount. ;o).
This was my first recipe that I ever wrote, so I'm not surprised that their are errors (which after a year of being in food52, I'm disappointed to hear that changes need to be made) but I do agree that people should cook and bake the way that they feel comfortable and make their own adjustments as needed. Thanks for the advice!
Actually if you look at the way the recipe is posted it calls for 1/2 cup of butter, which is one stick. Are you saying that the recipe should call for 1/2 stick (1/4 cup)?
Please see my second comment in regards to measurements. To answer your question: no. I don't think my original recipe needs to be changed at all. I'm happy with it, and I'm grateful that it has been so well received.
I think there is something wrong with the ingredient amounts in the glaze recipe. it makes a gooey buttery yellow mess that doesn't seem to solidify when cooled. I think the butter amount is way too much. I actually used it as written and it ruined my cookies.
hi carolynb! thanks for the constructive criticism! sorry about your messy cookies, that's a bummer. when i make these cookies, the icing is ivory in color and solidifies nicely. this is evident in the photographs i included, and also evident in the photograph that sarah took after amanda and merrill made my cookies. perhaps they altered my recipe, but i don't think so because they usually will mention any changes in their review. could it be possible that perhaps you added one and a half sticks of butter rather than the half stick i called for? that is the only conclusion i could think of that may have caused your 'too yellow, too gooey, too buttery' problem. regardless, thanks again for your lovely comment and happy holidays!
oops, sorry, amendment: i call for a half cup of butter, not a half stick, as i mentioned in my previous comment. although, perhaps you made the same mistake as me and threw in sticks of butter and not cups!
sincerely, and happy cooking, helen : )
Love the looks of these; congrats on your win. What a great idea!
Thank you so much!
I just thought that I don't have enough cookie recipes. This one is definitely going into my repertoire. What a neat idea to put figs in cookies. I love figs. I hope you won't mind me trying it with a bit less sugar, assuming the figs are pretty sweet too. You get my vote!
Yahoo!! Thank you for the vote!! I hope you like them : )
Can't wait to try these. You certainly deserve a finalist's spot, and I hope you win the contest. My vote's in! Happy New Year.
Thank you so much!! Very sweet and I hope so too! Happy New Year!
I can't think of anything I'd do differently with these, they sound perfect. I can't wait to try them.
That is a very nice compliment! Thank you Oui, Chef!
I have such a weakness for iced cookies - great idea!
Ooh, I do too! And they're little cookies so it feels like you could eat about forty or so! Thank you : )
My, my these sure look yoummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you! Merry Christmas : )
Brandy Sugar Glaze! -- Oh my! Yummy!
Can't wait to try these cookies at my house!
Yes! I like the brandy sugar glaze! Thank you, and I hope you like them!
congratulations, sister!
thanks sis : )
Oh boy oh boy!! Thank you! What a wonderful Christmas surprise!
Mmmm, very nice. Especially for those of us who adore figgy pudding but make it only once, for dinner on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day!! I suspect that these will be a starter in my rotation.
Thank you! I hope you do make them and I hope you like them!
These look incredible! I must make them!
Thank you, I hope you do!
O bring us some figgy pudding cookies and a cup of good cheer!
thank you candace!
thank you erin!
these are so delicious! very clever cookie :)
thanks sister : )
These really look great. I'm going to have to make these!
thank you! I hope you do and I hope you like them!
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
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Simmering the dried figs in milk softens them up nicely. Don't be alarmed if the milk separates into curds -- this is normal.
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When you don't have a knife on hand, a whisk will do to level the flour!
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Sarah's new overhead angle. We love it.
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Amanda makes sure we're still on track.
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The flour gets sifted with cinnamon and nutmeg for a lightly spiced dough.
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Someone looks skeptical. Perhaps it's because the dough looked a little wet at this point. But never fear -- it sets up beautifully in the fridge.
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Amanda spoons the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap.
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The chilled dough is delightfully tender and easy to work with.
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You can see the pieces of fig in the dough as the rolling pin spreads them out.
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No, you're not hallucinating: a man was indeed installing a new washer/dryer while Amanda rolled out these cookies.
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Helenthenanny calls for 1/8-inch thick rounds.
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The key to the glaze is brandy. Ahh, brandy...
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You just mix the glaze ingredients over low heat, and you're ready to go.
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This is perhaps the part of this recipe that is the most fun.
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The family is only getting about half of these. Because, um, seems I must have eaten the other half!