Italian Date Raisin Filled Cookie Recipes

COUSIN LUISA'S ITALIAN DATE COOKIES RECIPE - (3.9/5)

Steps:

• In mixer, combine 5 eggs with sugar. Add baking powder, cocoa and on low speed, add chocolate chips, dates and nuts. Lastly, add flour. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread dough evenly wetting the spatula with milk to make the spreading easier. Bake at 350° F until dough springs back, about 15-18 minutes. While warm, cut into biscotti slices and roll in confectioner's sugar.

DATE FILLED COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a small saucepan over low heat, mix dates, sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes, or until thick and smooth. Set aside to cool.
• Cream butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Gradually mix in flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the oatmeal and mix well. Stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons of water. Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness and cut into 2 inch rounds. Place 1/2 of the rounds on cookie sheets. Spoon date mixture in the center of each round and top with another round. Press edges firmly together.
• Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until browned.

GRANDMA'S DATE FILLED COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix in a sauce pan the dates, sugar and TBSP of flour, water, and lemon juice. Cook this for about 5 minutes on a medium heat, until all are blended well.
• Mix together the shortening, sugar, and eggs.
• Stir in the 2 Tbsps. thick cream and l teaspoons vanilla.
• Sift together the 2 1/2 cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Add to shortening mix to form dough.
• Chill dough for at least 1 to 2 hours.
• Roll out dough in thin layers in small batches and cut with round cookie cutter.
• Put mixture (about a tbsp.) in the center between 2 thin cookies pressed together.
• Bake at 350 degrees on lightly greased sheet pan for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES (FILLED)

Steps:

• Sift together flours and salt.
• Cut shortening into flour mixture.
• Melt 1/2 + 1/3 cup sugar in 1/2 cup water and pour into flour mixture and mix.
• Roll out and cut into circles the size of a large can like fruit comes in, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Make the filling by mixing together nuts, 2 tbsp sugar, and raisins.
• Place a tablespoonful of filling on one side of each circle.
• Wet the edges of the circle, fold over (should look like a half moon), and seal with a fork.
• Prick the top of all assembled cookies with a fork to vent.
• Bake at 400F for 7-10 minutes, until just turning golden.
• Let cool.
• Dust lightly with powdered sugar or make frosting by mixing 1 tbsp water, powdered sugar, and vanilla. If desired, frosting may be tinted with food coloring and sprinkles may be put on cookies immediately after frosting.

ITALIAN WALNUT-RAISIN COOKIES

Steps:

• Place the raisins in a medium bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover; let stand 1 minute, then drain well.
• In a medium bowl sift together flour and baking powder.
• In a large bowl beat butter with sugar until very creamy (about 7-8 minutes, there should be no sugar granules remaining in the butter).
• Beat in vanilla and eggs until well combined (about 1 minute).
• Add in flour/baking powder mixture; mix until combined.
• Stir in raisins (the dough will be very soft!).
• Chill the dough for about 1-1/2 hours to firm slightly.
• Set oven to 300°.
• Line one or more cookie sheets with foil, then butter the foil.
• Coarsley grind the walnuts in a processor.
• Mound the ground walnuts on a work surface.
• Working in batches, drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto walnuts (the dough will be sticky).
• Using your hands, roll the dough in the ground walnuts coating completely, then forming into balls.
• Transfer to baking sheet/s spacing 2 inches apart.
• Bake until cookies spread, and are golden brown (about 18-20 minutes).

ITALIAN FIG COOKIES (CUCCIDATI)

Steps:

• Prepare filling: Working in two batches with ½ of the figs and ½ of the dates at a time, pulse dried fruit in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a bowl.
• Use a vegetable peeler to peel orange zest into the empty food processer. Juice the orange until you have 3 tablespoons juice; add it to the food processor. Add raisins, pecans, honey, brandy, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg and process until finely mixed.
• Add fig-date mixture and process until well combined, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to reach a thick consistency. Refrigerate filling for 8 hours to overnight.
• Prepare dough: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and process for 5 seconds to combine. Add butter and shortening and pulse until crumbly. Add milk, egg, vanilla, and almond extract and process until a dough forms.
• Turn dough onto a well-floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and cut into 4 pieces. Roll one piece into a 4x12-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Trim off any excess to form straight edges and save to make more cookies.
• Place about ¼ of the filling in a 1-inch log shape down the rectangle, just to the right of the center line. Dampen the edges of the dough with water and fold the right edge over the filling. Continue rolling the dough toward the left edge, then rock back and forth gently to stretch and seal the edges. Cut the log into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Make 2 or 3 slits in the top of each cookie to allow steam to escape. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden on the bottom and cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Repeat to form, cut, and bake remaining cookies.
• Prepare icing by whisking powdered sugar and milk together in a bowl until smooth. Divide icing into thirds in 3 small bowls. Color one bowl with red food coloring to make pink icing, color another bowl with green food coloring to make green icing, and leave the remaining icing white.
• Dip each cookie into a different color icing and allow excess to drip off. Place iced cookies on parchment paper and decorate lightly with sprinkles. Allow to dry for at least 20 minutes before serving.