Raspberry Fig Pull Apart Cookies Recipes

SPLIT-SECOND COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. , Divide dough into four portions; shape each into a 12x3/4-in. log. Place 4 in. apart on two greased baking sheets. Make a 1/2-in. depression down center of each log; fill with jam., Bake until lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Cool 2 minutes. Cut diagonally into 3/4-in. slices. Remove from pans to wire racks to continue cooling.

SICILIAN FIG COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the dough: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until it looks like coarse meal. Whisk the yolks, vanilla and lemon zest and juice, then add to the food processor and pulse until the dough holds together when pinched (stop before it gathers into a ball). Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and knead into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Pulse the almonds in a clean food processor until coarsely chopped; transfer to a saucepan. Pulse the figs in the food processor until finely chopped and add to the saucepan along with the orange zest, wine, honey and cocoa powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring, 5 minutes. Let cool.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into about 24 balls, then flatten into 2-inch disks. Place 1 heaping teaspoon filling in the center. Wrap the pastry over the filling, then roll into a ball, covering the filling. Put on the prepared baking sheets, cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until the cookies are lightly browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar and orange zest and juice in a bowl. Brush the cookies with the glaze and top with the nonpareils. Let set, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

RASPBERRY-FIG BARS

Steps:

• Make the dough: Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Divide the dough in half and shape into two 2-by-6-inch rectangles. Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine the dried figs, jam and juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the juice is syrupy, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside to cool completely.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour 1 piece of dough and roll it out between 2 sheets of parchment paper into a 4-by-12-inch rectangle. Repeat with the remaining dough. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the top pieces of parchment and trim the edges of the dough rectangles. Spread the filling lengthwise down the center of each dough rectangle in a 2-inch-wide strip. Brush the long edges lightly with the beaten egg. Fold 1 long side of dough over the filling, then fold over the other long side; press gently to seal. Place both logs seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet, a few inches apart, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the cookie logs until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through, about 20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes on the pan. Transfer the logs to a cutting board; slice into 1-inch pieces and transfer to racks to cool completely.

RASPBERRY FIG LINZER COOKIES (DIABETIC)

Steps:

• In a large bowl beat together the butter, oil, sugar substitute until combined. Add in the egg/egg substitute, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Using your mixer, beat in the corn meal and as much of the flour as you can. If the dough becomes too stiff, mix in the rest of the flour by hand.
• Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and chill for two hours.
• While the dough is chilling, prepare your filling by adding all ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring the mix to a boil and reduce to a lower simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the filling is thickened. Transfer to a mini-chopper or use an immersion blender to puree the mix until smooth. Allow to cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. (Note you are using untreated cookie sheets here.)
• Roll out the first disc of dough until it is 1/8 inch thick. Using the larger cookie cutter, cut out cookies and transfer to the baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 5 minutes until the edges of the cookie are firm but not browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack.
• With the second disc of dough, repeat as above except that you will be using the smaller cutter to create a window in the cookies for the tops. In doing so, carefully place the smaller cookie cutters on the shapes made by the larger cutters in a manner so that the sides around the center hole are even.
• To assemble the linzer cookies, first apply a light dusting of powdered sugar on the top cookies (those with the cutouts). Spread a small amount of the raspberry-fig filling on the bottom cookie. Gently take the top cookies by the edges and line the top cookie over the filling pressing down ever so slightly.

ITALIAN FIG COOKIES

Steps:

• To make the filling, in a food processor, combine the figs, dates and raisins and process to finely chop. Place the mixture in a medium bowl, add remaining filling ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
• To make the dough, in a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the butter and blend with your fingertips until most of mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a medium bowl, beat the egg, milk and vanilla together. Add to the dry mixture and stir to make a rough dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cut the dough into 4 pieces, cover, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets.
• On a lightly floured surface, one at a time, roll out each piece of dough into a 12-inch square. Cut the dough into 4 by 3-inch rectangles. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling down the center of each rectangle. Fold the long sides of each rectangle inward to the center to enclose the filling; pinch the edges to seal. Turn the cookies seam-sides down and press gently to flatten the seams. With a floured knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices and arrange 1/2-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush with egg wash and decorate with colored sprinkles. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer to wire racks to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.