Italian Fig Cookies

These cookies are gluten-free.

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar (brown sugar will make it moister, as will honey)
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups gluten free all-purpose flour (DO NOT USE REGULAR ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cups full fat coconut milk (or if using milk, whole milk)

Filling

• 4 pounds dried figs
• 1 pound raisins
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (brown sugar makes it moister)
• 1 whole orange, with or without peel
• 1 small apple, without peel
• 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
• 1/2 cup water or juice or liquor (optional)

Instructions

dough

1. Cream sugar and shortening. Add egg yolks, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk egg whites until soft peaks. Blend in flour and baking powder by hand. Knead dough until smooth and workable. Blend in egg whites. Add milk to reach workable consistency. Not too sticky not to thick.

Filling

1. Cut up figs, orange, and apple into small pieces. Food processes figs, raisins, orange, and apple. If the mixture is too dry, mix in up to 1/2 cup of water, but you most likely won’t need it. Add spices and chopped nuts to the ground fig mixture.
2. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Press out 1/2 dough onto parchment-papered cookie/jellyroll sheet. Spread fig mixture on top. Press out 1/2 dough over mixture.
4. Bake on greased cookie sheet for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Cut when cool.