These cucidati have a delicious fruit filling wrapped in a buttery cookie with a flourish of lemon frosting and sprinkles on top. It's no wonder these Italian fig cookies are a favorite for Christmas and special occasions.
Jump to Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.
While I didn't grow up with the tradition, I have made a point of trying to learn about different traditional Christmas cookies as we head into the season. Funnily enough, the kids are very much on board.
Not only do we get to enjoy some tasty treats, but it's interesting too. I love reading about some lovely traditions and trying new flavor combinations. These tasty bites are a perfect example.
Where are cucidati from?
As with many cookies that have long traditions, the exact origin is a little unclear. However most agree that these cookies are originally from Sicily. You will also find them in the Southern mainland of Italy and amongst Italian immigrants elsewhere.
I love the fact that as I was reading about them, most people with a Sicilian link in their family had warm stories of making these. Often they got together as a family to make large batches for Christmas or St Joseph's Day.
The ingredients in these cookies very much reflect Sicily's history. The Greeks introduced figs and grapes, Arabs brought sugar and almonds. Many believe these were probably first made after the Arabs occupation in the 9th-10th centuries.
If you are interested, this article is an interesting read on the cookies' history and this article on Sicilian food history more generally.
Cucidati variations
The name can vary (also called buccellati and spelled cuccidati) and the ingredients can be slightly different from town to town within Sicily. Some make them as small rolls, as I have here. Others form little 'bracelets' ('cucidati' means 'little bracelet' in Sicilian) by making little cuts on one side and curving them open.
Most at least include dried figs, usually dates and raisins and in most cases nuts in the filling. Then all have a buttery shortbread-like pastry on the outside.
I have drawn on a few recipes in making these, to try to be as true as possible, including this one from Proud Italian Cook and this from Nonna Box. You can scale the recipe up for a larger batch, as suits, but this gave a nice amount for us.
Tips for making these cookies
- Make the pastry ahead of time to make sure it chills and firms up.
- Let the food processor do the work in chopping and mixing (though remember to trim the tips off the figs).
- Flour your work surface well when rolling the dough so your cookies don't stick too much.
- Make two smaller rather than one big long roll to make things easier.
- Wait until the cookies are completely cool before adding the glaze.
- You can either drizzle/brush on the glaze or turn and dip them. If you dip, you will need extra glaze.
- Only glaze a couple at a time before adding the sprinkles, or they won't stick properly.
- Add the sprinkles over a baking sheet to collect any that roll off.
These might seem like a few things to keep in mind, and it may seem like a few ingredients and steps, but honestly, these are easier than you might think.
Watch the video to see how they come together!
These cucidati cookies are sometimes compared to a fig Newton, but they have a bit more complex flavors and feel more special. The filling is a deliciously moist and flavorful mix, the outside is crumbly and buttery. And that's before I even mention the lovely lemon glaze and sprinkles which draw your eyes in. These are one truly delicious cookie, so definitely give them a try soon.
Try these other favorite cookies:
- Alfajores (dulce de leche sandwich cookies)
- Brunkager (Danish spiced cookies)
- Basler brunsli (Swiss chocolate almond cookies)
- Vanillekipferl (German vanilla shortbread-like cookies)
- Pignoli (pine nut almond cookies)
- Plus get more Holiday recipes (cookies, drinks and more) and Italian recipes in the archives.
Print Recipe
4.82 from 11 votes
Cucidati (Italian fig cookies)
These delicious cookies are a tasty mix of sweet, fruity filling, buttery cookie outside and a lovely lemon frosting on top.
Prep Time40 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time55 minutes mins
Servings: 14 (approx)
Calories: 153kcal
Author: Caroline's Cooking
Ingredients
For cookie dough
- 1 cup all purpose flour plain flour
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 oz unsalted butter (2oz is ½ stick)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
For filling
- ½ cup dried figs (½ cup is approx 3 ½oz)
- ¼ cup dates
- ¼ cup raisins
- 2 tablespoon blanched almonds (I used slivered, but whole, chopped/flaked also good)
- 1 tablespoon chocolate chips
- 1 ½ tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon marmalade or apricot preserves
- 1 tablespoon brandy or whiskey, marsala
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
To top
- ¼ cup confectioner's sugar icing sugar
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon nonpareils hundreds and thousands (small round sprinkles)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Preparing the cookie dough (do ahead)
Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter, in small cubes, the vanilla and egg and pulse to form crumbs. Add the milk and pulse a couple times to bring the mixture together.
Remove the blade from the food processor and take out the dough. Knead it briefly (just once or twice) and bring the dough together in a ball. Wrap it in cling wrap/film and chill for at least an hour or two until firm or leave overnight. If you leave overnight, you may need to take it out 20 minutes or so before rolling so it is not too cold.
Making the filling
Remove the tough stem from the figs then chop them into roughly quarters. Roughly chop the dates, if not already chopped.
Place the figs, dates, raisins, almonds, chocolate, honey, marmalade/jam, brandy/whisky and cinnamon in the food processor and blend until a relatively smooth paste forms, scraping down and pulsing slightly more as needed.
Forming and cooking cookies
Preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Line a baking sheet/tray with parchment or a silicone mat.
Unwrap the cookie dough and roll it on a floured surface into a rectangle roughly 10in x 8in (25cm x 20cm). Neaten off the edges so they are relatively straight.
Cut the piece of dough in half the long way (ie so you have two pieces around 10 x 4in, 25 x 10cm). Separate the pieces of dough slightly to make them easier to work with and to make sure they are not stuck to the work surface.
Divide the filling in two and use half to make a log the length of one of the pieces of dough, in the middle. Make sure it goes right to the end and is relatively even all along.
Roll over one side of the dough and keep rolling so it goes all the way round and the join is on the bottom. It is fine if it overlaps slightly. Cut the log into slices roughly 1 -1 ½in (3-4cm ) in length. Transfer them to the lined baking sheet and then repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
Bake the cookies for approximately 15 minutes until the dough looks slightly dry and they are just starting to brown at the edges and underneath. They may feel slightly soft on top but they should feel dry. Allow to cool a couple minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
To finish
Once the cookies have completely cooled, Place the cooling rack with the cookies over a baking sheet (to collect any dropped sprinkles).
Sift the confectioner's sugar into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and mix until smooth. Drizzle/spoon a little of the glaze on top of around 3-4 cookies at a time then sprinkle on some sprinkles on top. Repeat with the rest. (Alternatively, you can turn the cookie over and dip them in the frosting, but it will likely run slightly and be a bit thicker. You will also need more glaze - I'd suggest making around double to have enough to dip in.)
Allow the glaze to dry before transferring to a container. The cookies will keep well for a good few days or more, the sprinkles may just bleed a little color.
Video
Notes
You will likely get between 12 and 16 cookies, depending on exactly how long your piece of dough is, the size you cut them etc. You don't need to be too precise but they will look better to be relatively even in size. Make sure the knife you use to cut them is sharp and, if needed, clean as you go to save getting too much filling on the dough.
Nutrition
Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 118IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
I'd recommend using a Silicone Baking Mat on top of a Half Baking Sheetto make these. (affiliate links)
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
Remember to pin for later!
