Bake
by: Helenthenanny
December17,2009
4.6
8 Ratings
- Prep time 3 hours
- Cook time 45 minutes
- Serves 3 dozen small cookies
Jump to Recipe
Author Notes
My little invention smells and tastes just like the holidays! I got this idea from the traditional ingredients in figgy pudding. These little butter cookies are studded with chunks of soft fig, orange zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg, AND they get a generous drizzle of brandy-sugar glaze. The aroma from making these delicious cookies fills your house with holiday cheer, and the buttery goodness will fill your belly too! —Helenthenanny
Test Kitchen Notes
Like mince pies in cookie form, these delicate biscuits melt in your mouth, leaving a hit of sweet figs and a whisper of brandy on your tongue. Helenthenanny's rich, sophisticated cookies are not only delicious to eat but also lovely to look at, drizzled as they are with a spiced brandy glaze. Make sure to squeeze as much liquid as possible from the softened figs, and do not be alarmed if the dough seems wet before you chill it -- it will firm up in the fridge. - A&M —The Editors
- Test Kitchen-Approved
- Your Best Holiday Cookie Contest Winner
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- For the cookies
- 1 tablespoonorange zest (from one orange)
- 10 large dried Turkish or Caliymirna Figs (the light brown ones)
- 1 teaspoonfreshly ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoonground cinnamon
- 1 cupwhole milk
- 1 1/2 cupsall purpose flour
- 1 teaspoonkosher salt
- 3/4 cupunsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cuppowdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- For the brandy glaze
- 1 1/2 cupspowdered sugar
- 1/2 cupunsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoonsbrandy
- 1/2 teaspoonvanilla extract
Directions
- Sift together flour, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a bowl and set it aside.
- Dice figs into small chunks and put them in a saucepan with the milk. Heat on low, stirring occasionally for about 15.
- 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.
- Sift 3/4 cup of confectioners sugar into the fluffy butter and mix until smooth.
- Add in one egg and reduce speed to low.
- Add in flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Please enjoy and have the happiest of holidays!
Tags:
- Cookie
- American
- Brandy
- Butter
- Fig
- Milk/Cream
- Nutmeg
- Fruit
- Bake
- Make Ahead
- Serves a Crowd
- Christmas Eve
Contest Entries
- Your Best Holiday Cookie
See what other Food52ers are saying.
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Rose Shurig
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KelseyB
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Amy Legge Marusik
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trysteroo
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Renee Dickinson
76 Reviews
Rose S. January 23, 2021
These came out to sticky to roll! I'm a good cook and seni~professional baker. How much better these might have been if ingredients had been in weights. Put extra brandy in glaze to make them edible.
Margo W. December 6, 2020
I have a TON of leftover glaze. What did others do with it?
KelseyB December 11, 2019
I brought these to a cookie exchange over the Christmas holiday. A welcome break from the norm and delicious throwback to older holiday flavors.
Amy L. November 22, 2019
These cookies are incredible!! Growing up we had a bakery that would make these delicious, toffee-like danishes, and now that the bakery is gone, making the recipe is very laborious. This recipe tastes so similar, minus some flakiness, since they are cookies, and hours of work-thank you! They remind me of stollen a bit, too. So so good! I only needed half the amount of icing and it was plenty, and I made them with Whole grain einkorn flour instead. These will be a new staple!
trysteroo October 15, 2019
These are among the best Christmas cookies I've ever made. They keep well too, so you can make them ahead!
Renee D. December 7, 2016
Used apple brandy in the glaze and almost licked the drippings off the counter it was so yummy. Next up: convert to gluten-free.
Mae March 31, 2016
Any suggestions for what to use instead of brandy for the glaze? I'd prefer not to buy an entire bottle just for that :-/
JJGood March 31, 2016
Rum or whiskey would also be good, I think!
Renee G. April 13, 2016
Many stores sell small ( airplane sized) bottles of liquor.
Beverly C. January 19, 2014
I am not a baker but these sound delicious. I have a surplus of dates and wonder if they could be substituted for figs?
Sarah|PickledCapers December 17, 2013
These would certainly be worth caroling interminably. The brandy-glaze itself would have me singing at top volume.
jevyn December 16, 2013
These taste wonderful. My problem was the dough became too soft to handle, even after being in the refrigerator. Next time, I would just drop them instead of trying to cut them out. Also, the glaze was uneccessary to my palette (I don't like really sweet food). Everyone loved them though. A keeper!
celliejoe December 14, 2013
i use faretti biscotti liqueur for the glaze and it's wonderful.
yomabes December 13, 2013
can i use rum instead of brandy for the glaze? i've been looking at this recipe for days and can't wait to finally make them this weekend.
JJGood December 11, 2013
FYI, my family (that is, my parents and sister) will no longer let me not make these at Christmas.
Diana December 3, 2013
fresh figs will be fine, shopped them up...
kellee December 2, 2013
Do you think this recipe would work with mission figs? I have those on hand.
celliejoe December 2, 2013
i made these & they were a big hit. i didn't have time to roll them out, so used a small cookie scoop, then flattened them a little. they were perfect!
Trudy M. December 1, 2013
What suggestion do you have for using the figgy milk? Seems too good to toss.
Christina M. November 15, 2019
My husband added it to his morning smoothie. A few years too late for you, Trudy. But still...
ChefJune October 11, 2013
hmmm I use a similar glaze on my "plain" pound cake.
ChefJune October 11, 2013
So I've decided I'm going to bake all my holiday gifts this year, and this cookie is going to be among the chosen. I have some fresh figs in my freezer, and am wondering how they would do in the cookie.
Cena January 17, 2013
These got scarfed up during my family christmas. Not too sweet, goes great with coffee, tea, a glass of wine... They are a little chewier than I might have expected, but my mother and boyfriend insisted that that made them perfect, since the fig chunks were chewy too!
