Fig Star Cookies
Submitted by willgreen
Fig Star Cookies feature a maple-scented shortening dough wrapped around a homemade dried fig filling with lemon and nuts. A vintage holiday cookie worth the effort.
YIELD
72 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
25 minREADY
4 hrsThese old-fashioned filled cookies take some patience, but the from-scratch fig filling is what sets them apart from anything store-bought. Dried figs get simmered with corn syrup, lemon zest, and chopped nuts into a thick, jammy paste that tastes like a homemade Fig Newton with more character.
The dough itself has a subtle maple flavor from maple extract, and it needs several hours of chilling before you can slice it thin enough to work with. That chill time firms up the shortening so the cookies hold their shape in a hot oven.
You get two shaping options here: fold the edges up around the filling to form a star shape, or sandwich two slices together with filling pressed between them. The stars show off more filling; the sandwiched version stays neater for gift boxes.
Chef Tips
- Cut the dried figs with kitchen scissors instead of a knife. They’re sticky, and scissors handle that better
- Slice the chilled dough thin. Thick slices won’t fold into stars without cracking
- The filling thickens as it cools, so make it first and let it sit while the dough chills
- Reheat leftover cookies in the oven for a few minutes to refresh the texture
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Cream the shortening and sugar; beat in the corn syrup, maple flavoring and eggs.
Sift together the flour and salt; stir into the shortening mixture.
Shape the dough into two rolls about 2½-inches in diameter.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for several hours.
For the filling, cover the figs with boiling water and let stand for 10 minutes; drain, clip off the stems and cut fairly fine with scissors.
Add the cold water and cook for about 10 minutes until tender.
Add the corn syrup and lemon rind; cook for a few minutes longer.
Mix the sugar, flour and salt; add all at once and cook, stirring, until thickened and clear.
Remove from heat; add the lemon juice and nuts.
Cool.
Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).
Cut the rolls of dough into thin slices.
For star cookies, put a small spoonful of fig filling in the center of a cookie slice; then with your fingers, fold up the edges and pinch in place to make a reasonable facsimile of a star.
For filled cookies, put slices together in pairs with a dot of fig filling between them; press the edges together and prick the top with a fork or mark with a knife.
Bake either cookie for 8 to 10 minutes, or until delicately browned around the edges.
Cool on racks.
Note: To freshen the cookies, reheat them in the oven for a few minutes and serve warm.
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