Ricotta and figs are a perfect match. I remember being at a restaurant with family when I was young, and I got to taste a ricotta and fig appetizer, and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Whoever came up with the idea of combining ricotta and figs should get an award, as far as I am concerned.
They had added just a drop or two of honey, which was the icing on the cake. So that was my inspiration for this week's cookie. Some recipes call for pistachios, and you can certainly swap out the chopped walnut that I put on top of my cookies.
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Ingredients
COOKIE DOUGH
- Butter unsalted
- Sugar white
- Ricotta cheese full fat
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher Salt
FIG FILLING
- Dried figs
- Honey
- Sugar white
- Lemon juice
- Water
TOPPING
- Chopped walnuts
Making Ricotta Fig Cookies
These cookies are soft and full of fig flavor. I start by getting the fig filling made and ready to add to the cookies.
Creating the Fig Filling
Cut a lemon in half and juice it, then set it aside.
Before you add the figs to the food processor, you need to cut off the stems. If they are tucked in, just pull them straight out and cut off the end. They are hard, and you do not want them in your filling.
There are usually always a few that are smashed, and I just set them aside and do not use them.
Add the stemless figs to the food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times.
You want the figs to be chopped fine but not pureed.
Add the chopped figs to a bowl, along with the honey, sugar, and lemon juice. Mix with a fork, then add the water. This will help keep the figs moist during the baking process.
Cookie Dough with Ricotta
The first thing I do is weigh or measure the sugar into a small bowl and set it aside. Then, in another bowl, I weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt. I run a whisk through to blend.
I cream the butter before adding the sugar. This way, if the butter is too cold, it will give a chance to warm up and make it easier to incorporate the sugar.
Mix the cubed butter for a minute on a medium mixer speed, but it may take longer if it is still cold. You want it to be creamy looking.
Next, add the sugar. Since there is more sugar than butter, mix for 2 to 3 minutes on a medium mixer speed, but it will still look grainy.
Now, it is time to add the ricotta cheese. Your mixture will have small lumps from the ricotta cheese. Mix for a minute on medium mixer speed.
It's time to add the egg and the vanilla extract. The mixture has more mositure but still lumpy looking from the ricotta.
Finally, add the flour mixture and mix just until the flour is incorporated. Refrain from over-mixing your cookie dough once the flour is incorporated. It will make your cookies tough.
Loosely cover the bowl and put it into the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
Putting Filling and Cookie Together
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). I also get my cookie sheet pans ready by adding parchment paper.
Using a medium cookie scooper, scoop out some of the cookie dough, roll it between your hands, and make a ball. Add 12 balls to the sheet pan.
Get a wet paper towel to make your thumb damp. Then go down through the middle of the ball with your thumb, but do not go the whole way through. I move my thumb around to make the well a little bigger for the fig filling.
Take some of the fig filling and fill the well. I stuff the well as much as I can. Add a piece of walnut on top of each cookie.
Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will be light in color but slightly firm to touch. Move them to a cooling rack once out of the oven. .
Enjoy!
FAQ's
Oh, my YES! I do this all the time. I thoroughly enjoy honey and figs.
Yes, when ricotta is added to the cookie dough, it can be a little sticky. I keep a damp paper towel handy to wipe off any cookie dough from my thumb and dampen it so it won't stick when making the well.
Yes! After you mix the cookie dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and you can make the cookies the next day. You might want to make the fig filling the day you bake the cookies so the filling does not dry out.
Ricotta or Fig Cookies
Recipe
Ricotta Fig and Honey Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
COOKIE DOUGH
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar white
- 7 ounces (7 ounces) Ricotta cheese full fat
- 1 (1) Egg
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups (250 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
FIG FILLING
- 8 ounces (8 ounces) Dried figs
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Honey
- 2 Tablespoon (2 Tablespoon) Sugar white
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Lemon juice
- 1 ½ Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Water
TOPPING
- ¼ cup (29.25 g) Chopped walnuts
Instructions
FIG FILLING
- Juice the lemon and set it aside. Take the stems off the figs and add them to a food processor. Pulse 4 or 5 times to get chopped figs. I put the chopped figs into a bowl, adding sugar, honey, lemon juice, and mix. The last part involves adding the water to soften the mixture.
COOKIE DOUGH
- In a bowl, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt together. I run a whisk through to blend. In another bowl, weigh or measure the sugar and set it aside.
- In a stand or hand-held mixer bowl, cream the butter for a minute before adding the sugar. Then, mix the butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes on a medium mixer speed. Add the ricotta cheese and blend. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.
- Turn the mixer on to a low speed and gradually add the flour mixture. Wrap the bowl loosely and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.
FILL AND BAKE THE COOKIES
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Line your cookie pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- When the cookie dough contains ricotta, it can stick to your thumb when making the well. I keep a wet paper towel close by so I can wet my thumb between cookies. Using a medium cookie scooper, I scoop out and make a ball of the cookie dough using my hands. I place 12 balls onto a pan. I take my thumb and press down to make a good-sized well; don't go through to the bottom.
- Take your fig filling and fill each hole of your cookie. Put a walnut piece on top of each fig filling and press down lightly so it stays on the cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes and move to a cooling rack when they are finished and out of the oven.
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Notes
NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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