Fig Cookies with Vanilla Glaze

5 from 1 vote

Fig Cookies with Vanilla Glaze

Fig cookies with vanilla glaze are a delicious treat that combines the natural sweetness and texture of figs with a smooth, sweet vanilla glaze.

Prep Time40

Total Bake Time30

Chill3

Total Time4 10

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: Medium

Servings:

Calories: 164kcal

Ingredients

Outside Cookie

1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted
6 ounces (6 ounces) Cream Cheese
2 ½ cups (312.5 g) All-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) Ground cloves

Fig Filling

2 cups (298 g) Dried figs
½ cup (58.5 g) Chopped walnuts
½ cup (72.5 g) Raisins
⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) Ground cloves
¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Orange juice
1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Orange zest
1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Honey
¼ cup (59.15 g) Apricot preserves
1 (1) Egg white
⅓ cup (32 g) Orange peel

Vanilla Glaze

1 ½ cups (180 g) Powdered sugar
2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) Vanilla Extract
4 Tablespoons (4 Tablespoons) Milk
Nonpareils sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

Outside Cookie

Weigh or measure the flour into a bowl. Add the cinnamon and cloves, running a whisk through to blend.
In a mixer bowl, add the cream cheese and the butter. Cream the two together on a medium mixer speed for about 2 minutes. Scrap the bowl sides down, turn the mixer to a low speed, and add the flour a third at a time. It will look a little dry, but that is ok. Dump the dough onto a pastry mat or solid surface. Knead the dough so that all the flour is incorporated.
Divide the dough in half and make two 7-inch long logs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. This will allow the butter-cream cheese mixture to absorb the flour. You can leave this in overnight if you get busy and finish the cookies the next day.

Fig Filling

Take the figs and cut off the stems. Juice and zest the orange.
Add figs, walnuts, raisins, ground cloves, cinnamon, orange juice, orange zest, honey, and apricot preserves into a food processor bowl. Turn it on for 3 seconds at a time for 3 or 4 times. The mixture should be solid enough to form small logs with your hands. It will be tacky. You may need to pulse more times depending on your food processor.

Assemble the Fig Cookies

Take the two cookie dough logs out of the refrigerator. They need to sit out for a little to warm up. This will make it easier to roll out. On a pastry mat or counter, sprinkle powdered sugar. I use powdered sugar instead of flour. If you start to roll the cookie dough out and it is cracking on the sides, the dough is still too cold; give it a few more minutes to warm up.
When rolling out the dough, you want it to be about ⅛" to 3/16" thick. You want a rectangle shape that is 7" by 16" after you trim the sides. Before I trim the sides, I lift the top part, sprinkle with more powdered sugar under the dough, and then do the same for the other half.
Take the fig filling, which is tacky, and form log shapes about 1 ½" wide. You want the logs to run down the middle of the rectangle. You can fill in any needed spots and smooth it out with your hands. Take the orange peel and stick some the whole way down the log. I did not add them to the food processor because I did not want them into smaller pieces. Sprinkle a little powdered sugar on the log.
Mix the egg white with a fork to get it frothy. Fold one side of the cookie dough over the fig log and brush the top of the cookie dough with the egg wash. Take the other side of the cookie dough and overlap the egg-washed side. The egg wash helps to seal the cookie dough around the fig filling. Wrap it in plastic wrap, and I lay it in a baguette pan, seam side down, to keep the completed cookie with the fig filling round. Repeat with the other cookie dough log. When both are completed, refrigerate for at least an hour or the next day.

Cut and Bake

Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C), and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
Take a fig-filled cookie log from the refrigerator and unwrap it from the plastic wrap. I score the log into 1" to 1 ¼", then cut your cookies. I stand them up so the seam where the sides are folded over is on the bottom. Bake for 14-16 minutes. Leave them on the pan for a minute after pulling them from the oven before moving them to a cooling rack.

Vanilla Glaze

After the cookies have cooled, add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and the milk (I start with 3 tablespoons) into a bowl. Using a fork, mix it all together. Add the 4th tablespoon of milk if it is too thick. I take a ½ tablespoon (add what you need to cover) and add it to the top of each cookie. I like a little color, so I sprinkled a few nonpareils sprinkles on top.

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