Go Back
+ servings
Orange Fig Thumbprint Cookies on an oval dish which is sitting on a wooden plank.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Orange Fig Thumbprint Cookies

Savor the flavors in this delightful fusion of citrusy orange and sweet figs with these Orange Fig Thumbprint Cookies.
Prep Time20 minutes
Total Bake Time24 minutes
Chill1 hour
Total Time1 hour 44 minutes
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Difficulty: Medium
Servings: 32 cookies
Calories: 156kcal

Ingredients

COOKIE DOUGH

  • 8 ounce (8 ounce) Cream Cheese softened
  • 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
  • 1 cup (200 g) Sugar white
  • 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) All-purpose flour

ORANGE FIG FILLING

  • 8 ounce (8 ounce) Dried figs cut small
  • ¼ cup (50 g) Sugar white
  • 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Orange zest
  • ¼ cup (62 g) Orange juice fresh
  • ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Lemon zest
  • 1 cup (236.59 g) Water
  • cup (39 g) Chopped walnuts

Instructions

COOKIE DOUGH

  • Weigh or measure the sugar and set the bowl aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour and set the bowl aside,
  • Blend the butter and cream cheese in a stand or hand-held mixer on medium speed. Add the sugar and mix for 2 to 3 minutes. I turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and across the bottom. Then, turn the mixer back on for about 30 seconds. Turn the mixer down low and slowly add the flour until incorporated. I check the bottom of the mixer bowl to ensure all the flour has been mixed. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

ORANGE FIG FILLING

  • Cut off the stems of the figs and then cut them into small pieces—zest and juice one orange into separate bowls. You should be able to get ¼ cup of juice from one orange, in a third bowl, zest one lemon. You just want the yellow and not any of the white that is under the outer skin.
  • Add the cut-up figs, orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest, sugar, and water to a small saucepan and turn the burner to medium heat. You want to bring this to a boil. You can adjust the temperature so it is a low boil and not a hard boil. You want the liquid to evaporate. As the mixture gets thicker, I take a wooden spoon and smash the figs to help break them up. You want to remove the saucepan from the heat when you have about ⅓ of the liquid left in the bottom of the saucepan. This takes about 10 minutes.
  • I used a stick blender, but you can use a regular blender to finish making this fig filling like a jam. The stick blender took about 30 seconds. Pour into a bowl so it can cool down. It usually takes 10-15 minutes to cool. Finally, add the chopped-up walnuts and incorporate them into the fig mixture. Stir once in a while to keep it moist.

BAKE COOKIES

  • Preheat 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. I used a medium cookie scoop for the cookie ball. Roll the cookie dough into a ball with your hands using a medium cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough. If the dough has gotten too cold and hard, warm the cookie dough ball in your hand. It will make it easier to do the thumbprint.
  • Put your thumb straight down into the ball and then just spread out the hole a little so you have a lovely well for the fig filling. Add the fig filling using a teaspoon. Bake for 11-13 minutes. You want the bottoms to be light brown. Once the cookies are removed from the oven, leave them on the cookie sheet pan for a few minutes, then move to a cooling rack.
  • You will have some of the fig filling left over; I put the fig filling into small containers to use on toast or bagels. Can be stored in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 48mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 287IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg