I discovered this Italian Fig and Walnut Cookie in Florence, Italy, this summer. It was buttery and chewy, filled with fig flavor and a hint of orange zest. I couldn’t stop thinking about it! So, as soon as I got home, I had to start developing a recipe. And here it is! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
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FIG AND WALNUT COOKIES
Makes 20 sandwiched cookies
INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup (77 g) white granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon (a large pinch) kosher salt
1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
! Filling:
2/3 cup (160 ml) fig jam
2 dried figs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) orange zest
1/8 teaspoon (a large pinch) kosher salt
3/4 cup (85 g) walnuts, roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon (7 g) powdered sugar for dusting
METHOD:
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until nice and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the bowl in between each addition.
Then add the vanilla extract and salt, and beat until combined.
Add the flour and beat until a dough forms.
With floured hands, shape the dough into a ball and then a disc. Wrap tightly in parchment paper. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
For the filling: Place the dried figs and the fig jam in a food processor. Process until combined. Then add the orange zest and salt and process.
Transfer the filling to a medium-sized bowl, and stir in the walnuts until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Set aside.
Roll out the dough on floured parchment paper to 1/4″-inch thickness. Cut out 1.5″ circles and place them on the baking sheet (you may need to do this in batches, baking one sheet at a time. Keep dough refrigerated between batches).
Bake the circles for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then flip half the cookies over to create bottoms and tops.
Dollop a teaspoon of filling on each cookie, spreading it out with the bottom of a spoon to cover the cookie entirely. Place the top cookie on top.
Bake the “sandwiched cookies” at 350°F (175 °C) for 10 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Remove from the oven, cool, and then dust with powdered sugar.
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45 Comments
Omg Beth they sound incredible. Must get the figs and will be making! The orange is perfect. Wow!
❤Heyyyy Beth . Miss youuuuu😊
Nice to see you again! I'm definitely making these cookies for Christmas. Thank you!
yes please, I will have some. Looks like a winner for the holidays. Can I freeze them?
I cannot wait to make these!
These are delicious! Vanilla from Tahiti!!
Hi Beth, your Fig & Walnut cookies look Delicious. You travel to the Neatest Places. I don't fly, so Thank You for describing your trip. I would love to try Real Italian Gelato. Wishful Thinking. Have a Wonderful Day!!
This looks like it will be in my Christmas repertoire this year!! Thanks for working out the recipe! ❤ The Originals in the photo you show look a Bit Darker ?. Do you Think I can leave them a Bit Longer in the oven or will that dry them out to much?
Its great to see you again 😊
Ohhhh! They look even better today, Beth, than they did the other day! I wouldn't have thought that was possible… What a great cookie to bake up and deliver to a friend in a prettily decorated, little box tied with a ribbon! Or include the box in a small basket with some Earl Grey tea for a surprise that's even more special!
Thank you for sharing your cookie discovery – can't wait to try it! 🩷
Taking a bottle of vanilla to someone is such a great idea. I am so fortunate to live by at least 5 TJ's. I don't think I would know how to shop at another market anymore.
These look excellent. Hey, I have a non cookie question for you. How are the Normandy winters? Do you find you need to escape to sunnier places in the winter?
Yummy 😋 ❤making these. Thank you 🙏
Bon après-midi, Beth. Ah! Biscotti ai fichi e noci, the perfect sweet little morsel for Fall, when the air has a subtle crispness, and a sweater might come in handy, it's actually my favorite time of year. I have always enjoyed your tours and trips, and this time is no exception, because I LOVE FLORENCE. I also love that you include some of your favorite shops ( I just bought a pair of Friulane Shoes), dining experiences, and places of interest. This was a Grand Tour with a lovely recipe, thank you so much, Beth. Baci et Bisous.😘😘
Wow! Those look so delicious and perfect for fall. The cookie that lives rent free in my brain was the oreshki cookie I tried once at a Russian bakery. It was so good, I bought a Soviet era cookie mold from Etsy to recreate them.
Missed you ❤
OMG I love figs!!! My heritage is Sicilian and the Nonnas make amazing fig cookies at Christmas time!! I will definitely try this recipe!!
I can send you TJ vanilla extract, just message me please😊
Have you tried freezing these…I’d love to add these to my Christmas cookie repertoire if so!!
Hi Beth 👋👋❤️
Yum yum yum!
Yuuuuuuuuum! ❤❤❤
Substitute for fig jam? I cannot find it anywhere
Looks delicious 😋 definitely will make these cookies 🙏🏻
I’m pretty sure Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract is finally available in Europe too. Both cold pressed extract and paste. The price is kind of a drawback, but it’s worth it and far superior to the Trader Joe’s in my opinion.
These cookies look delicious and seem pretty easy to make. I love figs. My mom used to buy me Fig Newtons as a kid and I had them all to myself because nobody else in my family liked them, LOL!
Those look delicious. Im going to be making these!
Great 👍
I'm definitely making these! Hmm, just got an idea hit of trying them with mincemet too….😊
All recipes with figs are getting on my to do list. They add so much festivity to the table. Thank you for sharing❤
Looks so tasty, I'm going to try. Thank you for the recipe. 😊
Thank you for sharing this yummy cookie! Have you noticed a huge difference baking with french butter? I believe it’s Aldi here that carries it. It’s delicious. I’ve heard baking with it makes better desserts than our regular butter.
Love all the suggestions about Florence, our favorite city in the world. And these cookies look amazing!! Thanks for researching it.❤
Understatedly elegant cookies! Once again you hit it out of the ballpark, Beth. Merci! 🌼
Lovely. Thank you
Are you and your husband worried about her safety? There seems to be so much civil unrest right now!
Will be making them. Thank you for sharing🍪
Those cookies look so delicious!😊
Extract your own vanilla. Purchase the beans and extract in VODKA. Extraction time is at least three months. Will last for years. Really!
These cookies look so delicious like all what u do ..my wife is trying this recipe tonight yummm hugs to u beautiful Beth from all our family❤
Wow!!!! ❤❤❤
I wonder if I could use mincemeat for the filling?
Perfect. Like. Always
I made my own vanilla- takes awhile 6-12 months. So nice
Oooh i Love figs!
You let an Italian Fig and Walnut cookie live rent-free in your brain? What are you, nuts? Don't *DO* that! Here's why…
The Italian Fig and Walnut cookie comes from money, and it has plenty of its own, so it can easily afford whatever rent you charge. He's scamming you just for kicks. Speaking of which, kick that cookie to the curb,
There are other, better cookies which you might consider allowing to live rent-free in your brain:
Snickerdoodles. Smooth and consistent with no solids to confuse the palate, and a lovely hint of cinnamon and coconut.
Chocolate Chip. The Old War Horse of cookies.
Oreos or Hydrox. Who among us has never deconstructed Oreos into their constituent parts and then reassembled them into something entirely new, like a space rocket or a race car?
Russian Tea Cakes. These snowy-white little bastards are a right treat! Delicate and fragile with a coating of loose powdered sugar, so eat over a plate (or napkin, if standing).
So all is not lost, Beth. I'm sure these Italian Fig and Walnut cookies are great, rent notwithstanding, but when I make them I will charge them rent for residency in my brain.
Gotta run. I have to polish the cat. Many read this as a typo, that I meant to say "polish the car" because the R and T are right next to each other on the keyboard, but it's not. I actually DO polish the cat.
Now if only I could get him to stop yelling and clawing when I run the orbital polisher…