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Nonagenarian cook and great grandmother, Clara, recounts her childhood during the Great Depression as she prepares meals from the era. Learn how to make simple yet delicious dishes while listening to stories from the Great Depression.
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Clara’s Holiday Special!
Cucidati Fig Cookies Part I
Recipe:
Cucidati Cookies (Sicilian Cookies by Clara)
FILLING
Boil 2 cups of water and add 1/2 cups sugar. Let cook.
3/4 cups shelled hazel nuts
1/2 cups shelled almonds
1/2 cups shelled walnuts
1/2 cups shelled pecans
Toast all nuts on cookie sheet separately (different nuts take different times to toast).
Grind together with nuts:
1/2 lb. diced candied fruit
1/4 lb. dark raisins
1/4 lb. light raisins
1/4 lb. dates (pitted)
1 orange with rind
1 dried tangerine with rind
2 lbs. figs or (2 packages or atleast 14 oz. apiece)
Mix well all the ground ingredients.
Add 1/2 or 3/4 of the cooled sugar water to make a nice soft mixture (be careful not to make it too soft).
Save the rest of the sugar water mixture.
Add 1/2 cup whiskey to ground ingredients.
Mix well and let stand overnight. Keep in a fridge or cool place.
You may need to add the sugar-water the next day.
DOUGH
10 cups flour
1 lb lard
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cold milk
2 heaping table spoons baking powder
1 table spoon vanilla
12 eggs
Work flour and lard like you would pie crust.
Melt sugar in milk.
Beat egg and add vanilla.
When flour and lard are mixed well, add baking powder, then add the other ingredients and mix until you have a nice liable dough.
Let stand at least one hour, or this can be made the day before. Cover with a clean dish towel and put in the fridge or a cool place.
Roll dough.
Fill with filling (you can use a pastry bag). Cut and bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 until golden brown.
If you like icing, mix milk, powdered sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla (preferably white vanilla). Brush on cookies and sprinkle with little colored candies.
COMPLETE INGREDIENT LIST
-Flour
-Lard
-Sugar
-Milk
-Baking Powder
-Eggs
-Powdered Sugar
-White Vanilla
-Little colored candies for topping
-Filbert nuts (or Hazel nuts)
-Almonds
-Walnuts
-Pecans
-Candied fruit
-Dark raisins
-Light raisins
-Dates
-1 Orange
-1 Tangerine rind
-2 packages of figs or at least 14oz. apiece
-Whiskey
Clara’s Official Website: www.welcometoclaraskitchen.com

32 Comments
I'm about to make these. I hope i make your G'ma proud.
I love an pray for all of you.
Merry Christmas 🎄
I see i posted this comment two weeks ago.
The cookies are complete.
They are delicious and beautiful.
Thank you Clara's grandson for encouraging her to make these videos.
G-d bless us everyone.
I so enjoyed watching and learning. For sure easier ways now but I love the history. Thank you.
Dear Nana Clara.I watch you every winter and again on the 18th.Yes, we are born the same day.We are all priveledged to hear your stories, your cute laugh, your twinkle and your gentle mannerism and sharing your sweet family.Today i finally have the nerve to try this recipe.We miss you❤️🇸🇯
Gosh what a precious memory to have
2023, what a give gift Clara was xo
Nana is sweeter than sugar 🙂
For every little thing it was like boom 💥!!!!!!!!!!!! That's the truth !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No my parents didn't believe in sparing the rod either and I'm 60 now
My favorite episode by far.
zipper man
My grandfather worked as a iceman delivery for a spell before WWII, that’s the route that he was working when he met my grandmother who was working in a diner.
Ahh I used to watch these because I missed my Sicilian grandfather. But now I watch because I miss Clara. It’s so cool we have these ♥️
Love her sorry she is gone.😢
These are the most touching and heart-warming videos ever! ❤
this is so sweet! I make these cookies with my grandma every year, but our recipe is a little different. we even used to grind them by hand until a year or two ago. We use a meat grinder attachment on my mom's kitchen aid now that we make them at our house. It definitely take a few people to make and always tastes better than the ones at the store
I wake up in the morning and watch Claras videos. They give me the sense of family and tradition ❤
She's great
My sister had a recipe like this, but she called it fruitcake. She found the recipe when she was a teenager, and she would try to make the fruitcakes in bulk to sell to the neighbors so she could make money! All the sisters and brothers were pressed into service as unpaid labor!! That memory of sitting around the kitchen table cracking and chopping nuts! OMG! Thanks Clara!
I love these videos ❤❤❤❤
Look delicious. I really enjoy her videos.
I have saved these videos of Clara and visit them every Christmas season to get the Cucidata cookies just right. They are part of my kiddos tradition now. Thank you for sharing with all of us ❤
My mother and grandma made these and it was a big production. Lots of ingredients and care required but it was worth it. Once a year but you thought about them long after. Beautiful lady👍
I bet her granddaughters miss her very much❤
❤️❤️❤️
Love that she is passing the recipe down to her granddaughter and they are making it together ♥️
These cookies are amazing. Using premade pie dough works well too
I still love watching her she make me happy I when won't do one recipe I look make what she makeing
Can’t believe this was made 15 years ago. We were so blessed to be able to spend time with Clara. I have her book and videos and I treasure them. God bless her. She was such a comfort to so many of us.❤️
You know what the best part for me was, and is? My kids still ask me to play her videos on here once in a while! Clara filled the hearts of many! She is truly a gem❤😊
I wish I had found Clara years ago on Youtube. She reminds me so much of my Nonne who was the same age at the same time! Thank you for these videos!
She was not much of a looker, either in her youth or her old age.
watching this reminds me of great aunt.. she was from Germany. but the storied she would tell us. I miss that!!!