Gluten Free Fig Cookies (Cuccidati)

Cuccidati, or fig cookies as they are more often called, are one the popular treats that pop up around the holiday season. A staple in Sicily, these yummy Christmastime cookies are filled with figs, dates, raisins, and a variety of spices! They are a bit time consuming to make, but worth the effort!

Filling

2 cups dried figs
1 cups dried dates
1 cup raisins
¾ cup chopped almonds
¾ cup chopped walnuts
¾ cup orange marmalade
½ cup honey
¼ cup brandy
1½ tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves

Dough

4 cups gluten free flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 large egg
¾ cup milk
1 ½ tbsp. vanilla extract

Icing

3 cups powdered sugar
1 egg white
1tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp water

Finely chop walnuts and almonds using a food processor and place in a large bowel
Remove hard tips from figs and pits from dates
Grind dates, figs, and raisins in the food processor, until well blended. Add to large bowel.
Place marmalade in food processor with honey, brandy, and spices and blend. This will also help chop up the marmalade a it so that it is a smooth consistency. Pour into bowl and mix well. Your mixture should be thick at this point.
Cool for at least 4 hours, or overnight
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl
Add butter to mixture and blend until well incorporated
Whisk egg, milk and vanilla together then slowly add to dough mixture
Divide dough in 4 sections, making a 18x3in rectangle (I use a pizza cutter to get straight edges once I roll it out. You can make longer rectangles but 12-18 inches is much easier to work with)
Place filling in center of rectangle and roll dough over filling, pinching seam to close completely. Wet you fingers with water to help seal the dough
Roll dough over so that the seam is facing downward, slice into 1 inch sections
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown
Allow cookies to completely cool
Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, egg white and water. You may need to add additional water if it is too thick. Icing should be easy to spread and drip a bit down the sides of the cookies, but not watery
Apply icing to cookies and decorate with colored sprinkles.