Sicilian Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups G-Free flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon G-Free vanilla extract
• ¼ cup milk
• Zest and juice of 1 large orange
• 2 cups chopped dried California figs
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 cups toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup honey
• ½ cup dark rum
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

For pastry, combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add butter, eggs, vanilla and milk. Stir until smooth. Remove from bowl and shape into a circle. Cut into 4 equal pieces, wrap in plastic and chill.

For the filling, put the zest and juice from orange into bowl of food processor. Add figs, raisins and nuts. Process until chopped medium. Stir in honey, rum, and cinnamon; set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease cookie sheets; set aside.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll one piece dough at a time into a strip 8-inch-wide and about ¼-inch-thick. Cut in half, lengthwise. Arrange strips on flat work surface with long edge up. Spoon ¼ filling about 1-inch wide along center of strip. Fold the moistened edge of the dough over the filling and press to seal edges. Cut each strip into 1-inch rectangles and place on cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining sections of dough.

Bake 13 to 16 minutes, or until tops are golden. Let cool on cookie sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks.

Recipe Courtesy: California Fresh Fig Growers Assn.