Fig Thumbprint Cookies

We have a little fig tree and I try to eat as many as possible, just raw. Love 'em! But this year I wanted to find some recipes to use them in as well.

My Sicilian Nana used to make a traditional cookie called a Cuccidade, with sweet dough and a fig filling. They are SO good but a LOT of work, and they call for dried figs, not fresh. I will blog about those another time!

I found this thumbprint cookie on Allrecipes.com, one of my favorite recipe sites. I made a few changes and added the icing which I think really elevates the cookie.

These are not overly sweet cookies, they are more in the tradition of Italian cookies, made to dip or drink with your coffee. I love them and they received good reviews from my taste-testers!

INGREDIENTS:

Fig Filling:
1 cup chopped fresh figs (4 or 5 large figs)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Cookie:
2-2/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
Enough milk to make drizzle consistency

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Filling: Put figs, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Mixture should be slightly thinner than jam. Add more honey if necessary.

Cookie Dough: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until fluffy.  Beat eggs in one at a time, until combined. Stir in vanilla.  Fold in the flour mixture until well blended.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on a non-stick cooking sheet.  Make thumbprints into the balls with your finger or with a measuring teaspoon (dip in flour so it won't stick).  Spoon ~1 tsp filling into each thumbprint.

Bake in preheated oven about 10-11 minutes.  Don't let them get brown, they will be too crispy! They are meant to be soft cookies.  Cool a few minutes and remove cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle with the icing.

Enjoy!