food photos
recent posts
A Sweet Reminder
Date: Sep. 13th 2007
Category: Cookies and Bars, Sugar High Fridays
Email This
| 
Add to del.icio.us
As we approach another weekend, I thought I’d give everyone a sweet reminder of SHF #35: The Beautiful Fig!
The deadline for submissions is midnight on Monday September 24th with the round-up to be posted on Friday September 28th.
I’ve had a few comments and questions from people about fresh figs so I just want to remind everyone that you don’t necessarily have to use fresh figs. You can use dried figs or any product made with figs. Be creative!
For a little inspiration, I decided to make Fig and Pistachio cookies from a lovely cookbook that I purchased a few months ago: Italian Baking Secrets. The book is written by Father Giuseppe Orsini, a priest from New Jersey.
I’d never heard of Father Orsini until I wandered into The Cookbook Store one day and saw his book front and centre. He’s apparently the author of numerous books on Italian cooking and baking, although this one is the first that I’ve seen.
It’s a sweet book filled with recipes, many of which I recognized from weddings and showers. As soon as I saw the recipe for these cookies, I knew I had to give them a try.
Enjoy the figs and I can’t wait to see what you create!
Ciao!
Fig and Pistachio Cookies
Adapted from Italian Baking Secrets by Father Giuseppe Orsini.1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange extract (if you don’t have orange extract, use 1 tbsp. grated orange zest)
1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios (don’t chop them up)
1 cup chopped dried figs
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
icing sugar for dustingPreheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the flour and baking soda and set aside.
Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and cream on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Mix in the vanilla and orange extracts (or orange zest).
Stir in the pistachios and figs.
Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
Scrape the dough out onto a well-floured surface and gather into a ball.
Divide the ball into three equal pieces.
Roll the pieces into logs that are about an inch and a half to 2 inches thick and about 10 to 12 inches long.
Carefully transfer the logs to the baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. The logs will be slightly golden and firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.
Carefully slice the logs into cookies (about an inch thick).
Transfer the cookies back to the baking tray so that they are standing upright. Do not lay them on one side. Put the cookies back in the oven for 10 minutes.
Let cool completely and dust with icing sugar before serving.
Enjoy!
Technorati tags: 
sugar high friday, 
shf, 
figs, 
pistachios, 
cookies
21 Comments
Post a Comment
extras
February 2010
Valvona & Crolla: A Year at an Italian Table
Have you ever read a cookbook that brings tears to your eyes? Tears of joy for all the beautiful food in the world that can be made. That would be this book. Love it.
Magazine Mondays
Click here for more info!
Categories
- 2006 FIFA World Cup
- 2006 Winter Olympics
- Antipasti
- Baking Class
- Beans and Legumes
- Beverages
- Bread
- Brunch
- Cakes, Cheesecakes, Cupcakes and Muffins
- Canada
- Canadian Blogging By Post
- Chocolate
- Choux Pastry
- Christmas
- Coconut
- Comfort Food
- Cookbooks
- Cookies and Bars
- Cooking Italy
- Dairy
- Daring Bakers
- Dessert and Pastry
- Drinks
- Events
- Fish and Seafood
- Flavour of the Month
- Food Blog Awards
- Food of Piemonte
- Fruit
- Gnocchi, Pasta, Pizza and Rice
- Ice Cream
- Italian Sweets
- La Festa al Fresco
- Lemon
- Magazine Mondays
- Meat and Poultry
- MEMEs
- News
- Panini, Sandwiches and Tramezzini
- Pies and Tarts
- Potlucks
- Preserves
- Salads and Dressings
- Soup
- Sugar High Fridays
- Sweet Snacks
- The Daring Bakers
- The Daring Cooks
- The Travelling Cream Puff
- Treasured Family Recipes
- Uncategorized
- Vegetables
- Weblogs
More Links
- Alpineberry
- Caramels, Bonbons et Chocolats
- The Canadian Baker
- Confessions of a Cardamom Addict
- Cherry's English Kitchen
- Cupcake Bakeshop
- It's My Life
- Tip of the Iceberg
- DavidLebovitz.com
- Dessert First
- Eating Suburbia
- Egg Hunt
- Exploring The Silver Spoon
- A Finger in Every Pie
- Fiordizucca
- Food Porn Watch
- Humble Pie
- Gluten-Free Goddess
- Hungry In Hogtown
- Jellypress
- Jumbo Empanadas
- A Veggie Venture
- Kochtopf
- Le Moulin
- Make Life Sweeter!
- Living Venice … and Beyond
- Italian Cooking Recipes
- Foodisgood
- Joonbug.com (New York)
- Once Upon A Feast
- P.A. Moed
- Pinch My Salt
- Posie Gets Cozy
- Rubber Slippers in Italy
- Scrumptious Street
- Seven Spoons
- Still Life With
- Sweet Pleasure: Plaisir Sucré
- Tales From Pixie Wood
- The Flying Apple
- The Second Helping House
- My Kitchen in Half Cups
- Winosandfoodies
- Winter Skies, Kitchen Aglow
- 101 Cookbooks
- A Blithe Palate
- ACE Bakery
- A La Cuisine!
- All Recipes
- All Things Edible
- Scones, Muffins, and Tea Cakes
- Trattoria Cooking
- Dip It!
- Panini, Bruschetta, Crostini
- Chez Panisse Vegetables
- Perfect Cakes
- Chez Panisse Fruit
- Italy in Small Bites
- Marcella Says
- Once Upon a Tart
- The Cook and the Gardener
- The Weekend Baker
- Chez Panisse Desserts
- Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
- The Good Cookie
- Lorenza's Pasta
- The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
- Barefoot Contessa Parties!
- The Babbo Cookbook
- Rustico
- Barefoot Contessa Family Style
- The Complete Book of Baking
- How to Be a Domestic Goddess
- An Alphabet of Sweets
- Death By Chocolate Cookies
- Canadian Living Cooks Step By Step
- Breads from the La Brea Bakery
- The Art of Eating Well
- On Food and Cooking
- The Pie and Pastry Bible
- The All New, All Purpose Joy of Cooking
- The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
- The Cake Bible
- Baking with Julia
- Italy Al Dente
- The Food of Italy
- The Silver Spoon
- Celebration Breads
- Williams-Sonoma Collection: Dessert
- More From Magnolia
- Paris Sweets
- Pure Chocolate
- Cheesecakes
- Biscotti
- Sweet Miniatures
- Afternoon Delights
- Luscious Chocolate Desserts
- A Beautiful Bowl of Soup
- The Simple Art of Perfect Baking
- Essentials of Baking
- The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion
- The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion
- Easiest and Best Coffee Cakes and Quick Breads
- Out to Brunch
- Barefoot in Paris
- Everyday Italian
- Wanda's Pie in the Sky
- For the Love of Soup
- Truly Madly Pasta
- The ACE Bakery Cookbook
- Salad Dressing 101
- Biscuit Bliss
- Party Nuts!
- French Farmhouse Cookbook
- Fagioli
- Avventura
- Bittersweet
- Home Baking
- Bread Made Easy
- Soffritto
- Pasta!
- Caprial's Desserts
- The Great Chocolate Book
- Truffles, Candies, and Confections
- The Donut Book
- Risotto
- Bread
- Brunch
- Buonissimo!
- Recipes from an Italian Terrace
- A Passion for Chocolate
- Basic Italian
- Simple Italian Sandwiches
- Mediterranean Street Food
- The French Market
- Patricia Wells' Trattoria
- The Italian Baker
- A Thousand Days in Venice
- Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home
- The Zuni Cafe Cookbook
- All About Braising
- Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating
- The Cake Book
- Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague
- Larousse Gastronomique
- Baking: From My Home to Yours
- The Chef's Table
- Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizza, Calzone
- Rose's Christmas Cookies
- A Passion for Piedmont
- The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook
- Williams-Sonoma Collection: Cake
- Italian Farmhouse Cookbook
- The New Food Lover's Companion
- Pizza (Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library)
- Luscious Lemon Desserts
- A Passion for Desserts
- Caramel
- Delicious Dips
- Luscious Berry Desserts
- The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market Cookbook
- Cupcakes!
- A Passion for Ice Cream
- Coffee Cakes
- A Sweet Quartet
- Sunday Suppers at Lucques
- Kitchen Sense
- Cheese: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Best
- Wing It!
- Beautiful Breads and Fabulous Fillings
- The Best Quick Breads
- Iced Tea
- Artisan Baking
- Bread for Breakfast
- The Cheese Board: Collective Works
- Les Halles Cookbook
- Simple Soirees
- Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book
- The Handmade Loaf
- Al Forno
- Italian Vegetables
- Meze
- The Lost Art of Baking With Yeast: Delicious Hungarian Cakes & Pastries
- BakerBites
- Baking and Books
- La Tartine Gourmande
- Becks & Posh
- BetterBaking.com
- The Candied Quince
- Cottage Chic Living by Cherry Menlove
- Chez Pim
- Chocolate & Zucchini
- Chocolatier
- The Cookbook Store
- Cooking.com
- Cook's Illustrated
- La Cucina Italiana On Line
- Cucina Testa Rossa
- De Arte Coquinaria
- Delicious Cafe
- Delicious Days
- Epicurious
- Flickr
- Food & Wine
- Foodbeam
- Foodieblogs.net
- FoodieView
- Food for Thought - A Foodtv.ca blog
- From the Branches of an Olive Tree
- Geneve's Kitchen
- Golda's Kitchen
- Il Forno
- International Recipes
- Is My Blog Burning?
- ItalianMade.com
- Joy Of Cooking
- Our Adventures in Japan
- Kitchen Connaisseur
- La Toile Maison
- Leite's Culinaria
- Lidia's Italy
- Lori Longbotham
- Lucullian Delights
- Do You Know The Muffin Man?
- Market Hall Foods
- Living in Florence
- Michaelaram.com
- Monika Korngut's Delicious Living
- An Obsession with Food
- Orangette
- Pastry Arts and Design
- Pastry Chef Central
- Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum
- The Republic of Tea
- ReTorte
- Rustico Cooking
- Saveur
- Simply Recipes
- Slashfood
- Taste T.O.
- The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz
- The Perfect Pantry
- Tomato_Kumato
- The Traveler's Lunchbox
- The Vanilla.COMpany
- Vinography
- The Wednesday Chef
09/13/07 at 11:15 pm
I think I am going to have to go with dried figs…I can’t seem to find fresh.
09/13/07 at 11:35 pm
Good looking cookies! Love the colour of the pistachios.
When my parents arrive from Croatia on Wednesday they’ll bring home-dried from our own trees….yum!
I’ll be going for dried figs too, I don’t like fresh ones…something my family in Croatia still doesn’t understand
09/14/07 at 12:44 am
Waouh, I discover your site … and your cookies. That’s great.
09/14/07 at 5:38 am
I tried so hard Ivonne, but my fig clafoutis seeped out from the quiche pan and attached itself to the baking sheet
. Then I tried again with tree-picked figs but they didn’t look as good as the big figs - it ended up looking like a salami pizza. Now , the hubby wouldn’t let me touch his stash of figs! I will check the supermarket for some nice figs this weekend so I can get my own stash.
09/14/07 at 5:39 am
Yummy looking cookies ,BTW.
09/14/07 at 7:31 am
I just picked that book up at the library. I haven’t tried anything yet, but there are a lot of great cookie recipes…and it looks like you made a winner!
09/14/07 at 9:37 am
I plan on contributing to this contest, with a baked good featuring dried figs - I will do my best to meet the September 24th deadline!! so I just need to email you the recipe and picture, of my submission?
09/14/07 at 11:34 am
Oh this is perfect timing to make for next week when my parents arrive…and many times while they are here! They look fantabulastic! I am taking the weekend off but will post my SHF next week.
09/14/07 at 12:29 pm
Thanks for the reminder and these sweet little cookies.
I found some fresh figs today and I’m going to get cooking!
09/14/07 at 8:49 pm
You’ve inspired me to try a little more baking!
09/15/07 at 12:58 pm
Those are so pretty…and so tempting!
They would be perfect with a coffee… what time are you serving?
09/16/07 at 5:16 am
Oh wow they look awesome
09/16/07 at 4:12 pm
Things are getting serious. I’m either going to have to be a little more conscientious about my excercise programme ( currently occasional to non-existent) or stop visiting your blog. Tough call as I don’t really want to do either. I guess all of life’s a pay-off and I can always motivate myself by visualizing a little plate of these cookies at the end of each workout. Maybe I should just try them first to see if they are worth the effort
09/16/07 at 6:30 pm
Count me in, Ivonne!! I’ll mark the deadline on my calendar!
09/18/07 at 9:58 am
Though I’m not so big on figs, it seems as though these pistachios would win me over in having a bite of this cookie. Nice work.
09/19/07 at 5:01 am
Wow lovely cookies. Simply irresistible ingredients and combinations. Once again I wish you were my neighbor or lived nearby - I’d love to try these.
09/19/07 at 11:32 pm
Beautiful cantuccini Ivonne ! Love your blog, great work
Greetings!
xoxo
09/20/07 at 3:43 pm
i made these cookies the other day, i am not sure if i baked them quite long enough…but my coworkers still gobbled them up. thanks!
09/21/07 at 6:19 pm
wow! Those cookies look awesome! Love the photos
10/25/07 at 7:25 pm
[…] course I’ve mentioned this cookbook a few times already, but I have yet to actually tell you about […]
07/22/08 at 4:55 am
Hi .Love your blog. Was surfing the net for cookie ideas, on images, clicked on one of yours and it led to your blog. It is so beautifuly designed I thought it was an advertisement for a bakery! What was going to be a few minutes on the computer turned out to be an hour and a half reading your blogs. It is 3 AM now in California and I really have to get to bed. I will log on again tomorrow for another fun time with you.