Cuccidati – Nonna’s Traditional Sicilian Fig Cookies Recipe
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Cuccidati, also known as Italian fig cookies, are a Christmas tradition in Sicilian families like mine. These tender pastries are filled with a sweet, spiced mixture of figs, dates, citrus, and brandy — a recipe my Nonna baked every year and passed down through generations.
Recipe at a Glance
- Name: Cuccidati – Sicilian fig cookies (also called Buccellati, “little bracelets”)
- Holiday Tradition: A classic on Italian Christmas trays
- Texture: Soft pastry with a chewy, spiced fruit-and-nut filling
- Flavor Profile: Figs, dates, citrus, jam, and brandy with warm spices
- Prep Ahead: Filling improves after resting for 2 days
- Yield: About 120 cookies (easily scaled down)
If you’ve ever been lucky enough to experience an Italian holiday cookie tray, you know it’s a beautiful mix of flavors and traditions. In our family, Christmas always includes Nonna’s Cuccidati, alongside Italian Chocolate Spice Cookies, Pignoli (Pine Nut Cookies), and Pineapple Cookies.
If you’ve never tried Cuccidati, get ready for the perfect balance of tender pastry and sweet, spiced fruit filling. And if you have, then you already know why these Sicilian cookies are unforgettable and borderline addictive!
What Are Italian Fig Cookies (Cuccidati)?
Cuccidati, also called Buccellati or Sicilian fig cookies, are festive pastries from Sicily, that have been baked for generations at Christmastime. They’re made by wrapping delicate pastry around a rich, sweet filling of dried fruits ground into a paste. Many versions include Marsala wine, brandy, or another liqueur, and some add nuts or bits of chocolate for extra flavor.
This is the Cuccidati recipe my grandmother brought from Sicily, which my mother carried on, and now I bake in my own kitchen each holiday season. While there are a few steps involved, both the filling and dough can be prepared ahead of time, making the process easier to manage. The result is a cookie that always earns a place of honor on the Christmas table.
If Why This Recipe Works
- Deeper flavor: Resting the filling for a day or two lets the figs, citrus, and brandy meld into a rich, fragrant paste.
- Tender dough: In Sicily, these cookies were originally made with lard. When my Nonna came to the U.S., like many Sicilian immigrants, she used shortening instead. It gives the pastry a soft, delicate texture similar to lard.
- Holiday-sized batch: Yields about 120 cookies (because Nonna shared with everyone) but can be scaled down.
- Make-ahead friendly: Both the cuccidati dough and filling can be prepared in advance, spreading the work out and keeping the holiday stress-free.
💡 Did You Know?
Traditional Sicilian bakers used lard in their holiday cookies. When my Nonna and many other Sicilian immigrants came to the U.S., they turned to shortening instead, a simple swap that kept the dough tender and stayed close to the original recipe.
Italian Fig Cookies Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Fig Filling Ingredients
- Dried Figs can be easily found in the grocery store during the fall and Christmas holiday season. Any fig will do, so whatever you can easily find will work. Mission figs seem to be the most common in our area. Be sure to remove any hard stems.
- Dates that are pitted will make your life a lot easier.
- Raisins of any variety will work. We have made the filling using both dark and golden raisins, and it is delicious with either variety.
- Orange Marmalade adds to the sweetness and provides additional orange flavor, but you can substitute apricot marmalade in this recipe if you prefer.
- Fresh Orange Juice and Peel: Use a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler to cut the peel of the orange so that you do not get any of the bitter white pith. You can also use orange zest in place of the whole peel. It is easiest to peel the orange before you juice it.
- Brandy can be substituted with Marsala wine or your favorite liqueur. We always have Amaretto or Grand Marnier in the house, so we often use one of these in our filling.
Cookie Dough Ingredients
- The flour used in this recipe is All-Purpose. Depending on the size of your eggs, you may need to add a little more.
- Large Eggs should be fresh and at room temperature before making the dough.
- Shortening: My mom and Nonna have always used shortening instead of butter. Of course, you can substitute butter, and it will provide more flavor than shortening. But butter is 80% fat and 20% water, while shortening is 100% fat. Butter will create a crispier cookie, while shortening produces a softer, more tender cookie. For this reason, we continue to use shortening in our recipe.
- Granulated Sugar works best in the cookie dough.
- Milk should be at room temperature. It keeps the cookie dough extra moist.
- Vanilla Extract
Glaze Ingredients
- Confectioner’s Sugar is also known as powdered sugar.
- Milk at room temperature will give the frosting a creamy texture.
- Vanilla Extract is my favorite flavoring as it does not compete with the fruity flavors of the filling.
Step-By-Step Instructions for Making Cuccidati
1. How to Make the Fig Filling
Step 1: Rehydrate the dried figs by boiling them for about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
Step 3: Process the ingredients until they form a thick paste, then refrigerate the fig mixture until you are ready to make your cookies.
Baking Tips
- Depending on the types of figs and raisins you use, your filling may be darker or lighter in color.
- If the filling seems too dry, add brandy or marmalade a teaspoon at a time until you achieve a thick spreadable paste.
- Make the filling a few days before you plan to bake the cookies so that the flavors have time to blend and deepen.
- Sometimes my mother makes it a month or two ahead and freezes it in an airtight container. The cuccidati filling is delicious!
2. How to Make Nonna’s Cuccidati Dough
Step 1: Make the Pastry Dough
- Combine the flour and baking powder and set aside.
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl with an electric or stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Add the shortening and beat for 2 minutes.
- Then, add the sugar, vanilla, and milk, and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients one cup at a time. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If it is sticky, add flour one tablespoon at a time.
Step 2: Knead and Rest the Dough: Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead it for a couple of minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour.
Step 3: Fill the Cookies:
- Start with a small portion of dough on a floured work surface and roll it into a 10″ log.
- Using a rolling pin, flatten the log so that it is about 4 inches wide.
- Mound the filling along the length of the dough.
Step 4: Roll and Cut the Cookies:
- Carefully fold one side of the dough over the filling and roll over the other side of the dough, forming a log and sealing the filling in the center. The seam side should be on the bottom of the log.
- Cut the log into 2″ long pieces while holding your knife at an angle.
Step 5: Bake the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Place the cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets about 1″-2″ inches apart.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Baking Tips
- You may need to add a little more flour if your eggs are very large.
- The dough can be made a day or two ahead to make the process easier, but it will need to be taken out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before assembling the cookies.
- The dough will be easiest to work with if it is slightly cool.
- The dough will be slightly tacky, but a floured work surface and rolling pin will make rolling it out easy.
3. How to Make the Glaze and Decorate The Cuccidati
Step 1 Make the Frosting: To make the frosting, combine confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and milk until the frosting is thick but pourable.
Step 2: Frost the Cookies: Frost the cookies by dipping them top-down in the glaze and removing the excess. Then, decorate as you like. Colorful sprinkles are popular, but I love to use sanding sugar for a little sparkle and a wintery look.
Variations
- Cuccidati are often made in different shapes. Half-moon or circular shapes made to resemble bracelets are very popular.
- Nuts are also a popular addition to the filling. Hazelnuts or walnuts are the most traditional ingredients. They should be toasted and ground before adding them to the rest of the ingredients.
- You can also include shaved or finely chopped chocolate in the filling.
Cuccidat FAQs
Once the frosting on the cuccidati has dried, you can store them in an airtight container with sheets of wax paper between the layers. Store the cookies at room temperature for up to a week.
Yes, Sicilian cuccidati cookies freeze well. Place them in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers of cookies and cover them with plastic wrap. Secure the container lid. Store the cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you are done making your cucciddati, any extra filling can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 10 days or frozen for up to 6 months. We like using it in other cookie recipes, as a spread on toast, as a crostata filling, or as a base for a fig and arugula pizza!
Cuccidati is pronounced “coo-chi-dah-ti.” In Sicily, they may be referred to as vurciddatu or purciddatu.
Other Holiday Desserts
If you want a holiday cheesecake, you will love my Easy Salted Caramel Swirl Cheesecake with Graham Cracker and Almond Crust. My Ricotta Mascarpone Cheesecake and Nutella Cheesecake are also very popular during the holidays.
More you may love
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Cuccidati – Nonna’s Traditional Sicilian Fig Cookies Recipe
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Equipment
- Food Processor, Mixer
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 8 cups Flour
- 7 tsps. Baking Powder
- 6 Large Eggs
- 1 lb. Shortening
- 2 1/2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 tsps. Vanilla
Filling
- 1 lb. Figs Dried
- 1 lb. Dates Dried
- 1 cup Raisins optional
- 1 Orange Peel and juice only
- 2 tbsp. Vanilla extract
- 1 shot Brandy or more if you like
- 2 tbsp. Orange Marmalade
Frosting
- 3 cups Confectioners Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 5 tbsp Milk
Instructions
Fig Filling
- Place the figs in a pan with enough water to completely cover them. Boil gently for 10 minutes. Drain and allow to cool off slightly.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until a paste is formed.
- The filling should be made 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- The filling can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen for several months.
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine baking powder with the flour and set aside.
- Beat eggs on medium speed with a mixer.
- Add shortening to the eggs and continue to beat.
- Add the sugar to the egg mixture. Beat until the sugar is fully incorporated.
- Add the milk and vanilla and mix well.
- While you are continuing to beat the mixture, add the flour, one cup at a time, making sure to incorporate it between additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often. The dough should be soft but not sticky.Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.
- Work with one small mound of dough at a time.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough into a log about 10" – 12"long.
- Using a rolling pin, flatten the log to about 3-4 inches wide.
- Using a teaspoon, mound the filling in the center of the log along the whole length of the dough.
- Carefully fold one side of the dough over the filling and roll over the other side of the dough forming a log again and sealing the filling in the center. You may need to lift the dough up with a dough scraper to get it started.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the cookies to about 2" long, at a angle.. The cookies will spread as they bake.
- Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until they are golden brown.
- Cool completely and frost by dipping the cookie in the frosting and spreading the frosting over the entire cookie with your finger
Frosting
- Mix the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth. The frosting is pourable but is not liquid
Hello can i use something other than brandy? Ty
Hi Joni, Yes you can use any liqueur that you like. Amaretto or Frangelica both add lovely nutty flavor or you can ust leave it out.
I enjoy these every year with your family and they were always one of my dad’s favorites. This year I want to make them for Christmas as a tribute!! Thanks for sharing all your great recipes with us!!!
Aww Thank you Eleni!
Enza, I’ve told you this before but I just made a big batch again this Christmas and it’s worth repeating –
This recipe is incredible! My grandmother (93 in just a few days) used to make these but no one has the recipe. Since she’s living in memory care with dementia, we thought we’d never again have “fig things” (or “figguh things” as my grandfather used to call it!).
This year I couldn’t be with my NJ family, so I sent them a batch and everyone loved it. However the biggest compliment was my grandmother who had some and loved it! Familiar things are so comforting to those with dementia and I think this was extra special for her this Christmas. She especially liked the crust 🙂 So thank you again Enza!
Marianne I am so touched that your grandmother loves my mother’s recipe! Thank you so much for sharing this. I am so happy that we could help you bring back happy memories for your grandmother! Merry Christmas to you and your family!!
Best cuccidati! Personally love when the cookies have more fig filling then cookie 🙂
Me too Juliana!
Just looking at these pictures make me happy
Then my job here is done!