Fig Cookies

A tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookie filled with sweet figs, citrus, and cinnamon. Perfect with a cup of Greek coffee!

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These delicious fig cookies are made with buttery rugelach dough and stuffed with a sweet, sticky fig filling. Rugelach dough is a cream cheese based pastry that doesn’t have sugar. It originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and is popular in Israeli cafes and bakeries. It’s the easiest dough, and I use it as a pie crust as well because it’s flaky and melts in your mouth. You can even make it ahead of time and keep it frozen until you’re ready to make your cookies. I can’t wait until you try these!

Why these cookies will be a favorite

• Tender, flaky pastry
• Sweet, gooey fig filling
• Mini hand pie cookie
• A delicious fig cookie with the easiest dough that can be made ahead!

Here’s what you need

For the Dough:

• Unsalted butter –room temperature to easily blend into the cream cheese
• Cream cheese –full fat or whole milk
• All-purpose flour

The Filling:

• Dried figs -your favorite brand
• Hot water
• Lemon juice -freshly squeezed
• Walnuts
• Ground cinnamon
• Apricot jam
• Orange marmalade -Use all apricot jam if you don’t have marmalade
• Granulated sugar

How to make fig cookies

Prepare the figs

1. Chop the figs and place them in a bowl.
2. Pour the hot water over them with a tablespoon of lemon juice and set aside to soften.

Make the dough: 

1. Combine the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth.
2. Add the flour and beat until just combined and dough is formed.
3. Set aside to rest while you make the filling.

Make the filling

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade, pulse the walnuts until finely chopped.
3. Add all of the remaining filling ingredients to the food processor and pulse until chopped but not smooth.
4. Cut the dough into 24 portions.
5. Roll each portion into a ball and flatten each ball into about a 3-4-inch circle.
6. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the center of each round and fold over.
7. Seal the edges of the dough using a fork and place the cookies on the prepared baking trays.
8. Pierce some holes in the top of each cookie using a fork and sprinkle the tops of the cookies with granulated sugar.
9. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
10. Allow the cookies to cool before serving

Make-ahead freezer instructions

You can have these cookies on hand in the freezer for any day or occasion. Assemble the cookies and place them on baking trays lined with parchment paper. Freeze the cookies until solid, and then transfer them to freezer-safe bags. They will keep fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months. Bake them frozen in a preheated 350 °F oven for about 30 minutes. Allow them to cool before serving.

Serving

You don’t need anything to eat these delicious cookies, but the kids enjoy them with milk, and adults love them with a hot cup of Greek coffee or tea. They would be perfect for serving at a gathering or in a gift box with other cookies. Let me know how you eat and share them! Kali Orexi

Try these other cookies

• MELOMAKARONA: GREEK HONEY COOKIES
• AMYGDALOTA: GREEK-STYLE CHEWY ALMOND COOKIES
• Italian Rainbow Cookies: Better than the Bakery!!
• Baci di Dama Cookies (Lady’s Kisses): Italian Hazelnut Cookies filled with Chocolate

Continue to Content

Fig Cookies

Yield: Makes about 24 cookies

A tender, melt in your mouth cookie filled with sweet figs, citrus, and cinnamon. Perfect with a cup of Greek coffee!

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Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 8 oz (226g) unsalted butter
• 8 oz (226g) cream cheese
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

The Filling:

• 10 dried figs (200g/7oz)
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup (90g) walnuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup (90g) granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Chop the figs and place them in a bowl. Pour the hot water over them with the tablespoon of lemon juice and set aside to soften.
2. Make the dough: Combine the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the flour and beat until just combined and a dough is formed. Set aside to rest while you make the filling.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 °F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
4. In the bowl of a food processor that has been fitted with the blade, pulse the walnuts until finely chopped.
5. Add all of the remaining filling ingredients to the food processor and pulse until chopped but not smooth.
6. Cut the dough into 24 portions.
7. Roll each portion into a ball and flatten each ball into about a 3-4-inch circle.
8. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the center of each round and fold over. Seal the edges of the dough using a fork and place the cookies on the prepared baking trays.
9. Pierce some wholes on top using the fork. Sprinkle the tops of each cookies with granulated sugar.
10. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
11. Allow the cookies to cool and serve with Greek coffee. Kali Orexi.

Notes

Freezer Instructions: Assemble the cookies and place on baking trays lined with parchment paper. Freeze the cookies until solid and then transfer them to freezer-safe bags. They will keep fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months. Bake them frozen in a preheated 350 °F oven for about 30 minutes.

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