Italian Fig Cookies

Make the filling:  In a food processor, combine the figs, dates, and raisins and process to finely chop. Place the mixture in a medium bowl, add the remaining filling ingredients and stir to blend thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.

While the filling is in the fridge, make the dough:  Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Add the cubed butter and using your hands or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, 6 tablespoons of the milk, vanilla and almond extracts together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture starts to come together into a cohesive mass. If the dough seems too dry, add up to 2 tablespoons more milk, as needed. Turn the crumbly mass out onto a work surface and knead a few times, just until the dough comes together. Do not overwork. Divide the dough into three equal portions and form each portion into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to make the cookies, up to 1 day in advance.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two or three large baking sheets with parchment.

Working with one portion of the dough at a time, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up slightly. Place the dough on a floured work surface and dust the dough with flour. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/8-inch. Using a knife or a rolling pizza cutter, trim the uneven edges from one side of the dough, and then cut the dough into long strips 2 ½-inches wide. Using a small spoon and your fingers, shape a long rope of the filling down the center of each strip of dough. The filling should be about ½ inch wide. Working with one strip of dough at a time, bring both of the long edges up and over the filling to meet in the center, and press the edges together to close. Turn the filled ropes over so that the seam is now on the bottom, and press gently to compact the rope into a long thin cylinder. Cut the ropes into lengths about 1 ½ inches long, and place onto the parchment lined baking sheets, leaving about 1/2-inch between cookies. Repeat until you have used all of the dough and all of the filling. Bake the cookies until light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.

Once the cookies are cooled, divide the confectioners’ sugar into small bowls (one for each color desired), adding enough milk to each bowl to form a smooth but thick icing. Tint each bowl the desired color (white, pale green and pale pink are most traditional). One by one, dip the top of each cookie into the icing, letting any excess run off, then turn the cookie right side up on the wire rack and decorate with the nonpareil sprinkles. Allow the icing to dry completely before storing the cookies in airtight tins.

Cookies will keep up to two weeks in airtight tins and make excellent gifts around the holidays.