Fig Bars
- 1 12 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 12 cups sugar, plus
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 12 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 14 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature,1 lightly beaten for sealing dough
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 12 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 12 lemon, zested,cut into four 1 inch strips
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 24 ounces small dried black figs, stems trimmed (a small variety of figs)
- 14 cup cognac
- 2 cups water
- Make the cookie dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, the vanilla, and salt together until smooth.
- Add 1 egg and egg yolk, beating to combine, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add flour gradually, and continue beating until just blended.
- Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap, and shape into a rectangle.
- Wrap the dough well.
- Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.
- Make the filling: In a shallow, medium saucepan, combine lemon rind, cinnamon stick, figlets, cognac, 1 cup sugar, and 2 cups water over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low; simmer until the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove lemon rind and cinnamon stick, and let cool.
- Place fig mixture in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator, and divide in half.
- On a parchment-lined work surface that has been lightly floured, roll 1/2 of the dough into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick.
- Trim the dough to 9 by 12 inches with a pizza wheel or a knife.
- Cut the rectangle lengthwise into 3 strips, 3 by 12 inches.
- If the dough becomes soft, it may be necessary to chill it again.
- Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a#8 or#808 plain tip.
- Pipe the filling down the center of each strip.
- Brush beaten egg along 1 of the 12-inch sides of dough.
- Fold dough over fig filling to enclose, pressing gently to seal.
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper, seam side down.
- Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake cookies until light golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove to a cooling rack.
- When completely cooled, transfer to a cutting board, and cut each log into 1 1/2-inch cookies with a serrated knife.
unsalted butter, sugar, sugar, vanilla, salt, eggs, egg yolk, flour, lemon, cinnamon, black figs, cognac, water
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/fig-bars-72405 (may not work)