This nostalgic cookie goes by many names but the most popular is cuccidati! What tastes like a fig newton (to us North Americans!!), this traditional cookie – often made at Christmas – takes days to prepare. It is a true labour of love! But if you’d like to try this shortneed version, I think my recipe is a close second!!

There are some recipes that instantly pull you back into the past, the kind you can feel in your chest before you can even taste them. For me, cuccidati will always be one of those treats from Sicily that carries both the sweetness of tradition and that warm ache we call nostalgia.

In Greek, the word nostalgia means “the pain of an old wound.” It’s not just remembering; it’s feeling. It’s the kind of memory you want to climb back into, even if only for a moment.

And for me, that feeling comes alive in the kitchen, especially when I’m baking old-fashioned Italian Christmas treats that remind me of my heritage, my community, and all the shared stories that come with food.

A Sicilian Christmas Invitation

Back in November, I was invited to bake with the aunt of a close friend. Their Italian heritage is Sicilian, while my roots are more central Italian, and if you know anything about Italy, you know that food changes drastically from one region to the next.

So when this Sicilian aunt asked if I wanted to learn how to make cuccidati, an iconic Christmas treat from Sicily, my nostalgic heart immediately said YES.

What I didn’t know at the time is how deeply Sicilians guard this recipe, and how seriously they take the multi-day prep.

What Are Cuccidati?

Cuccidati are traditional Sicilian cookies filled with a luscious mixture of:

• figs
• nuts
• citrus
• warm spices
• and often a splash of liquor (usually rum or Marsala)

Imagine a giant fig newton… but more aromatic, more tender, more celebration-worthy.

Traditionally, the fig filling sits for days to let the flavours marinate. The cookies are rolled, baked, glazed, and finished with sprinkles or icing sugar.

They’re beautiful.
They’re nostalgic.
And they’re a labour of love, which is why I created this shortened version that captures the same flavour without the multi-day commitment.

A Peek at the Traditional Recipe

When I sat down to learn the “real” version, I was handed a stack of recipe cards, written in Italian, with multiple conversions, notes about shortening vs butter, and ingredients only found in Italian specialty stores.

Let’s just say… even if you speak Italian, the instructions require a translator, a mathematician, and maybe a priest.

So I took what I learned, compared it with the notes I took, and created a faster version that stays true to the spirit of the original.

If you want to explore a fully traditional version, this breakdown from La Cucina Italiana is a wonderful reference.

What You Need to Make This Classic Treat from Sicily

Dough:

• flour
• baking powder
• vegetable shortening
• eggs
• vanilla
• milk

Filling:

• good-quality mincemeat
• dried figs
• walnuts
• orange zest
• orange marmalade

Glaze:

• icing sugar
• orange juice
• milk (as needed)

This combination gives you the warm, fruity, tender cookie Sicilians adore, without the time commitment of the traditional three-day recipe.

Shaping Cuccidati (Traditional vs Modern)

There are endless ways to shape cuccidati, and every Sicilian nonna has an opinion:

Classic Bear Claw Style

• Roll out the dough
• Spread a strip of filling
• Roll, cut, slit, and fan out the edges

Round Filled Cookies

• Cut dough circles
• Spoon filling
• Seal with a second circle
• Bake and glaze

Both versions are completely authentic, it’s just personal (and regional!) preference.

A Christmas Treat Full of Nostalgia

When I posted these cuccidati on social media, the flood of nostalgic messages from Sicilian followers was overwhelming, everyone had a story, a memory, or a person these cookies reminded them of.

The beauty of this version is that it captures the essence without requiring three days in the kitchen. You can be nostalgic and efficient, a rare Christmas win.

FAQ: Cuccidati – Your Questions Answered

Cuccidati Recipe

Cuccidati: A Christmas Treat from Sicily

Try out the quick version of this traditional Sicilian cookie…the original takes about 3 days. This one takes one hour. You choose!!!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 20

Ingredients

  

Dough:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup milk

Filling:

• 1/2 700ml jar good quality mincmeat about 1 cup
• 10 large dried figs cut into small pieces – about 1 cup
• 1/2 cup walnuts chopped small
• 2 tbsp good quality orange marmalade
• zest of 2 oranges

Glaze:

• 2 cups icing sugar
• juice from the 2 oranges
• enough milk to make it creamy enough to drizzle will depend on how juicy the oranges are

Instructions

 

• In the bowl of a food processor, whirl the flour, baking powder, salt and shortening until the mixture looks like almond meal.
• Add the milk and eggs and pulse until the dough comes together; wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge while you get the filling ready.
• In the same food processor bowl, add the mincemeat, the figs, the walnuts, the marmalade, and the zest; puree until it becomes thinner but not completely paste-like..
• Take the dough out and cut into 4 pieces.
• Roll out the dough and either cut circles, spoon a tablespoon of filling in the middle of the circle, top with another circle and press to seal; place on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes.
• If you would like to make the other shape, roll out the dough to form a rectangle, place a strip of filling along the edge, roll the dough over the filling cut a strip and then cut the filled dough log into 2″ pieces. Cut 3 slits in the edge and separate a bit. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
• Continue until all the dough is used (you can re-roll dough).
• While the cookies are baking, make the glaze by mixing the icing sugar with the orange juice (add more milk if you need it thinner); dip each cookie in (or drizzle onto the cookies using a fork).
• If you are using the small candies, sprinkle them on quickly before the glaze hardens.

Video

Notes

Extra mincemeat can be frozen to use in another recipe.

Choose whichever shape you like – you do you!