FIG COOKIES

FIG COOKIES

Fresh fig right of the tree are awesome.    Every time my hubby and I go on our walk we stop by for a nibble.  I canned half the fig and froze the rest.

INGRIDENTS:

2 Cups of flour (about)
2 Cups of Figs.
2 Tablespoons of Fig Syrup.  Yummy  ( if you don't have this just add another 2 tablespoons of sugar)
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
3/4 Cup of Brown Sugar.
1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda.
1 Stick of butter soften.
2 Eggs


METHOD OF PREPARATION:

You will need a big bowl, a electric egg beater and a cookie tray to cook the cookies.

FIRST:
Note:  I like to pulse the butter in the microwave for about 8 seconds, twice to soften the butter.
But keep in mind all microwaves run at different temperature, so pulse less just to be safe.

Cut up the fresh or canned figs into bite size pieces and set aside.  Cream the butter in a bowl with your weapon of choice, when it is thoroughly creamed add white sugar, fig syrup and brown sugar and incorporate into the butter.    Break one egg at a time and add it to butter.  Beat some more.  Next add the baking soda and powder and beat in. Last but not least add the figs pieces and stir in with a wooden spoon.  Yes there is a lot of beating going on.  If your using the Pastry knife to cream the butter, just cut it up and keep cutting as you add the sugars and eggs.  Cut, cut, cut, then use a wooden spoon.

SECOND:
  Now add about three to four tablespoons of flour and mix it in.  Keep on doing this with the flour so you don't overwhelm the batter. The batter should be very moist and slightly sticky.  If you add too much flour it will overwhelm the butter and the cookie will not spread out, instead you will have a hard piece of cookie. Not yummy.  This is why you add a little at a time to the batter. One way to tell if the batter is good is mix it with a wooden spoon and if you can get a big chuck of it to stick to the spoon by lifting it up.  Sticky enough to stick to the spoon and not fall off.

THIRD: SHAPING.
1. Shaping by hand. Have a small bowl with flour in it to pat down the palms of your hands, this keep the batter from sticking to your hands.  You want to pick up about a walnut size or a little bigger and gently roll it in your hands making a ball and then place on cookie baking tray about two inches apart.

2. Using a spoon.  Use two spoon's smaller than a soup spoon. Pick up a little bit of the dough about the size of a walnut and then use the other spoon to push off the batter onto the cookie baking tray again leave about two inches between the cookies.

FOURTH: BAKING
Bake at 325 to 350 for 12 minutes or cookies have a nice lite golden looking.  But keep in mind the smaller you make the cookies the faster they cook, the bigger the longer they will cook. So always be mindful.
After they are done take them out of the oven and have a cookie rack near by to cool them on. With a metal spatula carefully lift time off the tray and place them on the rack to cool for five minutes or more.
Note: Cookies coming right out of the oven are very soft and breakable. As they cool they harden up and become yummy.

Get your self a nice big tall glass of cold milk, or hot coffee or tea and sit back and enjoy.  :)