Fig Pinwheels Recipes

Steps:

• Make dough: Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl, set aside. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.
• Transfer one of the dough halves to a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Roll out to a 10-by-12-inch rectangle, trim edges with a knife. Repeat with remaining dough half. Transfer each rectangle on parchment to a baking sheet. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Make filling: Bring figs, raisins, and juices to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until fruit has softened and only a few tablespoons of liquid remain, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely. Transfer fig mixture to a food processor, and puree until smooth.
• Spread half the filling over each rectangle. Starting with a long side, roll dough into a log. Wrap each log in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices using a sharp knife, transferring to baking sheets lined with parchment paper (and reshaping into rounds, if needed) as you work. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges turn golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Steps:

• Trim store-bought pie dough into an 8-inch square. Pulse 1 cup dried figs, 1/2 cup pitted dates, a pinch of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, 1 1/2 teaspoons orange juice and 1 tablespoon butter in a food processor. Spread over the dough and roll into a log; chill 30 minutes. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices and bake 12 to 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a mixer. Add butter, and beat on low speed until dough comes together, about 5 minutes. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out forty 2-inch squares using a sharp paring knife and a ruler (alternatively, use a pizza cutter). Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing each about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour boiling water over figs in a heatproof bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes. Puree figs in a food processor until smooth. Add quince paste, and pulse until combined.
• Whisk together egg yolks and heavy cream in a small bowl. Working with a few dough squares at a time, cut a 3/4-inch slit into the 4 corners of each, and brush surface with egg wash. Fold the 4 corners of each square into the center to form a pinwheel, and gently press the center to adhere.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon fig mixture into the center of each, and sprinkle entire cookie with sugar. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Bake until pale gold, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets set on wire racks for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks, and let cool completely.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan combine the figs, water and brandy. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook and stir till very thick, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in almonds and cool.
• Combine shortening and butter until fluffy; add egg and vanilla. Add half the flour and milk, then stir in the remaining flour by hand.
• Cover and chill 30 minutes.
• Divide dough in half. Roll out one portion on a floured board into a 10x9 inch rectangle. Spread half the filling to within 1/2 inch of the edge.
• Roll up, jelly roll style, starting from the 9 inch edge. Pinch edge to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
• Wrap rolld in waxed paper and freeze 2 hours or chill overnight.
• Cut into 1/4 inch slices and put on greased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute, then remove to rack.

Steps:

• Make dough: Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough in half; wrap each half in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.
• Transfer one of the dough halves to a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Roll out to a 10 by 12-inch rectangle; trim edges with a knife. Repeat with remaining dough half. Transfer each rectangle on parchment to a baking sheet. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Make filling: Bring figs, raisins, and juices to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until fruit has softened and only a few tablespoons of liquid remain, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely. Transfer fig mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth.
• Spread half the filling over each rectangle. Starting with a long side, roll dough into a log. Wrap each log in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices using a sharp knife, transferring to baking sheets lined with parchment paper (and reshaping into rounds, if needed) as you work. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges turn golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.
• HOW TO ROLL PINWHEELS
• After spreading filling over chilled dough, gently but tightly roll the dough, starting with a long side, into a log. Wrap in plastic; chill 1 hour or overnight. To keep pinwheels from flattening on one side, remove the log from the refrigerator from time to time, and roll it again on a flat surface. Then cut the log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, rerolling it as needed to retain shape.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• Thaw puff pastry and brush with melted butter right to the edge of the pastry.
• Sprinkle with dark brown sugar and cinnamon.
• Slice figs as thinly as possible and press into the pastry as evenly as you can. They will be quite soft and you can squish them a bit to spread them out as you want to avoid big chunks.
• Sprinkle grated chocolate over the figs and the pistachios.
• Carefully roll up the pastry from the narrow end and slice into around 12 pieces.
• Be careful as the dough will be sticky and can fall apart. I managed to slice them into 1cm wide pieces and discarded the two end pieces.
• Place on baking tray lined with paper or non-stick silicon baking mat.
• Place tray near the bottom of the oven and cook for around 20 minutes keeping an eye on them so that they don't burn.
• Note that the fresh figs caramelise into a jam which sticks to the tray so remove them carefully with a spatula when they have cooled slightly.
• Serve with sweetened whipped cream.