Don’t Make These: Fig and Pistachio Drop Cookies

c Shannon K. McDonough 2012

So, I am stuck at home on a beautiful late winter Saturday doing research for my library science course and needed a study break. And a snack.

After taking a quick survey of my pantry, I found some dried figs, some pistachio “nutmeats” and happen to have the other standard baking stuff on hand to make cookies.

I looked to one of the many cookbooks given to me by my dear, departed Italian Grandma, and find 1001 Cookie Recipes. (A book, I must say, that is extraordinarily usable and well-indexed.) In it on page 224, is a recipe for “Fruit Cookies IV,” which is basically a generic drop cookie recipe into which they mix raisins and walnuts. Not bad, but figs would be SO much better, I thought.

I got some water boiling, reconstituted those dried figs, chopped ‘em up into big chunks and then threw them in with the pistachios. I put the whole bowl of dough in the freezer for 20 minutes and then dropped the dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. The oven had been set to 350 degrees, and the cookies took about 12 minutes to bake.

All I was hoping for was something that wasn’t going to flop; they turned out REALLY good. Enough to make me not care that they don’t have any chocolate in them. I know. You may never want to make chocolate chip cookies again! There, I said it.

Give them a try and let me know what you think.

(Adapted from “Fruit Cookies IV” from 1001 Cookie Recipes by Gregg R. Gillespie, 1995, Black Dog and Leventhal)

Shannon’s Fig and Pistachio Drop Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour*
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cardamom*
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup butter*
• 1 cup light brown sugar*
• 2 large eggs*
• 1 cup reconstituted, dried figs, roughly chopped*
• 1 cup pistachio nutmeats*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs.

3. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients to the wet. Fold in the fig pieces and the pistachios.

4. Place bowl in freezer for 15 minutes or in refrigerator, covered, for 30 minutes.

5. Drop by the teaspoon-full onto ungreased cookie sheets. The cookies don’t expand much, so you can drop them fairly close together.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes depending on your oven. When you smell them baking, check them. The cookies are  done when the bottoms are slightly golden brown.

* My adjustments:

The original recipe called for AP flour, mace, cloves, vegetable shortening, 3 eggs, raisins and walnuts.