Tender crumbed, lemon-scented shortbread, filled with homemade marzipan with a hint of orange blossom. A smudge of royal icing and a surprising touch on top: a foil-wrapped milk chocolate egg. That’s how you make figolli, a traditional Easter cookie from Malta.
Malta is a tiny Mediterranean island positioned between Sicily and Tunisia whose cuisine is as wonderfully motley as its collaborating cultures. My darling mother-in-law is Maltese (she came to Australia with her family on a ship at age 16), and since the language is a mix of Arabic and Italian, we often throw words at each other: “hey, do you say koursi for chair in Arabic?” and “hey, do you say tayyara for plane in Maltese?”
In years past, I’ve made ma’amoul for Easter, the traditional Arabic date-stuffed semolina cookies. This year, I wanted to try something a bit different.
In a bid to impress my very Maltese grandmother-in-law, I did a quick Google search and landed on Sweetapolita’s recipe for figolli and was immediately sold. She is an expert cookie decorator – and I am not – so I opted for a simpler decorative option and vowed to make at least 1,000 extra cookies to practice for next year (flooded royal icing, here I come).
I cut the recipe in half, to make one sandwich cookie per person (there is a pretty heaving Easter menu planned; never underestimate the Maltese, they are just like the Arabs with their feasting!) and half of this royal icing recipe from Wilton. Then, each cookie gets topped with a surprising – but apparently traditional – foil-wrapped chocolate egg.
Feel free to use store-bought marzipan or your favorite prepared royal or buttercream icing if you prefer. Or, skip the icing entirely and dust the cookies lightly with icing sugar. I did half each way – iced and dusted – for those that love a mix of sweet and a bit less so.
I made marzipan from unpeeled almonds I had in the pantry, which came together in a snap and was worth the extra step. Next time, an additional spill of orange blossom would be welcomed, if only for that extra reminder of the flavors that bring the Maltese kitchen, and my own, together.
Provisions
- 400g all purpose flour
- 200g unsalted butter, cubed
- 175g granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Water, to bind (about 1/2 cup)
- 250g ground almonds
- 2 cups icing sugar (confectioners' sugar)
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp orange blossom water
- Royal icing (prepared or Wilton's recipe)
- Foil-wrapped chocolate eggs
Method
- Place the flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the sugar, eggs and lemon zest and process until combined. With the motor running, slowly pour in enough water to make a firm (but still pliable) dough, about 1/2 cup.
- Remove the dough from the processor and separate into two balls. Press down lightly to make two discs, wrap in plastic and let them chill in the fridge for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the marzipan by mixing the ground almonds, egg whites and orange blossom water in the food processor until it becomes a thick paste. Cover and set aside.
- Dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll out each disc to 1/8" thickness and transfer to a baking sheet. Pop the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes, to firm up.
- Remove one rolled-out disc of the dough from the fridge. Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes of your choice - you will need two identical pieces to make one sandwiched cookie.
- Spread a teaspoon of marzipan in the middle of half of the cookies (leaving a 1/2" border around the edges". Brush the edges of the marzipan-coated cookie with water, and press its un-marzipan'ed match on top, sealing it together by pressing the edges gently. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
- Place the assembled cookies in the freezer for 15 more minutes to firm up again. This helps the cookies maintain their shape while baking.
- Bake 18-20 minutes or until the edges are just starting to become golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the royal icing. Spread icing in an even layer over each cookie, and top with a wrapped chocolate egg for the traditional Maltese touch.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Sweetapolita.com
