Swirls are more decorative than ingredients suggest. These two-toned cookies dress up a plate more than their earthy ingredients have a right to do. The fig and date mixture spreads on a rectangle of dough and the whole mess gets tucked into a long roll and chilled. Cookies can be cut from the roll in batches, and the roll stores for up to a month. I'm not sure the anise gives the fruit enough punch to distinguish these cookies from the flavor of your basic Fig Newtons. The dough needs more flavor, too, but rolls out easily, so forms a sturdy base. I'm thinking lemon zest could come to the dough's rescue. The festive look of the swirls is worth a bit more experimentation with flavorings. I tried substituting brandy for the water in the fruit puree, but that turned out to be a waste of good brandy. The flavor did not come through. Have an idea for a filling flavoring? The recipe is here and here .
I began this blog when my mother was ill and needed enough of my attention that I could not concentrate on longer-form works I wanted to write. I set those aside to distract myself with cookie-making and this blog. Please find my new blog (2020) entitled "Time NOT Lost" at karenbrattesani.blogspot.com, where I explore the behavior I see around me -- both my own and that of others -- and what it says about our changing culture during the coronavirus pandemic. And, I hope, beyond.