Maltese Easter Cookies (Figolli)

Nicole here and back again with another one of my Maltese favourites! Easter Cookies or figolli (plural of figolla) is the most commonly consumed pastry during the religious celebration of Easter.  When my siblings and I were little we would each receive a figolla from my godparents after church on Palm Sunday. The cookies were absolutely stunning. They were  pieces of artwork, too lovely to taste. They came in various shapes and sizes from mermaids and chicks to dragonflies and rabbits. Each were lovingly decorated in various pastel colours. 

Biting into a figolla tastes like marzipan sandwiched between buttery cookies. It is then enveloped in a light, citrus icing. Hints of citrus are also carried into the cookie pastry and the almond-paste filling. Therefore, it is with great intention that I find myself finalizing the last step of my figolli cookie production on this Palm Sunday.

While the process of making figolli is laborious, it is manageable when the process is spread over a series of two-three days, consisting of pastry dough preparation, baking and cookie decoration. Cookie assembly is also easier when smaller cookie cutters are used! 

Lastly, and most importantly, this recipe is gluten-free so that folks may partake in the joys of this spring cookie!

Tea Pairing: Earl Grey (Bergamot Tea)

Yield: 30-32 cookies

What you Need:

Almond Filling

2 small egg whites
1 tsp. almond essence
1 cup ground natural almonds
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp. fine lemon zest

Cookie Pastry

¾ cup refined sugar 
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. vanilla essence
2 cups Millet flour*
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fine lemon zest

 *(If a gluten free recipe is not desired, replace the millet flour with pastry flour)

Icing

1 cup icing sugar

4 tsp. plant-based milk*

1 tsp. corn syrup

1/4 tsp. almond essence

1/2 tsp. fine lemon zest

Drops of food colour (optional)

*(I used cashew milk for this batch but almond milk would work exceptionally well)

Tools 

Distilled water

Piping bag & frosting tip
Parchment paper/aluminum foil

Plastic cling-wrap

Rolling pin
Spring cookie cutters

Tip: You will need the zest of one full lemon to complete the cookie pastry, filling & icing for this recipe.

How to Make it Happen:

Almond Filling

1. Whisk the egg whites together with almond essence and set aside. 
2. In a separate bowl, combine the ground almonds, icing sugar and lemon zest together, slowly adding the almond mixture to the egg-whites until all is combined. The mixture will be gummy. PLEASE NOTE: if you use large egg whites in this recipe your mixture will be gooey. To solidify your almond paste filling, add more icing sugar. 
3. Wrap the almond paste filling in plastic cling-wrap and chill for up to 3 hours or overnight.

   The almond paste filling will be gummy (but not gooey)

Cookie Pastry 

1. Whisk two eggs together and add the vanilla essence. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, adding the whisked eggs and flavoring until the ingredients are well incorporated. 
2. In another separate bowl sift the millet flour, adding it to the wet mixture along with baking powder and lemon zest. Mix together until the pastry dough begins to form. 
3. Wrap the cookie pastry in plastic cling-wrap and chill for up to 3 hours or overnight. 
4. Once chilled, roll out the pastry into a 1/4-inch thickness to ready cookie production. Ensure that millet flour is used liberally on your working surface to prevent the dough from sticking. QUICK TIP: Gluten free flours thrive best when they are kneaded as little as possible. Do your best to limit rolling and re-rolling your dough. If the dough becomes too difficult to work with, chill the dough and start again. 

   Roll pastry to 1/4-inch thickness to ready cookie production

   
   
5. You will need two cookies of the same shape and size to complete one entire cookie as they will be sandwiched together with the almond paste filling.  Prepare each cookie top and bottom beside each other on a lightly greased cookie tray and set aside. 
   
6. Once the almond filling has slightly thawed, roll it out in similar fashion to the pastry dough. QUICK TIP: To work easily with the almond paste filling, roll the filling between two sheets of plastic cling-wrap. Typically 1/4-1/2 inch thickness works well with these cookies, keeping in mind that the filling will be sandwiched between two cookies. 

   Use plastic cling-wrap to help ease the almond-paste filling process

   
   
7. Use the same cookie cutter to complete the cookie's almond-paste filling. 
8. Place each almond-paste filling onto one of two sides of the pastry cookies, placing one for every second cookie on your baking sheet. 

   Place the almond filling on every second cookie

   
   
   
9. Place the second cookie on each of their matching tops to complete your cookie sandwiches. Pour a small dish of distilled water and use your fingertips to dampen the cookie's edges to seal the figolli, ensuring the delicious filling does not escape! 

   Wow, look at that filling! This is my happy place

   
   
   
   
   
10. Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Once the cookies have cooled, they can be stored in an air tight container or prepped for decorating. 

Icing Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, combine the sifted icing sugar and plant-based milk together, mixing until the icing sugar has dissolved. Ensure the lemon zest is finely chopped for consistency before incorporating into the icing mixture. 
2. Add the almond extract and corn syrup to the icing mixture. PLEASE NOTE: While you can skip adding corn syrup to the recipe, I find it helps create a glossy finish for the figolli. 
3. If desired, add food colouring and mix until all ingredients are thoroughly integrated. 
4. Once the cookies have cooled, use a piping bag to create an icing boarder around each cookie and allow to set before filling in each cookie's centre. 

   Create an icing boarder around each cookie and allow to set

   
   
5. Fill in the remaining centres with icing and allow to set before packaging & storing.  
   
   

   Fill the remaining cookie centres