Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 TBS. Baking powder
• 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
• ¼ cup milk

• ¾ cup dried figs, chopped
• ¾ cup dates, pitted and chopped
• ¾ cup pine nuts
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• ½ tsp. Ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 egg slightly beaten

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
• Mix butter and sugar and beat until creamy.
• Add egg and vanilla to butter/sugar mixture and beat until fluffy, but not stiff.
• Combine with flour mixture.
• Add milk.
• Divide dough into quarters and flatten into disks.
• Wrap discs in plastic and refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes.

• In a food processor combine all ingredients except egg, to make a paste.

• Lightly flour a flat surface.
• Roll one dough piece into a rectangle approx. 9 x 6 inches.
• Cut rectangle into nine pieces approx. 3 x 2 each.
• Place a well-rounded teaspoon of filling down center of each piece (lengthwise)
• Fold along sides of the dough to meet in the center and pinch together with fingers or a fork to seal tightly.
• Place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet.
• Fold ends to shape like a crescent (half-moon)
• Cut 3 slits into the top of each cookie.
• Brush lightly with the beaten egg.

• Bake for 25 minutes or until golden - but not dark.
• Cool on wire racks.

• If you'd like you can add multicolored sprinkles after the egg wash to give the cookies a more festive appearance.
• These cookies freeze very well.