MAKES 48 • PREP & CHILL: 2 HR • BAKE: 14 TO 19 MIN PER BATCH
DECORATE: ABOUT 15 MIN
FILLING
2 cups (12 oz) coarsely chopped, trimmed dried figs
1 cup (6 oz) coarsely chopped dried dates
Generous ½ cup orange marmalade
1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
3 Tbsp orange juice, plus more if needed
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
DOUGH
3 cups all-purpose flour
Generous ¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
ICING
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbsp milk, plus more if needed
¼ tsp anise extract or ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 drop each red and green food color
Decoration: multicolored nonpareils
1 Filling: Process ingredients in a food processor until coarsely puréed. If dry, add about 1 Tbsp more juice. (Can be refrigerated up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature and stir before using.)
2 Dough: In food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to mix. Drop spoonfuls shortening over mixture; pulse until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle with 
cup plus 1½ Tbsp ice water; pulse just until evenly moistened. Place dough on wax paper; knead until a smooth, slightly moist (not wet) dough forms. If dry or crumbly, knead in 1 to 2 tsp water.
3 Divide in half. Place each portion between sheets of wax paper. Roll each into a 12-in. square, cutting and patching to even sides. Stack (paper attached) on a baking sheet. Refrigerate 30 minutes until cold and firm.
4 Position racks to divide oven in thirds. Heat oven to 375°F.
5 Working with 1 portion (leave rest refrigerated), gently peel away 1 sheet of wax paper, then lightly pat back into place. Flip dough over on work surface; peel off top sheet. Cut dough crosswise into four 12 × 3-in. strips. Spoon about cup filling down middle of each. Fold over about 1 in. on each side to cover filling. Moisten edges, overlap slightly; press seams to seal. Trim uneven ends. Cut strips crosswise in 2-in. pieces. Place seam side down, 2 in. apart, on ungreased baking sheet(s). Cut 2 parallel 1-in. slits down each cookie to expose filling. Slightly bend in crescent shapes. Repeat with remaining dough and remaining filling.
6 Bake 1 sheet at a time in upper third of oven 14 to 19 minutes until slightly darker at edges, reversing sheet from front to back halfway through baking. Cool on sheet on a wire rack 1 to 2 minutes before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely.
7 Icing: Stir ingredients in a medium bowl to form a fluid icing; add more milk if needed. Transfer to a small bowl; stir in red food color. Transfer half of remaining icing to another small bowl; stir in green color.
8 Set racks with cookies on wax paper. Using a spoon, drizzle a line of pink icing crosswise over cookies, sprinkling with nonpareils before icing sets. Keeping colors separated, neatly drizzle lines of green and white icing over cookies, sprinkling with more nonpareils. Let stand 1 hour or until icing completely sets.
PER COOKIE: 125 cal, 1 g pro, 21 g car, 1 g fiber, 4 g fat (1 g sat fat), 1 mg chol, 48 mg sod
Storage tip: Store airtight at room temperature up to 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month.
