Fig Star Cookies

Directions

1. Cream the shortening and sugar; beat in the corn syrup, maple flavoring and Large eggs. Sift together the flour and salt; stir into the shortening mix. Shape the dough into two rolls about 2 1/2-inches in diameter.
2. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigeratefor several hrs. For the filling, cover the figs with boiling water and let stand for 10 min; drain, clip off the stems and cut fairly fine with scissors. Add in the cool water and cook for about 10 min till tender. Add in the corn syrup and lemon rind; cook for a few min longer. Mix the sugar, flour and salt; add in all at once and cook, stirring, till thickened and clear. Remove from heat; add in the lemon juice and nuts. Cold.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the rolls of dough into thin slices.
4. For star cookies, put a small spoonful of fig filling in the center of a cookie slice; then with your fingers, fold up the edges and healthy pinch in place to make a reasonable facsimile of a star. For filled cookies, put slices together in pairs with a dot of fig filling between them; press the edges together and prick the top with a fork or possibly mark with a knife. Bake either cookie for 8 to 10 min, or possibly till delicately browned around the edges.
5. Cold on racks.
6. Makes about 3 dozen filled cookies or possibly 6 dozen stars. Penny
7. Note: To freshen the cookies, reheat them in the oven for a few min and serve hot.