A few friends and I visited Southern Belle for tea, and while everything was wonderful, the fig pinwheels absolutely stole the show. They were delicate, perfectly balanced in flavor and had just the right amount of sweetness. They were easily one of the most memorable bites I’ve had in a while. I hope they will share their recipe.
— Aubrey Leynard, Decatur
Southern Belle’s chef and owner Joey Ward began offering “Royal Tea Service” in 2024. “Royal tea means we serve Champagne versus a high tea where they don’t. We offer a variety of cocktails including some with Champagne at our royal tea but my reason for calling it ‘royal’ is I believe all Southern belles are royalty,” said Ward.
Ward says he wanted to bring his version of tea service to Atlanta, influenced by his time spent working at a British tea house called A Spot of Tea in Rhinebeck, New York, while he was at the Culinary Institute of America.
For the tea service, each table receives a tiered stand with a selection of sweet and savory treats, and each guest chooses from a selection of four hot teas. The pastries are the creation of pastry chef Kristia Paz-Kilbourne. “The fig cookie, one of many rotating pastries offered in our tea tower, is inspired by an Italian pinwheel pastry featuring dried fruits and walnuts. Our version includes Georgia pecans and orange marmalade we make with local citrus,” Paz-Kilbourne said.
The cookie dough is soft and a bit crumbly. We had the best results when we rolled out the dough between two sheets of waxed paper. The filled cookie rolls must be prepared ahead of time and either refrigerated for at least an hour before baking, or frozen before being sliced and baked.
Southern Belle’s Fig Pinwheel Cookies
- 3/4 cup golden raisins
- 3/4 cup chopped pitted dates
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1/3 cup chopped dried figs, stems removed
- 1/3 cup orange marmalade
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup shortening, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Make filling: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade, combine raisins, dates, 1/4 cup sugar, figs, marmalade, pecans, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Process until finely chopped, about 1 minute.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or wooden spoon to cream shortening and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in egg, milk and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually stir flour mixture into shortening mixture until the two are well combined. Divide dough into two portions.
- Cut 2 (12-by-18-inch) sheets of parchment or waxed paper. Working with one portion at a time, roll dough between sheets of paper into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch-thick. Uncover the dough and use a butter knife or an offset spatula to shape the dough into a rectangle if necessary. Use offset spatula to spread rectangle with half the filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border on both the longer sides.
- Working from one of the long sides, use the bottom paper sheet to help roll the filled dough onto itself to make a tight spiraled log. Wrap log in plastic wrap and repeat with second portion of dough and remaining filling. Refrigerate logs at least 45 minutes. If desired, freeze logs for up to 2 weeks, then thaw in refrigerator 1 hour before baking.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove logs from refrigerator. Using a sharp knife, shave and discard a thin crosswise slice off of the ends of each log so you have straight sides with the full spiral exposed. Cut dough into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange on prepared baking sheets. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Do not overbake as the dried fruit filling may scorch.
- Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes 4 dozen cookies.
Per cookie: 66 calories (percent of calories from fat, 30), 1 gram protein, 11 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 2 grams total fat (trace saturated fat), 3 milligrams cholesterol, 25 milligrams sodium.
From the menu of ... Southern Belle, 1043 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-698-3961, southernbelleatl.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on X and @ajcdining on Instagram.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
