Dried Fruit And Nut Biscotti Recipes

FRUIT AND NUT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• 1. Set oven temp to 325 degrees
• 2. Using one very large bowl break eggs and add sugar
• 3. Whisk eggs and sugar together
• 4. Add nuts and dried fruit to egg and sugar mixture and allow to cover it completely so when you add the flour it does not show up white in the middle of the pecans or walnuts etc.
• 5. Add flour to the bowl and using strong spatula mix up completely....
• 6. Use large cookie sheet and cover with parchment paper.put a little bit of butter on the parchment paper
• 7. Make a log and put it on the cookie sheet
• 8. Place in oven and bake about one hour
• 9. Take out of oven reset oven temp to 425 degrees
• 10. Using a very sharp serated knife slice the baked log on an angle ....take the sliced cookie and put back on the cookie sheet and rebake for five minutes on each side

FRUITY BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Put the flour, baking powder, spice and sugar in a large bowl, then mix well. Stir in the eggs and zest until the mixture starts forming clumps, then bring the dough together with your hands - it will seem dry at first but keep kneading until no floury patches remain. Add the fruit and nuts, then work them in until evenly distributed.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 pieces. With lightly floured hands, roll each piece into a sausage about 30cm long. Place 2 on each tray, well spaced apart. Bake for 25-30 mins until the dough has risen and spread and feels firm. It should still look pale. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack for a few mins until cool enough to handle, then turn down the oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1.
• Using a bread knife, cut into slices about 1cm thick on the diagonal, then lay the slices flat on the baking sheets. The biscuits can be cooled and frozen flat on the sheet at this point, then bagged and frozen for up to 2 months. Bake for another 15 mins (20 mins if from frozen), turn over, then bake again for another 15 mins until dry and golden. Tip onto a wire rack to cool completely, then store in an airtight tin for up to one month, or pack into boxes or cellophane bags if giving as gifts straightaway.

TUSCAN BISCOTTI (CANTUCCI)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together eggs and granulated sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Mix in orange zest and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture until combined. Mix in nuts and dried fruit.
• Divide dough evenly between two parchment-lined baking sheets, forming each half into a 9-by-5-inch rectangle. Brush tops with egg white and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon sanding sugar.
• Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden all over and tops are firm to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
• Working with one rectangle at a time, transfer dough to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange, cut-side down, on fresh parchment-lined baking sheets.
• Bake, rotating sheets and flipping cookies halfway through, until lightly golden all over, about 40 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

BISCOTTI: TRADITIONAL AND WHOLE GRAIN KAMUT

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 300F and line a medium or large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In one bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a second bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, oil and extracts/liquors.
• Using a spatula, mix the dry ingredients into the wet until they are incorporated.
• Add the nuts and dried fruit last.
• Scoop half the batter out of the bowl with your spatula and lay it on your baking sheet, dragging it into a line and smoothing it with wet fingertips. Repeat with the second half of the dough until you have two smooth tubes roughly 2-3 inches wide and 1 inch tall.
• Bake for 35 minutes until the tops are lightly golden.
• Remove from the oven and gently set the biscotti tubes (still on the parchment) on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temp to 275F while the biscotti cool.
• Transfer the biscotti to a cutting board and cut 1-inch pieces on the diagonal using a sharp knife (I prefer a chef's knife over serrated).
• Lay the cut biscotti on the parchment lined baking sheet, cut side up, and bake at 275F for 10 minutes.
• Remove the sheet from the oven, flip all the biscotti over to their other cut side, and bake for 10 more minutes.
• Let the biscotti cool completely on a rack before dipping them in chocolate. Do not store in plastic or they will soften.
• Optional Chocolate Decoration
• Melt 4 ounces of chopped dark chocolate in mug, using the microwave in 15-30 second increments and stirring in between (1-2 minutes total, depending on your microwave).
• Arrange your cooling rack over the same parchment-lined baking sheet you used to bake the biscotti. (You can also place the biscotti directly on the parchment.)
• Dip the one end of a biscotti in the melted chocolate, and scrape one side gently on the rim of the mug as you pull it out. Place the biscotti scraped-side-down on your cooling rack or parchment for minimal dripping.
• If the chocolate re-hardens as you're dipping the biscotti, pop the mug back in the microwave for 15 seconds and clean up the sides of the mug with a spatula.
• Let the chocolate cool and harden completely before gently popping the biscotti off the rack or parchment.