Fruity Biscotti

Biscotti in presentation jar

I made this biscotti recipe as part of my Christmas gifts to my family.  It is incredibly easy to make, and perfect to get the children involved with making, if you have them.  The baking is done in 3 stages: once with the dough in long sausages, then cut up baked for 15 mins on either side, to create the crispness of the biscuit.


Ingredients:
350g Plain flour (plus a bit extra for rolling out)
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Mixed Spice (or spice of your choice ie. cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc)
250g Caster Sugar
3 eggs, beaten
Zest of 1 orange, grated
85g Raisins
85g Dried Cherries (or other dried fruit, like apricots, cranberries)
50g Blanched Whole Almonds
50g Shelled Pistachios


Method:

• 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.  Kneading the mix helps to distribute the fruit and nuts fully.
• 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.

After the 1st stage of baking, cut up, and lie sideways before baking further

• 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 straight away.

They were a big hit with all the family, and I've noticed that they seem to disappear more and more each time my lovely man goes to make us a cup of tea.  My second batch of these were made using up a lot of the Christmas baking remnants, so they have walnuts, pistachios, almonds and brazils, as well as chopped dried apricots, dried cherries and dried cranberries.  They turned out really fruity, and I actually prefer that tweak to the original recipe.