Festive Dried Fruit Biscotti Food

HOLIDAY BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.
• Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.
• Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.
• Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.
• The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.

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.

TROPICAL FRUIT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat flour, granulated sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and allspice to combine. Add butter; beat on medium speed until coarse crumbs form, about 2 minutes.
• Reduce speed to low and add whole eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, until a stiff dough forms. Beat in pistachios, papaya, and ginger. (If they don't completely incorporate, knead in.)
• On a parchment‐lined baking sheet, shape dough into two 11‐inch logs. Pat each out to 2 inches wide. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Bake until set in middle, firm to the touch, and light golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack.
• With a serrated knife, slice logs on the diagonal, slightly wider than 1/4 inch. Arrange slices, cut‐sides down, on parchment‐lined baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until just golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 weeks.

DRIED FRUIT AND NUT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.
• Add eggs, nuts and fruit.
• Mix well.
• Put into a greased loaf pan and bake on 180 degrees for about 40 minutes.
• Cool and turn out of pan.
• Slice loaf as thinly as possible and layer on large oven tray.
• Reduce oven to low temperature and place tray in oven to dry out biscotti for approximately another 40 minutes.

HOLIDAY BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.
• Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.
• Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.
• Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.
• The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.

FESTIVE DRIED FRUIT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Beat margarine until soft.
• Beat in sugar and eggs.
• Add melted white chocolate,juice and extract until combined.
• With your hand fold in remaining ingredients. The dough will be sticky.
• Form dough into logs almost as long as the cookie sheet and place 3 inches apart.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown.
• Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• Remove biscotti from oven and let cool 5 minutes before slicing diagonally.
• Return to oven and toast on each side for 5-10 minutes.
• Store in air-tight containers.

BASIC BISCOTTI RECIPE

Steps:

• Cream together oil and sugar; beat in eggs and then vanilla. Add sifted flour and remaining dry ingredients and mix well.
• Fold in fruits or nuts or other ingredients if you are adding any.
• Flour your hands so the dough doesn't stick to you and form 2 loaves or "flat logs" on a cookie sheet making them the width of cookie you want.
• Bake the loaves at 375 deg. F for 15 minutes then lower temperature to 300 deg. F and bake for 30 minutes. When the loaves are nicely browned on the outside, take them out of the oven.
• Using a bread knife, slice loaves into individual cookies about 1/2 to 3/4" thick. Place freshly cut biscotti on the cookiesheet on their side and put back into the oven for 5 minutes on each side to crisp up.
• Yummy treat.

SAVOURY BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl.
• Add the eggs and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cayenne, pepper, rosemary, cheese, and both seeds. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just enough to combine.
• On a parchment-lined baking sheet, shape into a 5-by-16" rectangle, about 1" thick.
• Bake in a preheated 275 F oven for 40 minutes until firm and golden.
• Remove from oven, allow to cool at least 15 minutes, and then cut diagonally at 1" intervals using a serrated knife.
• Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
• Dishing - Calgary Women Cook.

FESTIVE CRANBERRY AND DATE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend well.
• Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
• Mix in orange zest, vanilla, ginger and nutmeg.
• Beat in flour mixture just until blended.
• Stir in cranberries, dates and pistachios (dough will be sticky).
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.
• Gather dough together; divide in half.
• Roll each half into 15-inch-long log (about 1 1/4 inches wide).
• Carefully transfer logs to 1 prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.
• Bake logs until almost firm to touch but still pale, about 30 minutes.
• Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes.
• Maintain oven temperature.
• Carefully transfer logs still on parchment paper to cutting board.
• Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into generous 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Place slices, one cut side down, on remaining 2 prepared sheets.
• Bake until firm and pale golden, about 10 minutes per side.
• Transfer cookies to racks and cool.
• Stir chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water until smooth.
• Remove from over water.
• Using tines of fork, drizzle chocolate over biscotti or, alternatively, dip half of biscotti in the melted chocolate.
• Let stand until chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

FRUITCAKE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using paddle attachment, combine flour, granulated sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add butter and beat on medium-high until coarse crumbs form. With mixer on low, add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in almonds, citrus peel, and dried fruit.
• On two parchment-lined baking sheets, shape dough into four 3-inch-wide logs. Brush with egg white; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until just set in middle, 30 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. With a serrated knife, cut logs on the diagonal into 1/4-inch slices. Bake on parchment-lined baking sheets until just golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool on sheets on racks.