Fruited Nut Biscotti Food

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.

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.

TRIPLE NUT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a plain cookie sheet place the nuts (break up the walnuts into smaller pieces) in a single layer and roast for 5-8 minutes. Remove from pan and place in a small bowl, let cool.
• In a large bowl beat 2 eggs and the sugar for 1 minute, then add the flour, salt, baking powder, honey, vanilla and zest, with the dough hook attachment mix the dough, when almost combined stir in the nuts.
• Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and gently knead into a soft dough.
• Divide into 3 parts and form into 3 logs. Approximately 8-10 inches (20-25cm) long, place on prepared cookie sheet and brush with beaten egg, bake for approximately 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cut each log into 1/4 inch slices on the diagonal, place cut side up on the cookie sheet and bake again for approximately 5-10 minutes or until dry. Let cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

CANDIED FRUIT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Blend in eggs and anise extract. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the egg mixture. Finally, stir in the candied fruit. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a log about 12 inches long. Place 2 logs per cookie sheet. Press down slightly and bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool on the pans for about 5 minutes. Slice diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and return to the oven for another 16 to 18 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Cool on racks and store in airtight containers.

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

FRUITED NUT BARS (BISCOTTI)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F
• Place nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake nuts for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Remove from oven and let cool. Chop into hearty sized pieces.
• Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and creamy. Add in vanilla extract and eggs.
• In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and spices
• In a third bowl, sprinkle a tablespoon of the flour mixture on top of the dried fruit and mix together. (This helps to keep the fruit from clinging together in a lump).
• Combine the rest of the flour into the butter, sugar and eggs. Fold in the fruit and nuts by hand.
• Divide the dough into two.
• On a greased, sprayed or lined cookie sheet place half the dough spreading out into a log 1/2 inch high, 1 1/2 inches wide and about 14 inches long. (Keep your ends a little squared off so you don't have itty bitty dried cookies from the end.) Repeat with second log allowing space between for the two logs to expand.
• Bake in the middle section of the oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned (also at 325 degrees). Let sit for a minute then remove to a rack for 5 minutes.
• Place logs on cutting board and using a serrated knife cut log into 1/2 inch pieces at a slight (45 degree) angle. Place the slices back onto the cookie sheet cut side up. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
• Allow cookies to completely cool before storing in a tightly covered tin. Stored well biscotti will last for a week or two.