Orange Apricot Biscotti Food

ORANGE, ALMOND AND APRICOT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 320 (160C) and line a cookie tray with parchment paper.
• Sift the flour and baking powder in a bowl then stir in the sugar. Add the almonds and apricots.
• Lightly beat the eggs and add to the mixture along with the orange juice and zest. Mix until combined.
• On a well floured surface such as a clean kitchen bench or table roll the mixture out onto a log about 3 ½ inches wide and long enough to fit on you cookie tray, but leaving about 2 inches at each end to allow the log to expand in the oven. As biscotti mix is quite wet you can be really liberal with the flour here, putting down a good ½ a cup or so. Keep your hands well floured to roll and shape the log.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes until a slight golden crust has formed. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray completely.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 300 (150C). Once cooled transfer the log to a cutting board and with a sharp kitchen knife or serrated bread knife, diagonally cut the log into biscuits about ½ an inch in thickness.
• Place the biscuits back on the baking tray and return to the oven and continue to bake for around 10 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Remove from oven and stand on tray for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

APRICOT AND ALMOND BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Remove enough zest from one large orange to make 1 tsp. set aside.
• Squeeze the orange to obtain 2 teaspoons of orange juice.
• Combine the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, eggs, salt, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla for 2 to 3 minutes, until thick and pale.
• Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl a little bit at a time. Add in the chopped apricots and almonds and mix on medium-low speed until all the ingredients are moistened.
• Let the dough rest a couple of minutes in the mixer bowl.
• Scrape out the dough with a rubber spatula onto a lined cookie sheet (I used a sheet for each log) and divide the dough in half.
• Spray hands with cooking spray. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, then shape each into a flattened log, about 3 inches wide and 12 inches long. If you are using one baking tray, place logs a few inches apart on the baking sheet so they won't stick together as they bake. If you have two sheets, place one log on each lined baking sheet.
• Bake until dough is firm but gives slightly when pressed, about 20-25 minutes.
• Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let logs cool completely (could take a full 30 minutes). Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
• Transfer the first loaf carefully to a cutting board. When the logs have completely cooled down, begin slicing the first log by pressing a very sharp knife straight down into the dough. Place the cookies back on the baking sheet, cut sides up. Keep in mind that the when you slice on a bigger angle, you will get much longer cookies. If you slice short angles, you'll get small biscotti. Place the second log on the cutting board and repeat process cutting out the cookie pieces and placing on the baking sheet.
• Bake 7 minutes, flip biscotti, and bake 7 minutes more.
• Set the sheet on a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. After 3 days, safest to store in the refrigerator.

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.

APRICOT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Chop the apricots.
• Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.
• In a large bowl, beat 3 eggs, orange zest, and vanilla with an electric mixer until just combined. Stir in the flour mixture and beat until a stiff dough is formed.
• Fold in apricots.
• In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg with the water. Form the dough into 2 logs, about 12 inches long each. Place on a greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Brush with egg wash.
• Bake at 350 degress for 40-50 minutes, until golden. Allow the logs to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
• With a serrated knife, cut the baked logs diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place the slices (cut side down) on the baking sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10 or 15 minutes more, until golden Cool on a wire rack. After cool, keep fresh in an airtight container.

APRICOT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven 8 to 10 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool slightly. Place nuts in a dishtowel and rub together to remove some of the skin. Coarsely chop and set aside.
• Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until soft and creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add lemon rind and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat well.
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir to blend. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating on low until a smooth dough forms. Stir in hazelnuts and apricots.
• Divide dough in half. With lightly floured hands, form dough into two 10 x 2-inch logs. Place on an ungreased baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet 15 minutes. Transfer logs to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut straight down through the log to make 1-inch-thick slices; discard end pieces. Arrange on a baking sheet.
• Bake 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn biscotti over and continue baking until lightly browned on the other side, about 9 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets before serving or storing. The biscotti store well for one week and freeze well. Makes about 20.

ORANGE SPICE APRICOT WHITE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• 1. heat oven to 350 degree's whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure to chop up any lumps from the brown sugar.Whisk until very well incorporated.
• 2. add the apricots and nuts and stir really well. add the molasses, orange juice, orange zest, eggs,and butter.
• 3. put your hands in the bowl and knead the dough. knead until all ingredients are well mixed. This will take about 5 minutes. Be patient. Just keep squeezing the dough together when kneading it. It will become smooth and moist after kneading it well.
• 4. Flour your hands well. Take the ball of dough and place on parchment or waxed paper. Make in to a log about 4-5 inches wide by 16- 18 inches long and 1 inch in thickness.Pick up log and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.(butter the sheet pan before applying the parchment on top. this will help keep the parchment in place.)
• 5. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min.. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes. Leave log on sheet pan. Cut slices with a serrated knife about one inch or less in thickness.
• 6. lay the pieces you cut on their sides on the parchment lined pan.Put back in the oven for 10 minutes. do not over brown. It depends on how hard you like your Biscotti. The longer you bake them. The harder they will be. I prefer them harder, and crunchy. Remove from oven and flip cookie over. Return to the oven.Bake again for 10 You can bake them longer for a crispier Biscotti. Also they harden up more after they cool.
• 7. Let Biscotti cool thoroughly. Next Pick up Biscotti and line them up on the pan smooth side up like the log is being put back together. Put cookies close as possible.
• 8. make the icing. Melt the white chips with the shortening,and milk in microwave. set timer for 2 minutes. Stop every 30 seconds or so to stir. When they are all nicely melted add the orange zest and stir well. Take the icing and drizzle all over the top of the Biscotti.
• 9. let it set in refrigerator for a few minutes. Some cookies may be stuck together after doing this. Simply get the knife and score on area's where they were sliced. Now they are ready to serve. Keep in an air tight container,or you may freeze them.

ALMOND APRICOT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add whole egg, milk, and extracts, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms, then knead in almonds.
• Divide dough between 2 sheets of wax paper, then form into 2 equal mounds and flatten each mound into a 5-inch disk. Put half of apricots in center of 1 disk and fold dough over apricots to enclose them (use wax paper as an aid if necessary), then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Form into a 14- by 2 1/2-inch log lengthwise on 1 side of baking sheet, spreading dough with wet hands. Make another log with remaining dough and apricots, arranging it about 4 inches from first log.
• Brush logs with egg wash and bake in middle of oven until pale golden and firm, about 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack 20 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300°F while logs cool.
• Carefully transfer baked logs to a cutting board using 2 wide metal spatulas, then cut logs diagonally into 1/2-inch-wide slices with a large heavy knife.
• Line baking sheet with a clean sheet of parchment. Stand slices, curved sides up, 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet and bake in upper third of oven until biscotti are dry, about 30 minutes (they will become hard as they cool). Transfer biscotti to rack to cool.

ALMOND CRANBERRY APRICOT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Mix flour and baking powder together& set aside.
• In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla and grated orange rind.
• Add almonds, cranberries and apricots.
• Add flour mixture to wet mixture.
• The dough will be sticky.
• Transfer onto a lightly floured work surface.
• Divide dough into two pieces.
• Flour your hands and roll one piece into a log almost the length of your cookie sheet.
• Place on the cookie sheet and flatten to about ½ an inch.
• Both logs should fit lengthwise on your cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes.
• Transfer to a cutting board and cut diagonally into ¾" slices.
• Stand cookies on their side and return to a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and flip each cookie onto the other side.
• Bake another 10 minutes.
• Let cool on a rack.
• You can use 1 cup of dried fruit mixture in any amount of each that you choose; it doesn't have to be 1/3 of each.