Christmas Biscotti with Fruit and Nuts

Christmas Biscotti with Fruit and Nuts

These delicious Christmas Biscotti are filled with candied fruits, almonds, and pistachios that bake into crispy golden brown cookies that are perfect for dunking. These cookies are mildly sweet and definitely addicting.

Course Christmas Cookies, Cookies

Cuisine Dessert, Italian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Cooling time 10

Total Time 1 15

Servings biscotti

Calories 120kcal

Author Jere' Cassidy

Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup pistachios
8 ounce candied fruit
½ cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon corn syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 eggs
3 ¼ cups AP flour
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Mixing the biscotti dough

Heat the oven to 350° F, and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper
Chop the slivered almonds on a cutting board or a food chopped to make smaller pieces. Next, chop the pistachios and place both nuts in a medium-sized bowl.
Add the chopped fruit to the nut and mix to combine, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, or a stand mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and beat on medium-high until the mixture is light and fluffy
Add three eggs one at a time, beating well between each, for the fourth egg, just beat in the egg white, then mix in the vanilla and the corn syrup.
In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture in one cup measurements, beating on medium speed to combine. At this point, the dough will be stiff. If using a hand-held mixer you may have to stir in some of the flour by hand.
Stir in all the fruit and nut mixture with a wooden spoon. You can hold out ¼ cup to press into the top of the dough.

Shaping and baking the biscotti

Divide the dough into thirds. This is about 1 ½ cups or 14 ounces each, or just eyeball each. On a lightly floured surface place the dough thirds and form into a log that is 10" x 2" x ¾". Place each dough log on the baking sheet with space between each log.
If you kept out the ¼ cup of fruit and nuts sprinkle them on top of each log and press them into the dough. This is optional but adds nice color to the top of the biscotti.
Bake at 350° F for 25 - 30 minutes until the dough is firm. This is the first baking.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the logs cool for at least 10 minutes. The dough is still soft at this point. When the logs are cool enough to touch, move them to a cutting board, and using a serrated knife cut each log into ½" - ¾" diagonal slices.
Using two parchment-lined baking sheets, place the cookie slices on the pans. You can place them pretty close since they will not spread. You can bake both cookie sheets at the same time, and adjust the oven racks to be at the bottom and then the next rack above it.
Return the cookies to the oven and bake for 8 minutes, then remove the baking pans and switch the pans to the other rack so the biscotti bake evenly. Bake for 8 minutes. This is the second baking.
Remove cookies from the oven and place on a cooling rack. The cookies will get crispier as they cool.
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to three weeks.

Notes

Biscotti tip:

Instead of using the candied fruit, you can use any chopped dried fruit you like.
You can substitute other nuts or leave them out.
The biscotti dough can be made into logs and wrapped and frozen for later. Just let the dough thaw on a baking sheet and bake as directed.
Baked biscotti can be frozen in an airtight container.

Nutrition