Fruity Christmas Biscotti

This is my first biscotti attempt and definitely won't be the last! From Wiki : "Biscotti... also called cantuccini (English: coffee bread), are twice-baked cookies (or biscuits) originating in the Italian city of Prato. The biscuits are oblong-shaped almond biscuits, made dry and crunchy through cutting the loaf of dough while still hot and fresh from baking in the oven."

Though they are usually served by dunking into coffee or milk, it is rather addictive too by munching it alone ^0^ There are raisins, cranberries, pecans and pistachios with some orange zest and mixed spices in this batch of biscotti....hmmm can you sense the Christmas aromas in the air??

raw dough rolled into a log

using a serrated knife and sliced diagonally after 1st bake

return the slices into oven and bake for the 2nd time until dry and golden

Dunk it in a cuppa of Kopi-O (black coffee)!

Recipe ref : Good Food Magazine Dec 2011

Ingredient (approx. 25 cookies)

• 230gm plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 150gm fine sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• grated zest from 1 orange
• 40gm raisins
• 40gm dried cranberries
• 30gm pecans, roughly chopped
• 30gm shelled pistachio, roughly chopped

Method

1. Put flour, baking powder, spice, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Stir in eggs and zest until the mixture starts forming clumps. Using your hands, bring the dough together and knead until no floury patches remain.
3. Add in dried fruits and nuts and knead in until evenly distributed.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, rolled the dough into a log about 30cm long and 8cm in width.
5. Transfer the log onto a lined baking sheet and bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 35 mins until the dough has risen and feels firm.
6. Remove from oven and cool on rack for about 10mins until cool enough to handle. Using a serrated knife, cut into slices about about 1cm thick on the diagonal. Lay the slices, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 130 deg for another 10mins, turn over, then bake again for another 12-15 mins until dry and golden.
7. Cool completely before storing in air-tight container for up to one month.

Bake-Along #72 : Christmas Theme - Biscotti

Cook Your Books #19 @ kitchen flavours

This post is linked to "Cook and Celebrate: Christmas 2014" organised by Cook & Celebrate Christmas 2014 hosted by Bake For Happy Kids, Eat Your Heart Out and Domestic Goddess Wannabe

This post is linked to "My Treasured Recipes #4 - Ho Ho Ho It's Christmas (Dec 2014)" hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House.