Description
These fruity biscotti are crunchy, sweet Italian-style cookies packed with a delightful mix of raisins, dried cherries, almonds, and pistachios. Perfect for dipping in coffee or tea, they are baked twice to achieve their signature crisp texture and infused with aromatic orange zest and warming mixed spice for a fruity, spiced flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 350g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 250g golden caster sugar
Wet Ingredients
- 3 eggs, beaten
- Coarsely grated zest of 1 orange
Fruit and Nuts
- 85g raisins
- 85g dried cherries
- 50g blanched almonds
- 50g shelled pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheets: Heat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, gas mark 4) and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking powder, mixed spice, and golden caster sugar until well combined.
- Add Wet Ingredients and Form Dough: Stir in the beaten eggs and orange zest until the mixture begins to clump. Knead the dough with your hands until smooth with no visible flour patches, starting off dry but becoming cohesive as you work it.
- Incorporate Fruit and Nuts: Fold in the raisins, dried cherries, blanched almonds, and pistachios evenly throughout the dough.
- Shape Dough Logs: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, divide it into four equal pieces, and shape each into a 30cm-long sausage with lightly floured hands.
- First Bake: Place two logs on each prepared baking sheet, spaced well apart, and bake for 25-30 minutes until the dough has risen, spread, and feels firm but still pale.
- Cool Slightly and Adjust Oven: Remove from the oven, transfer the logs to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes until they are safe to handle. Lower the oven temperature to 140°C (fan 120°C, gas mark 1).
- Slice Logs into Biscotti: Using a bread knife, cut each log on the diagonal into 1cm-thick slices.
- Freeze Option: At this stage, you can cool the slices completely, freeze them flat on the baking sheets, then bag and store in the freezer for up to two months.
- Second Bake: Arrange the slices flat on the baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes (20 minutes if baking from frozen). Flip each slice over and bake for another 15 minutes until they are dry and golden brown.
- Cool and Store: Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight tin for up to one month, or pack in boxes or cellophane bags for gifting.
Notes
- Ensure the biscotti cool completely before storing to maintain their crisp texture.
- Freezing the biscotti slices before the second bake allows you to prepare them ahead of time and enjoy fresh-baked flavor later.
- You can substitute the raisins and cherries with other dried fruits if desired.
- For a nuttier flavor, toast the almonds and pistachios lightly before mixing them into the dough.
- The biscotti pairs perfectly with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate for dunking.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: fruity biscotti, Italian biscotti, biscotti with nuts and dried fruit, orange zest biscotti, holiday cookies, dipping biscuits, crunchy Italian cookies
