I am calling all biscotti lovers! I can’t wait to share this Holiday Biscotti Recipe with all of you. Lots of dried fruit and brazil nuts in every bite!
The holiday period is fast approaching; and if you’re like me, it always starts like a marathon: conversations with families and friends usually during the last summer barbecues, asking which family member will host, coordinating between both sides of the family, specifications, and themes for the gift exchanges, etc.
Then, before you know it, it’s the middle of winter and it becomes the sprint of a lifetime… and you swear that it’s the last year that you are running this crazy race!
The good news is that it does get easier with a bit of planning and prioritizing. It is a matter of identifying, fine-tuning, and simplifying what is essential to you, and then everything becomes a little more manageable.
Take, for example, the whole issue of gift-giving and baking during the holiday season.
When I realized, years ago, that biscotti make fantastic hostess gifts, I started making them with a fierce purpose.
Biscotti are easy to make; there are so many different varieties that can be made, and they freeze super well! If you also have a thing for biscotti, you’ve come to the right place!
I’ve created a comprehensive guide on How to Make Biscotti. Be sure to consult it for more tips and tricks.
How to make this Holiday Biscotti Recipe
When I describe these festive-looking biscotti as being fruity, that’s because it has dried figs, apricots, pineapple, cranberries, and mixed peel in them.
This wonderful dried fruit will get coarsely chopped and then combined with Brazil nuts and ½ cup of the dry ingredients. Try to separate the fruits as much as possible so that there are no clumps.
Remember to leave the Brazil nuts whole, as they will provide an outstanding visual once your biscotti are sliced.
Once you have beaten your eggs, add the dry ingredients. And then gently fold in the nuts and fruit.
You will notice that you cannot roll this batter into a log.
What I do is drop large serving spoons of batter on a parchment-lined cookie sheet to achieve the shape of two logs. (I also use this technique for these honey biscotti).
The biscotti will be rustic looking, but they taste great!
Then it is just a matter of slicing them.
Biscotti, as you may know, is Italian for “twice-cooked” – so if you like a bit of a crunch, put those biscotti back in the oven again for the second round of baking 🙂
Recipe source
I was first introduced to these festive-looking biscotti recipe when I was a teenager.
Just like the recipe for the honey almond biscotti, the origin of this recipe can be traced to my Zia Maria.
These Christmas biscotti were one of my mom’s favorite and her sister would often drop them off just because that’s what older sisters would do! I, for one, was always super happy to see my aunt popping in for a surprise visit – it almost always meant some biscotti and baked goods were coming our way!
This is a very versatile recipe and as long as you keep the proportions equal, you can easily vary your ingredients.
My aunt’s original recipe had maraschino red cherries, which I replaced with cranberries. I also decreased the brown sugar by half.
These fruity biscotti are not only a family favorite, but they are also so easy to make. As a result, they are usually one of the first biscotti recipes that I make in preparation for the holiday season.
If you are looking for more biscotti flavors, be sure to check out all of my biscotti recipes.
Have you started your holiday baking yet?
Enjoy!
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
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Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made these fruit biscotti, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Holiday Biscotti Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1½ cups dried figs coarsely chopped (180 grams)
- 1½ cups dried apricots coarsely chopped (180 grams)
- ½ cup citrus peel or mixed peel, glazed
- ¼ cup dried pineapple chunks coarsely chopped (40 grams)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries 40 grams
- 2 cups whole brazil nuts 300 grams
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Position rack in the center.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift dry ingredients together, set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cut up fruits and the brazil nuts with ½ cup of dry ingredients, set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, or bowl of electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk the eggs on medium high speed for about 2 minutes.
- Add brown sugar and vanilla extract and whisk for another 2 minutes.
- Add the remainder 1 cup of dry ingredients and whisk until just incorporated (do not over mix).
- Fold in chopped fruit and brazil nuts.
- With a large mixing spoon, place mixture and parchment lined baking sheet. Form into 2 logs (refer to explanation in text of article).
- Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until firm to the touch.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool down.
- Transfer to cutting board.
- Using a serrated knife, slice cookies about ½ inch thick.
- Optional: Place sliced biscotti on the baking sheets, and bake for about another 5-10 minutes (the longer they stay in the oven, the crispier they get).
- Can be stored at room temperature for a few weeks...if they last that long. Can also be frozen.
Nutrition
Ruth
Just chanced upon your Fruity Brazil Nut Jeweled Holiday Biscotti recipe and can’t wait to make it. Just curious, I don’t see any “oil” in any form in the recipe. Is that correction?
Maria
Hi Ruth, surprisingly all the ingredients are easily combined in this holiday biscotti despite the fact that there is no “oil” in this recipe. Thanks so much for stopping by, appreciate it 🙂
Lily {Gastro Senses}
A very yummy snack and a fantabulous gift idea for the lucky recipient during holidays!
Maria
Most definitely! Thanks for stopping by Lily 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Biscotti always reminds me of the holidays! This one definitely looks ‘jeweled’…it’s jam packed with so many delicious ingredients! YUMMY!
Maria
Fantastic time of the year! Thanks for stopping by Dawn ♥
Sean@Diversivore
These look AWESOME Maria! I’ve never made biscotti myself, but it’s something I’ve toyed with for a while. Seeing the process here makes me more interested – I didn’t know you could do it in a drop-style, rather than rolled out. Love the combination of Brazil nuts and dried fruits. I know that dried fruits get something of a bad reputation at the holidays but I think that good quality dried fruit is something to be celebrated, and definitely worthy of inclusion in a treat like this! Thanks for the recipe and for the shared memories. Cheers.
Maria
Thanks so much Sean! I have a few recipes for biscotti that I will drop and shape on the baking sheet. These require less flour and as such will create a texture which is less dry but equally cripsy. Appreciate your comment, thanks for dropping by 🙂
Julia
I have only ever made biscotti once, a long time ago. It was a success and everyone loved it. This one looks fantastic and has reminded me, once again, that I should give it a whirl! Great recipe!
Maria
Thanks so much Julia ♥ Hope you get a chance to try them 🙂 Thanks for dropping by.
Fareen
These are beautiful! Perfect for the holidays!
Maria
Thanks Fareen! Yes, they are festive looking 🙂 Thanks for dropping by ♥♥♥
Elaine @ Flavour and Savour
Oh my! These biscotti are just LOADED! I love all the dried fruits you’ve included. What wonderful family traditions you have! Pinning!
Maria
Food, family and vivid discussions… the trio of growing up Italian! Yes, I have so many wonderful memories and family traditions. The older I get, the more I appreciate my upbringing 🙂 Thanks so much for dropping by Elaine ♥♥♥
deb@glutenfreefarina
Oh my – just printed and pinned. Definitely on my list to make for the holidays. Love it.
Maria
Wonderful! Happy Thanksgiving Deb 🙂
Barbarito-Levitt Paula
This is a biscotti recipe after my heart – I adore the mix of dried fruit and nuts and look forward to baking a batch after the holiday. Thank you for sharing your special family memories.
Maria
Thank you so much Paula! Enjoy 🙂 Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!
Simon Vanbecelaere
Thank you for bringing some nostalgia! We didn’t eat these much but we always got these from my fathers uncle around christmas! I was the only one in the family who actually loved them so happy me 🙂 Must try to bake these for my own now haha
Maria
Too funny! Your comment reminds me of fruitcake. I had one aunt that would always bring fruitcake during family gatherings. Like you, there was only one cousin that would prefer it to the other baked goods. Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂