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 cocoa 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.
And if you are new here, welcome! You may want to sign up for my weekly e-mail newsletter. You can unsubscribe any time you want.
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!
Recipe
Holiday Biscotti Recipe
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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
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Kathy
A beautiful, delicious, and well-written recipe and instructions. A perfect gift for giving. Since I get to eat all the end pieces, I think the next batch will be made into more and shorter logs!
Thanks so much.
Maria
lol… so happy to read this! Thanks for sharing Kathy! Happy Holidays!
Anne McBride
Beautiful recipe. Just made it today for Christmas gifts. I had to top up the Brazil nuts with some raw mixed nuts and macadamia nuts. Other than that I stuck to the recipe. Will definitely make this again. Thank you for the recipe!
Maria
My pleasure Anne! Thanks so much for sharing!
Ulku Dogan
I cooked biscotti and soft almond cookies..It was all very nice..
Thank you Maria… I will follow you.
Best regard from Turkey
Maria
How wonderful, Ulku! Thank you!
Sue
Incredible biscotti!! I was worried that there was too much filling for the batter but they turned out wonderful. I can’t wait to serve them for my ladies Christmas lunch this Sunday. (Now to keep them away from my husband for the next 3 days 😂 ). Maria…Thank you for all your recipes, they are my “go to” and Buon Natale to you and your family🙏🏻
Maria
I am so thrilled to read this Sue! Thank you so much for sharing!
Adrienne
Ok so just to be clear…no bitter??
Maria
Thanks for your interest Adrienne. That is right, no butter. Enjoy.
TMichael Scott
An absolutely amazing lovely replacement for the doorstop previously known as fruitcake!
Maria
lol… thanks so much TM!
Deb McGrath
Hi Maria, if I leave out some of the dried fruit will it effect the recipe??
I would like some of the fruit but not all suggested. Thanks,Deb
Maria
Thanks for your interest Deb. I think you can always increase the ingredients that you do like to replace the ones you want to eliminate. As long as the total amounts of add-ins are respected, you should be fine to use whatever nuts, seeds or dried fruit you like. Have fun baking!
Mary Dettmer
These Biscotti are now my absolute favorite, and I’ve been baking Biscotti for family and friends for the past maybe 10(?) years! They aren’t the classic hard/crisp dunking type which are usually my go-to favorites, but all the delicious dried fruit lets everyone know these are SPECIAL. Adding this recipe to my permanent Christmas Biscotti recipe box!
Maria
I am so thrilled to read this! Thanks for sharing Mary.
Kevin
This looks delicious! Would you recommend adding any spices…cinammon?
Maria
Thanks for your interest Kevin. I have never added any spices to the recipe but cinnamon sounds like it might be a nice addition.
gerard
is this candied orange peel or fresh orange peel? Help
Maria
Great question Gerard, I actually used a glazed orange peel. I think a candied version can work. I will update the post. Thanks so much for stopping by, appreciate it!