Fruity Christmas biscotti

Fruity Christmas biscotti

The perfect make-ahead gift, these will keep for up to a month after baking and look really impressive

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes about 72 biscuits

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr

Freezable

Can be frozen part-baked and sliced

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Put the flour, baking powder, spice and sugar in a large bowl, then mix well. Stir in the eggs and zest until the mixture starts forming clumps, then bring the dough together with your hands - it will seem dry at first but keep kneading until no floury patches remain. Add the fruit and nuts, then work them in until evenly distributed.
  2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 pieces. With lightly floured hands, roll each piece into a sausage about 30cm long. Place 2 on each tray, well spaced apart. Bake for 25-30 mins until the dough has risen and spread and feels firm. It should still look pale. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack for a few mins until cool enough to handle, then turn down the oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1.
  3. Using a bread knife, cut into slices about 1cm thick on the diagonal, then lay the slices flat on the baking sheets. The biscuits can be cooled and frozen flat on the sheet at this point, then bagged and frozen for up to 2 months. Bake for another 15 mins (20 mins if from frozen), turn over, then bake again for another 15 mins until dry and golden. Tip onto a wire rack to cool completely, then store in an airtight tin for up to one month, or pack into boxes or cellophane bags if giving as gifts straightaway.

PER BISCUIT

50 kcalories, protein 1.0g, carbohydrate 9.0g, fat 1.0 g, saturated fat 0.0g, fibre 0.0g, sugar 6.0g, salt 0.06 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2008.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo Lorraine P

    28 October 2008

    Lorraine P rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I substituted the cherries for dried cranberries and they went down really well. Tasty and very easy to make!

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  • Binder photo amp

    07 November 2008

    amp commented on this recipe

    Great recipe! I halved the quantities (half of 3 eggs???) and made about 35 slices. I used a mixture of cranberries, blueberries, cherries and raisins and was more than happy with the result. Will definitely make again.

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  • Binder photo amp

    09 November 2008

    amp rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo lurvlyloz

    16 November 2008

    lurvlyloz rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    made these this monrning & put them in the freezer for christmad hampers. made my house smell christmasy. very easy too make & looked exactly like the picture. not sur eof the taste as i dont eat nuts but looked great

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  • Binder photo Amie

    17 November 2008

    Amie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Great recipe - very easy and quick - all store cupboard ingredients. I substituted the dried fruit for chocolate chips and had them at the end of a dinner party - they went down a storm!

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  • Binder photo bjertrup

    19 November 2008

    bjertrup commented on this recipe

    Just a quick question. What kind of spices did you use? It just says "mixed spices" in the recipe..

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  • Binder photo Lulu's recip

    22 November 2008

    Lulu's recip commented on this recipe

    You can buy a packet of mixed spices at any supermarket.

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  • Binder photo katharine

    23 November 2008

    katharine rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely brilliant. I felt so professional when I baked these! I used cranberries and almonds which worked well and not too sweet. This recipe makes loads - but they get eaten very quickly! I only used 1 tsp of mixed spice which is enough for a subtle flavour. I suppose a couple of drops of almond essence would be good if you really love a rich almond flavour.

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  • Binder photo mscelery

    08 December 2008

    mscelery commented on this recipe

    About mixed spice. Can you please advise what exactly this is? This is unknown in the country where I live. Thanks a lot!

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  • Binder photo Middle Donalnd

    10 December 2008

    Middle Donalnd rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    It's quite yummy. A lot easier to make than another recipe that I tried. I think I used too much nuts and dried fruits so it all got a bit too crumbly when slicing. It tastes good but not the wow type.

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  • Binder photo vegie meals

    10 December 2008

    vegie meals commented on this recipe

    mixed spice is found in a jar - combination of ground cinammon, ginger, star annise and probably cloves... not sure exactly what's in there.. but it's called Mixed Spice

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  • Binder photo Princess_Cat

    10 December 2008

    Princess_Cat rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Becky

    11 December 2008

    Becky commented on this recipe

    Hi, would I be able to cut the dough into shapes and then bake in a kind of biscotti/cookie sylee? Any suggestions? Thanks

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  • Binder photo mother*ship

    12 December 2008

    mother*ship rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Made a batch of these for the school christmas bazaar tomorrow, they are very tasty, I'm sure they'll sell well. Looking at the bottle Tesco's Ground mixed spice is a mix of cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, clove, pimento and ginger, I didn't know about the coriander and pimento!

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  • Binder photo amyratty

    16 December 2008

    amyratty rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Made these last night using a mixture of dates, fresh cranberries, almonds and crystallized ginger (i.e. what I happened to have in the cupboard and felt Christmassy!). The mixture tasted divine but next time I'll bake only 5 or 10 minutes each side on the second baking as they were jaw-breakingly tough! Really tasty though, and popular with my housemates and hopefully family at Christmas!

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  • Binder photo lurvlyloz

    17 December 2008

    lurvlyloz commented on this recipe

    I made these for my christmas hampers. they looks fab. i don't know what they taste liek im afraid as i dont eat nuts. but they smelt very christmassy & were easy to make and look exactly like the photo.

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  • Binder photo mother*ship

    17 December 2008

    mother*ship commented on this recipe

    I've just made another batch using all almonds and big chunks of 70% chocolate, the chocolate made them a bit hard to handle but the result is definitely worth it! That's my kid's teachers sorted for Xmas presents :-)

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  • Binder photo annethered

    19 December 2008

    annethered rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made these a week or two ago and have just given them their second baking from the freezer for some Christmas hampers. All I can say is I'd better bag them up quickly or there will be none to give away. I will NEVER buy any again. So easy and SO delicious!!

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  • Binder photo purplebo

    19 December 2008

    purplebo rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made these for christmas gifts and they've gone down a treat! Someone even said I should sell them! Swapped the cherries for dried cranberries as I prefer them and also I thought they were more christmassy! Am glad I bought enough ingredients to make double the recipe as I'll be making them again this weekend! Thanks Good Food - loved this recipe!

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  • Binder photo frankie

    19 December 2008

    frankie commented on this recipe

    Also used cranberries. YUM! What fab, easy biscotti. They're just perfect for my xmas hampers. Would def make again.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes about 72 biscuits

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr

Freezable

Can be frozen part-baked and sliced

Ingredients

  • 350g plain flour , plus extra for rolling
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 250g golden caster sugar
  • 3 eggs , beaten
  • coarsely grated zest 1 orange
  • 85g raisins
  • 85g dried cherries
  • 50g blanched almonds
  • 50g shelled pistachios
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PER BISCUIT

50 kcalories, protein 1.0g, carbohydrate 9.0g, fat 1.0 g, saturated fat 0.0g, fibre 0.0g, sugar 6.0g, salt 0.06 g

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