Fig & Hazelnut Spiced Biscotti
I have written in the past that my husband loves biscotti and that I consider it my job to keep his biscotti jar full. I have been negligent in my biscotti making recently and the poor jar has sat empty for a couple of months. This week guilt finally took over and I got busy making a new batch of biscotti.
Since we are leaving for Umbria in just 6 weeks, I am trying my best to use up the ingredients in my freezer and pantry that will spoil so I pulled out a bag of hazelnuts I had stored in my freezer from Christmas. I also found a package of dried figs in my pantry, and set about making these biscotti.
To make these cookies a little healthier, I used whole wheat pastry flour in place of some of the all-purpose flour. Since these biscotti do contain butter which isn’t typical of most biscotti, they are a little crumbly when you slice them. I have found if you chop the hazelnuts well it helps to keep the slices clean when slicing. This recipe does make a LOT of biscotti, but they do keep well.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Fig & Hazelnut Spiced Biscotti
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
- 2 Cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 1/2 ( 3/4 Cup) Stick Butter At Room Temperature
- 1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
- 3 Large Eggs At Room Temperature
- 2 1/2 Cups Hazelnuts, Chopped
- 12 Ounces, Dried Figs, Diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and line two baking pans with silicon sheets or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the two flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and stir to mix well.
- In a separate bowl using a hand mixer beat the butter and sugar until light.
- Add one egg at a time, mixing well between each.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat at low speed just until mixed. (Do not over-mix!)
- Stir in the figs and hazelnuts.
- Using damp hands, shape the dough into 4 equal sized logs (about 13 ounces each) and place two each on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the logs are golden brown and firm to the touch.
- Cool the logs for 15 minutes, then using a serrated knife, cut into slices 1/2 inch thick and lay flat side down onto the baking sheets.
- Bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes or until the slices are light brown. (The biscotti will crisp up as they cool)
- Let the biscotti cool, then store in an airtight container.
This recipe sounds wonderful! I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Andrea, they are tasty!