Wool and Spice

It appears that I’m not done talking about fruitcake. In this case, it’s fruitcake biscotti, another holiday favorite in our house. This recipe is from an old issue of Eating Well magazine. It’s quick and easy and makes a lot of small biscotti.

Compared to some of the butter laden holiday treats we’ve been eating these are pretty healthy, since they contain no fat beyond what’s in two egg yolks. The original recipe listed these cookies at 36 calories apiece.

A cup of tea and a couple of these in front of the fire would be a nice way to spend a late winter afternoon. They are crunchy and sweet without being overwhelming. Dunk before enjoying and don’t forget to grab your knitting!

Fruitcake Biscotti

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

• 2 1/4 cups mixed dried fruit, chopped
• 3 Tbsp candied orange or lemon peel or citron, chopped
• 1/4 cup rum
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur unbleached)
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs and 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Mixing

Combine dried and candied fruit with rum, let sit at least 15 minutes.

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.

Whisk together eggs, egg white and vanilla extract and add to flour mixture, stirring to incorporate. Stir in fruit and rum until mixture is well incorporated.
The dough will be sticky and you’ll probably want to flour your hands for the next step.

Shaping

On a well-floured surface, divide dough into 3 logs, 1 1/2 inches wide and 14-16 inches long. The logs look very skinny at this point, but they do expand while baking.

Place logs on prepared baking sheet and bake 25-30 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove logs from oven and let cool slightly (5 – 10 minutes) for easier handling.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Using a serrated knife for best results, cut logs into 1/2 inch diagonal slices. (You have my permission — like you need it — to eat the crumbs.) Stand slices upright on baking sheet and bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until golden.

Cool completely before storing.

Notes

For the first baking, I can fit all three logs on one cookie sheet but once I’ve cut them into slices I find it’s helpful to divide the slices between two sheets for the second round in the oven.

Also, after the second baking, the cookies may still feel slightly soft, but they firm up as they cool. Since you want crunch not bricks, don’t overcook these.

I often soak the fruit in the rum the night before, just because it gives me a jump on the recipe. I use whatever dried fruit I have on hand, which this year was dried cranberries, cherries and pineapple; currants, apricots and a few dates. And if you’re making fruitcake cake, just prepare two extra cups of fruit, throw the rum in and let the mixture sit until the next day.

This recipe is so easy to pull together you don’t even need to get your mixer out. I use my favorite wooden spoon to combine everything. Don’t worry if at first there doesn’t appear to be enough moisture to bring the batter together. Let it sit for a minute or two after adding the fruit/rum mixture and you’ll find there’s plenty of liquid to mix your dough.

I’ve never used nuts in this recipe, although I intended to this year and simply forgot. Chopped almonds would be good I think and I would probably cut back the fruit by half a cup maybe.

I wish I had a better picture for you but the camera is still in the shop and anyway, all that’s left of this year’s batch are a few crumbs. Give this recipe a try if you’re looking for a little different sweet treat for the holidays.

Tags: fruitcake biscotti