Apricot and Almond Biscotti
Apricot and Almond Biscotti are so delicious with sweet apricots and lightly roasted almonds. Crisp and crunchy, they are ready to dip in a hot cup of coffee or tea. These Italian biscotti are really easy to make and are the perfect addition to your holiday cookie tray!
Servings: 20
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 Tablespoons butter room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole almonds toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup dried apricots chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove enough zest from one large orange to make 1 tsp. set aside.
- Squeeze the orange to obtain 2 teaspoons of orange juice.
- Combine the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, eggs, salt, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla for 2 to 3 minutes, until thick and pale.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl a little bit at a time. Add in the chopped apricots and almonds and mix on medium-low speed until all the ingredients are moistened.
- Let the dough rest a couple of minutes in the mixer bowl.
- Scrape out the dough with a rubber spatula onto a lined cookie sheet (I used a sheet for each log) and divide the dough in half.
- Spray hands with cooking spray. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, then shape each into a flattened log, about 3 inches wide and 12 inches long. If you are using one baking tray, place logs a few inches apart on the baking sheet so they won’t stick together as they bake. If you have two sheets, place one log on each lined baking sheet.
- Bake until dough is firm but gives slightly when pressed, about 20-25 minutes.
- Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let logs cool completely (could take a full 30 minutes). Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
- Transfer the first loaf carefully to a cutting board. When the logs have completely cooled down, begin slicing the first log by pressing a very sharp knife straight down into the dough. Place the cookies back on the baking sheet, cut sides up. Keep in mind that the when you slice on a bigger angle, you will get much longer cookies. If you slice short angles, you’ll get small biscotti. Place the second log on the cutting board and repeat process cutting out the cookie pieces and placing on the baking sheet.
- Bake 7 minutes, flip biscotti, and bake 7 minutes more.
- Set the sheet on a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. After 3 days, safest to store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Nonna says the entire dough could be made by hand on a clean counter or work surface.
- Nonna does want you to know the dough is a little sticky. It is a little tricky to form into the logs, so best to spray your hands with baking spray or lightly flour your hands to work with the dough.
- Nonna says you could sub the dried apricots for even dried cranberries (nice combo with orange flavor and almonds).
- Nonna does like to score the dough before the first bake. Just be careful not to slice it all the way through (sometimes I forget to score the dough, so if you do or don't score it, either way, biscotti will turn out fine).