I’ve gone bonkers for biscotti – as will you when you realize that you can add anything to the basic batter – I like replacing some of the flour with oatmeal –adds crunch and flavour not to mention whole-grain goodness. When I discovered a bag of dried figs hibernating in the back of my fridge – I got to thinking. First, the figs were more than dried so here’s a neat trick to breathe new life back into dried fruit that could double as a rock. Set what you need in a colander or sieve over simmering water for a few minutes – and presto, pliable chewy dried fruit has entered the building!
click here to jump down to the oatmeal, orange, fig & walnut biscotti recipe
oatmeal, orange, fig & walnut biscotti
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Roast in hot, dry pan for 10 minutes and set aside:
- 1 cup of walnuts
In a mixing bowl beat until light, fluffy & smooth:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- zest & juice of one orange
Sift the following onto a piece of waxed paper and funnel into the bowl with the egg mixture:
- 1 cups of flour
- 1 cup oats
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
- pinch of salt
Chop the cooled walnuts and add them to the soft dough mixture, mixing briefly to incorporate. Divide in 2 and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll each half into a 2″x12″ long log.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until firm. Briefly rest and then slice diagonally into thin slices. Arrange cut-side down and bake another 20 minutes until dry and crispy. Allow to cool. Store in an air-tight container.
get creative
crush sweet biscotti and:
- sprinkle over ice cream
- add to a fruit crisp topping
- stir into waffle or pancake batter
- put in a bowl and top with stewed fruit and whipped cream
crush savoury biscotti and:
- sprinkle over mashed potatoes
- stir into buttery pasta
- sprinkle over soups or stews
- fold into rice
- add to salads for added crunch
- finish a pizza
the business of biscotti
Biscotti can accommodate as many flavour combinations as you can toss at it – so happy tossing and here are a few biscotti variations to get you warmed up:
sweet biscotti
- the ultimate biscotti recipe guide
- spiced oatmeal almond biscotti
- cranberry cornmeal biscotti
- almond citrus biscotti
- almond ginger biscotti
- butterscotch whole-wheat biscotti
- cherry almond biscotti
- chocolate pistachio biscotti
- cranberry pistachio biscotti
- double chocolate ginger biscotti
- fig walnut biscotti
- gingerbread biscotti
- granola biscotti
- lime cornmeal biscotti
- pecan cranberry biscotti
- pine nut biscotti
- pumpkin biscotti
- triple chocolate biscotti
- turkish delight biscotti
- whole-wheat lemon biscotti
- whole-wheat walnut raisin biscotti
savoury biscotti
- blue cheese & date biscotti
- cheddar chive biscotti
- cheese & rosemary biscotti
- herb & goat cheese biscotti
- olive biscotti
- parmesan black pepper biscotti
- red wine biscotti
- rosemary walnut biscotti
- savoury fennel parmesan biscotti
- sun-dried tomato and basil biscotti