Thursday, September 07, 2006

Apricot & Ginger Biscotti



Apricot & Ginger Biscotti
From Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Total Baking time: 1 hour
Makes 12-14 biscotti

Ingredients:
½ cup dried apricots or combo of your favorite dried fruits like cherries, blueberries, cranberries....
2 large eggs
1 tsp water
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar substitute (or sugar if you're not on a diet)
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp chopped candied ginger
½ cup chopped pecans or pistachio or other nuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325° F/170°C

2. In a small bowl, soak the apricots in hot water to cover for 5 minutes and drain, pat dry and chop fine.

3. In another bowl, whisk eggs. Transfer 1 tsp of the egg to a small bowl and add 1 tsp of water and set aside. (This is the wash to give the biscotti a golden color)

4. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, add egg and vanilla and beat until the mixture forms pea sized balls. Stir in ginger and apricots by hand. It looks like it will nver come together, but magically forms a great dough when you work it into a ball.

5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 6 times, to incorporate the fruit and nuts.

6. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or tinfoil. Form the dough into a loaf about 8” by 3” rectangles. Brush the loaf with the reserve egg wash and bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.

7. Cool the loaf on the baking sheet on a rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the loaf with a spatula and carefully transfer to a cutting board.

8. Cut the loaf crosswise into ½” thick slices . Arrange them cut side down on the cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until pale golden in color. Turn and bake an additional 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.

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