Apricot Almond Biscotti

Chuck came into the kitchen recently, surveyed the countertop, and asked, “Is it biscotti time?” The bowls of dried apricots and almonds alongside a bar of white chocolate were his biggest hints. And then there was the time of year. It’s been our tradition every winter to make a batch or two of these Apricot Almond Biscotti. They are a holiday treat that we share with friends and neighbors.  Their golden color and great flavors bring a bit of warmth to the season of winter solstice.

I found the original recipe for these biscotti in the December 1993 issue of Bon Appétit. The index card on which I copied the recipe is now almost illegible from having been used so many times.

The biscotti are built on regular blocks of baking—flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. But the special flavors of apricot brandy, almond extract, and ground ginger enhance them.  Nuggets of white chocolate, almonds, and dried apricots bring bursts of flavor and varied texture to the cookies.

Making the Biscotti Dough

The first steps to bring the biscotti together are simple, thanks to the food processor, which mixes the dry ingredients and chops the white chocolate and almonds.

Eggs, brandy, and almond extract provide the wet ingredients. Folding the finely chopped dried apricots into the flour mixture by hand ensures that everything is well distributed.

After moistening your fingers with water, it’s easy to shape the dough into similar size logs. They firm up in the refrigerator for a while before baking.

Baking the Biscotti

When the logs come out of the oven, they are a beautiful golden color and still soft in the middle. Once they have cooled, you can cut them into slices and arrange the biscotti to be baked, first on one side and then the other.

This last session in the oven crisps them up perfectly.

Each bite of the biscotti has notes of almond and apricot, with little bursts of white chocolate between.

They are perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea or coffee.  They’re also a great choice for a light dessert after dinner.

I hope it will be biscotti time at your house soon.

Apricot Almond Biscotti

Sunnyside Cook

Dawn Dobie

Golden cookies that are studded with dried apricots, roasted almonds, and white chocolate.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Chilling and cooling time 1 hour hr

Servings 40 cookies

Ingredients

  

• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ cup unsalted butter chilled, cut into pieces
• 3 ½ ounces white chocolate cut or broken into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 ½ cups roasted unsalted whole almonds
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons apricot brandy
• 2 teaspoons almond extract --not imitation
• 1 6- ounce package of dried apricots --diced finely

Instructions

 

• Cover an 18 X 12 X 1 cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Butter and flour the foil.
• Combine first 5 ingredients in food processor. Use one or two on/off turns to mix ingredients. Add butter to processor. Process until fine meal forms. Add white chocolate and process 4-6 times, until chopped. Add toasted almonds and chop coarsely, using 6-8 on/off turns.
• Beat eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in brandy and extract. Add flour mixture and apricots to liquid mixture, turning everything over and over with a rubber spatula until moist dough forms,.
• Use a spoon to drop the dough into 3 12-inch long strips on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing them evenly. Moisten fingertips with water and gently pat each dough strip into a three-inch wide log. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. (You can refrigerate the logs for a longer period, but if so, cover them with plastic wrap first.)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake logs until golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer cookie sheet to rack and cool completely.
• Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees F. Transfer one log at a time to a work surface using a large spatula to avoid breakage. Using a heavy, sharp knife, cut each log crosswise into ¾ inch slices. Arrange half of cookies cut side down on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake one sheet of biscotti for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and gently turn over cookies. Return to oven, rotating the pan and bake additional 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on sheet for 5 minutes. Removed biscotti from baking sheet and transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining cookies. Cool completely.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe in the December 1993 Bon Appétit (thanks to reader Nancy for helping me to find the exact issue).

Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature. Also freezes well; place in airtight container with waxed paper between layers of biscotti.