Holiday Candied Fruit Biscotti

Candied fruit are made by cooking and soaking fruits in sugar syrup. The fruit is saturated with sugar which conserves it and has been prepared by many cultures worldwide for centuries. Depending on the amount of sugar absorbsion, the fruits can last for years.

Candied Fruit

In Italy they are commonly used in desserts such as Spumoni, (Sicilian ice cream), Panettone, (a sweet bread commonly made at Christmas), preserves, Florentins, Cassata, (a Sicilian cake), gelato, tarrone, and biscotti.

Candied Fruit Tarrone

Cassata

Baskets of candied fruit are traditionally given during Christmas. This time of the year you can find stands in Christmas markets all over Italy filled with all sorts of candied fruit selections.

Candied Fruit Gifts

We make candied fruit biscotti as part of our Christmas biscotti tray. These biscotti are colorful and are also very pretty in a Torta di Biscotto di Nozze (Italian wedding biscotti cake). It needs no frosting and is very easy to make.

Candied Fruit Biscotti

Napolitano

Recipe Summary

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes @ 375º F

Yield: 5 Dozen

Dry Ingredients

2 cups sugar

5 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup of walnuts, chopped

3/4 cup candied fruit, chopped

Wet Ingredients

6 eggs

2 teaspoons anise extract

2 sticks butter

DOUGH

Cream the eggs and sugar, and add the butter and extract and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour and baking powder. Fold in the nuts and chopped candied fruit. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Chopped candied fruit

Sticky dough

ASSEMBLY

Form the dough into long cylinders about 12? long. Place the loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Teflon mat.

Biscotti loaf

BAKE

Bake at 375º F for 20-25 minutes. Remove them from the oven and slice the loaves diagonally when cooled. Place the slices on their side and return them to the oven. Bake for another 2 minutes on each side.

Cooked loaves

Double baking

Unglazed Candied fruit biscotti