RECIPE | CHRISTMAS BISCOTTI

Looking for rock hard biscuits that have a 70% chance of breaking your teeth?

Look no further...

The wonderfully crunchy Italian biscotti are perfect for adding to Christmas hampers.

Meant to be dunked in a good strong coffee (definitely advised to avoid dental costs), these biscuits are special in their own right, yet surprisingly easy to make.

I made two variations for hampers this Christmas using my usual biscotti recipe.

Chocolate and Pistachio Biscotti

Add 15g of Cocoa Powder, 100g of good quality chopped Dark Chocolate and 50g of Pistachio Nuts to this recipe.

Winter Spiced Fruit and Nut Biscotti

Add 1tsp of Mixed Spice, 1tsp of Cinnamon, 1tsp of Ginger, 60g of Dried Fruit (I used Cranberries and Raisins) and 40g of Chopped Nuts to this recipe.

RECIPE | WHITE CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BISCOTTI

I always ask my friends what cakes they want for their birthday... after a tense decision making session, my friend Liam requested some biscotti after trying the batch I made before Christmas (see recipe HERE). An odd choice for a birthday cake I must admit... but I didn't mind!

I decided to go for a little bit of a different take... using what I had in the cupboard to make a lovely new combination. As ever... Biscotti is ridiculously easy and satisfying to make.

Just be careful of your teeth!

Ingredients:

1 Egg

100g Caster Sugar

125g Plain Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

100g White Chocolate

50g Peanuts

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 180 celcius and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2.  Whisk the egg, vamilla essence and sugar together until you have a mousse-like consistency.

3.  De-shell the peanuts if needed and (you could even toast them under the grill for 5 minutes) and chop the chocolate into small pieces.

4.  Fold in the flour, baking powder, peanuts and chocolate.

4.  Flour a clean surface well and also flour your hands. Carefully scoop the (very loose) dough into your hands and keep working flour into it on the surface until it is no longer sticky.

5.  Roll the dough into a long oblong log shape and place on the baking tray.