Biscotti with Apricots

By Hklbrries

"Gene Peters forgets he's not Italian. A first-generation Polish-American, he married into a warm Italian family in 1951. Widowed in middle age, he found a second love and married into another warm Italian family. Always a good cook, the now 86-year-old from Potomac, MD, started baking biscotti as a Christmas treat for family members. The more praise he got, the more he baked: for extended family, friends, and friends of friends, for baby showers, birthdays, hospital visits and the occasional memorial service. Gene's biscotti have graced the tables of CEOs and housekeepers; they've been served in church halls, college dorms and homeless shelters.

Gene's grandson Harris Clarke has learned to make biscotti and now wonders if he can make a business of it. "No biscotti is better than this, here or in Italy," he claims.

Ann Cochran


Tips from the Test Kitchen:
These would also be lovely partially dipped in dark chocolate. I always cut my biscotti on the diagonal, not straight across. This worked, but it is not like I usually see them.—Jane Robshaw

We loved the apricots! I would think any dried fruit would be good to use. Even though I have never made biscotti, I did not have any difficulty following the instructions. I made these for a coffee hour at my church and they were such a hit. Several of the ladies asked me for the recipe! I will be making these again!—Virginia Moyta

I sprinkled the biscotti with a little powdered sugar. One taster said they were the best she had eaten. Nicely crisp and dunkable. I had made biscotti before, and I found these directions very easy to follow. I had to buy hazelnuts already chopped, so I couldn’t remove the skins, but they were perfectly acceptable anyway.—Ruth Thurston

The entire kitchen smells wonderful! It took about an hour to make, not including baking and waiting times. Both logs fit on a half-sheet pan. I used pistachios (roasted, unsalted) instead of hazelnuts, because I couldn’t find them at. Need to lightly flour the board before shaping the loaves. Looking forward to eating them over the holidays. I froze most of them.—Carolyn Zichterman

Loved the flavor of the hazelnuts and apricots—both flavors really came through. I loved the texture, but I'm not sure if it was the correct “biscotti” dryness. With the slices so thick, the second baking went until the outside was browned (at least 9 minutes per side), but the cookies were still a little chewy on the inside—which I prefer to the typical biscotti dryness all the way through.—Wendy Connal-Nicolaou

While I initially rated the biscotti a 4, I would like to revisit my earlier comment. I gave some of the biscotti to my neighbors, and all of them really liked them. I decided to taste them again and found them quite good. Here's what I think happened. I had put them away for a few days in a ziptop bag. I think the moistness of the apricots softened the cookies just enough to give it the right texture—dry, but not too dry—and the flavor of the walnuts really came through. That said, I would make these again, but a few days earlier than I plan on serving them.—Julie Schauer

On a scale of 1 to 5, I definitely rate these a 5 for appearance, taste, texture and clarity of instructions. What I especially like about the recipe was the addition of dried fruit. I have a little shortcut. After the biscotti have cooled, I place them on the cookie sheet, slanted and leaning on each other. I then bake them for 10 to 15 minutes or until brown. This allows the air to travel around the cookie, and I don't have to take the extra step of turning them over. It also saves time and space on the cookie sheet.—Helen Fadini

Very good taste. Yummy—chewy and crunchy all at the same time. I may go heavier on the zest or try using lemon or orange juice in place of the vanilla for more flavor. The hazelnuts gave the biscotti an interesting nutty flavor. I laughed at the part of the recipe where it said to discard the end pieces. In my house, we fight over those ends—we all love the crunchy, more well-done pieces!—Sherri Seidmon

Hazelnuts are this close to being more trouble than they’re worth! I guess my towel technique needs work, but it didn’t remove much of the skin. I tried removing the skins by hand, but that got boring real fast, so most of the nuts went in with skins. Biscotti are fun to make, and this is an excellent recipe. (But next time I’m using mangoes and macadamia nuts!)—Linda Masse

I have never made biscotti and will probably do so regularly to keep on hand for morning coffee. This recipe was delicious and easy to make. The resulting biscotti are far superior to any I have ever bought. I was very impressed with this recipe. — Janet Walker

Ingredients

• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons, all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup dried apricots, chopped

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven 8 to 10 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool slightly. Place nuts in a dishtowel and rub together to remove some of the skin. Coarsely chop and set aside.

Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until soft and creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add lemon rind and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir to blend. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating on low until a smooth dough forms. Stir in hazelnuts and apricots.

Divide dough in half. With lightly floured hands, form dough into two 10 x 2-inch logs. Place on an ungreased baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet 15 minutes. Transfer logs to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut straight down through the log to make 1-inch-thick slices; discard end pieces. Arrange on a baking sheet.

Bake 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn biscotti over and continue baking until lightly browned on the other side, about 9 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets before serving or storing. The biscotti store well for one week and freeze well.

Nutrition Information:
Per biscotti
170 calories,
8 g fat
35 mg cholesterol
3 g protein
23 g carbohydrates
1 g fiber
65 mg sodium