Christmas Fruitcake Biscotti
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Christmas Fruitcake Biscotti will change your mind about fruitcake. This biscotti is twice baked, crisp with a tender bite, filled with candied fruit pieces, and a hint of almond flavor. It’s perfect for dunking in coffee or tea and great to give as gifts.
I may have found a new cookie to love, this Christmas Fruitcake Biscotti is just downright amazing. I absolutely love biscotti and have enjoyed it since my Grandma introduced me. When we visited her in the summer, she would have one or two cookies with her morning tea and I would do the same. Her favorite flavor was the original Italian anise biscotti, which is mine, too – that is until this fruitcake biscotti.
Before you groan and think fruitcake is just bad – give it another chance in this cookie recipe that I made for Christmas Cookies Week. It’s filled with sweet and flavorful candied fruit and a hint of almond extract. The flavors are just perfect for the holidays.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Biscotti is perfect for dunking in your morning coffee or afternoon tea.
- The cookies are crisp on the outside and soft inside.
- Filled with the classic fruitcake candied fruit but better!
- Festive touch with the white chocolate drizzle and sprinkles.
Christmas Cookies Week
It’s all about Christmas Cookies this week with some of my food blogger friends. This year the event is hosted by the lovely Jolene, from Jolene’s Recipe Journal. Follow the #ChristmasCookiesWeek hashtag to see all the recipes. At the end of the posts this week, be sure to check out the recipes that we’ve linked for the day.
Here’s What I am Sharing
- Monday: Hot Cocoa Candy Cane Cake Mix Cookies
- Today: Christmas Fruitcake Biscotti
- Friday: Orange Cardamon Snickerdoodle Cookies
Christmas Fruitcake Biscotti
Biscotti is a crisp and tender cookie that is twice baked, once as a log and then the second time cut into its traditional shape. While some of the biscotti you may have tried is crisp and dry – not moist, my biscotti isn’t like that. I can’t stand a dry cookie but I do like the crisp outside as it will hold up when you dunk like this Maple Walnut Biscotti.
For this fruitcake cookie, I chose to use already chopped candied fruit and gave the biscotti a twist by adding almond paste extract to the dough. You can find the candied fruit in your grocery store’s dried fruit aisle. During the holidays, my store keeps on display at the front of the store with other holiday baking items.
I chose not to add nuts to this Christmas biscotti for two reasons, personal preference and I was making it for my mother’s friends at her ceramics class. I always try to bring foods that do not contain actual nuts but I do label it with having almond extract. Pecans, pistachios, or even walnuts would be delicious to add. Side note, when I picked up Mom from class, the ladies bombarded me, “We want the recipe”. Duly noted!
Equipment
- stand mixer (or electric handheld mixer and a large bowl)
- medium bowl
- baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- spatula or wooden spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- sharp serrated knife
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract paste (or 1 teaspoon almond extract)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ – ¾ cup chopped mixed candied fruit
- white chocolate chips for melting
- holiday sprinkles
Steps to Make Christmas Fruitcake Biscotti
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 2
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Set aside.
Step 3
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. This may take about 3 – 4 minutes. Scrap the sides of the bowl if needed, and then add the eggs and almond extract. Mix until combined. (*You can also use a large mixing bowl and a handheld electric mixer.)
Step 4
Gradually add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing after each addition. The dough will be sticky.
Step 5
Using a spatula or wooden spoon mix in the candied fruit. *TIP: In a small bowl add the candied fruit and a very small amount of flour (I used a scant teaspoon full). Mix together so that the candied fruit is coated. This will help the fruit to not stick together in the dough.
Step 6
Lightly flour your hands, remove the dough from the bowl, and place on the prepared pan. Shape into a 12-inch by 4-inch log. It doesn’t have to be exact.
Step 7
Bake in preheated oven (350 degrees) for 25 – 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow the log to cool for 30 minutes. This is important – allowing the log to cool will aid in slicing smooth cookies and it won’t fall apart. **Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees for the second bake.** Once it’s cooled, transfer it to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to cut the log into ¾ inch thick slices. Place slices back on the baking sheet cut side up.
Step 8
Return pan to the oven to bake a second time for 20 minutes, turning the biscotti over halfway through baking time. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Step 9
Once the fruitcake biscotti is cooled, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave. Drizzle the white chocolate over the biscotti and then add festive sprinkles.
How do you Store Biscotti?
Store in an airtight container for up to one week. If you want to freeze the biscotti, I recommend not adding the white chocolate or sprinkles until you are ready to serve them. Story in a freezer-safe container in the freeze for up to 2 months.
Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
- Add some dried cranberries to the mix along with the candied fruit.
- Substitute vanilla extract for the almond.
- Add ½ cup of chopped nuts to the biscotti dough.
- Feel free to add more of the candied fruit.
Other Biscotti Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Cappuccino Bisoctti with Pecans
- Chocolate Caramel Turtle Biscotti
- Cranberry Almond Biscotti
- Lemon Almond Biscotti
Christmas Fruitcake Biscotti
Equipment
- stand mixer or electric handheld mixer with large bowl
- medium bowl
- baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- sharp serrated knife
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granualated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond pasted extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ – ¾ cup chopped mixed candied fruit
- white chocolate chips for melting and drizzling
- holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. This may take about 3 – 4 minutes. Scrap the sides of the bowl if needed, and then add the eggs and almond extract. Mix until combined. (*You can also use a large mixing bowl and a handheld electric mixer.)
- Gradually add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing after each addition. The dough will be sticky.
- Using a spatula or wooden spoon mix in the candied fruit. *TIP: In a small bowl add the candied fruit and a very small amount of flour (I used a scant teaspoon full). Mix together so that the candied fruit is coated. This will help the fruit to not stick together in the dough
- Lightly flour your hands, remove the dough from the bowl, and place on the prepared pan. Shape into a 12-inch by 4-inch log. It doesn’t have to be exact.
- Bake in preheated oven (350 degrees) for 25 – 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow the log to cool for 30 minutes. This is important – allowing the log to cool will aid in slicing smooth cookies and it won’t fall apart. **Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees for the second bake.** Once it’s cooled, transfer it to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to cut the log into ¾ inch thick slices. Place slices back on the baking sheet cut side up.
- Return pan to the oven to bake a second time for 20 minutes, turning the biscotti over halfway through baking time. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
- Once the fruitcake biscotti is cooled, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave. Drizzle the white chocolate over the biscotti and then add festive sprinkles.
Notes
Nutritional Disclaimer
“Blogghetti” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
More Festive Cookies to Make
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Enjoy!
Who says you can’t have your cake and cookie too? Perfect Christmas Biscotti.
I am a fruitcake fan and I hate that so many people talk bad about it. And, a biscotti version. Come on, who wouldn’t want to try that? It sounds so good!
I love making biscotti and the flavor possibilities are endless. These sound so perfect for the holidays.
Biscotti is my favorite! What a fun idea to turn them into fruitcake biscotti!
Living with 2 tree nut allergic people I love that this is a great cookie without adding them! Need to pick up some candied fruit, STAT!