Fig and Walnut Biscotti

Next up for me in the chapter of cookie making is the fig and Walnut biscotti. Biscotti gets it's name in Italian meaning twice cooked. Basically once the cookie dough is mixed it is formed into a big log and baked, cooled, sliced, and then baked again, producing more of a hard crunchy cookie, perfect for dipping into a hot cup of tea or coffee at the end of a meal. 

Biscotti is one of those traditional Italian cookies that are perfect for around this time of year or anytime for that matter, and if you're making a holiday cookie platter such as I am, biscotti should be be a part of it. It also presents a little bit fancier than your traditional boring sugar cookie or chocolate chip cookie. There's nothing wrong with a good chocolate chip cookie, hell I would eat them all day. But making biscotti for someone looks like you put more work and effort into making a sweet concoction for them. It's a sweet treat that's easy to make and worth adding to your repertoire of desserts. 

Sparing the long chit-chat once again, I'm going to dive right in to production because I still have one last cookie recipe left. 

I start by preheating the oven to 325°. Once preheated, I put some walnuts on a baking tray and toast for about five minutes until golden brown and fragrant. I then allow them to cool.

Next is to take dried figs and the cooled walnuts and process in a food processor until it is finely chopped. 

Now I take out my KitchenAid and cream some butter and white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. 

Once creamed, I add eggs, vanilla, and orange zest and mix well. 

Next up is to add the dry ingredients. In the mixing bowl I add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. 

The dough should come together and be somewhat firm. Once it does I add the walnuts and figs and mix some more until combined. 

The biscotti dough gets wrapped in plastic and chilled for half an hour. 

Next I have to form the logs. I divide the biscotti dough into two pieces. I roll each piece of dough out on a lightly floured work surface to about the length of the baking sheet. The two logs get brushed with egg white and dusted with granulated sugar and are then ready to bake for about 20-25 minutes. 

Once out of the oven they will need to cool completely before slicing. I make the slices relatively thin, cut both logs, and place the cookies back on baking sheets. They go back into the oven, I lower the temperature to 200° and toast the biscotti until crisp, which will take about half an hour. 

This was another phenomenal cookie recipe. So far everyone that has tried them has loved them. This will be another keeper that I make more often in the years to come. I'm even snacking on some as I write this blog post. 

Well, next up is the last cookie recipe in this cookbook. I'm kind of glad that my cookie making is coming to an end and I can soon get back to some more savory dishes. I'm not much of a baker, although I'm certainly going to get my practice with this cookbook. I still have a good two thirds of the cookbook to work through and I've made some great progress this year. The cookie section represents the finishing little touch at the end of a Babbo meal. While it is an important part of the Babbo experience, there are lots of other parts that are just as vital if not more so. Until next time...