Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Golden Sugar.....and All Things Nice

Lets talk about, bake for, make for, wallow in, dress up in silly clothes for....

Christmas

(humor me, I can't help it)
SO this is what I have been making and freezing for pressies!
Christmas Fruity Biscotti

• 350g plain flour , plus extra for rolling
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 250g golden caster sugar
• 3 eggs , beaten
• coarsely grated zest 1 orange
• 85g raisins
• 85g dried cherries
• 50g blanched almonds
• 50g shelled pistachio

*I used dried cranberries and raisins for my fruit and 100g of mixed nuts.*

Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
In your favourite Christmas mixing bowl, sling in the flour, caster sugar, baking powder and (with a gratuitous *sniff* and arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Christmas moment) the wonderful Mixed Spice, all the while humming Walking in a WinterWonderland.

Mixed in the eggs and when it starts to come together a bit, get your hands in (great for kids!) and mould into a ball. Trust that it will come together, even if looks dry, it gets quite sticky. (start singing Silver Bells, with gusto)

Throw in your lovely, colourful fruit and nuts and distribute evenly through dough.

Half the dough and half those again to give you four even balls of dough. Roll out into sausages of approx 30 cm long. Place two rolls perbaking tray. Cook in oven, till spread out and firm to the touch, but still pale.
Take out and cool on wire rack, just long enough to handle. Turn down oven to 140 C. Then slice diagonally, making little biscotti about 1cm wide. At this point you can place the slices in freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to two months and when needed carry out next step. Place side down on tray and place back in the now cooler oven for a further 10-15 minutes to dry out. (Biscotti means twice baked...it is what Italian Mamas and Nonnas did with their stale bread)
When cooled, plop your lovely little biscotti into gift boxes or in my case kilner jars and tie with a Christmassy ribbon and bells! They will keep for a month in an airtight container (in a house where there are no nibblers....big and small!!)

Be proud! So cute, so clever!
Gorgeous with your Christmas morning cup of coffee! x (and finish with your best rendition of Santa Baby!)

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/8022/fruity-christmas-biscotti