Christmas Fruitcake Biscotti is the best of both worlds! There’s that crunchiness we all love about biscotti, with the chewiness of all of that mixed candied fruit!
This recipe combines three things that I love – Christmas, of course; fruitcake, and biscotti. Christmas Fruitcake Biscotti could most certainly be an option for those of you who are not fond of the denseness of traditional fruitcake. These biscotti are light and crispy with all of the flavours that a good Christmas fruitcake is made of.
If you’ve read my post on Pumpkin Spice Biscotti, you might recall that I was not always a fan of biscotti. Little did I know that biscotti were meant to be dry and hard – I thought it was just a piece of some old, stale baked good!
FRUITCAKE FOR EVERYONE!
And, until last Christmas or the year before, fruitcake was something I shunned. I despised the idea of eating dried chopped fruits and berries. It wasn’t until I took a big bite of my Christmas Cherry Butter Bundt Cake, and my Glace Mixed Fruit Bundt Cake, that my mind was changed. And, my Christmas Apricot and Walnut Fruitcake solidified my love of mixed candied fruits!
And, thank goodness too! I still can’t believe I missed out on these wonderful Christmas goodies for so many years. My poor mother; I gave her such a hard time for ruining a cake by putting dried fruit in it when I was a kid. And, now I enjoy fruitcake tremendously. I wish she were still here to make her fruitcake again. I would gladly eat a big slice of her “ruined” cake.
In this recipe, the great tastes and textures of fruitcake and biscotti are combined to create what will most likely become a new holiday tradition in our home. While McKenna is not a fan, John.e and I were very pleased with the outcome.
BISCOTTI MAKE A PERFECT TREAT TO SHARE
And, in my usual fashion, I brought a few pieces to work for my workmates to try. The biscotti were very well received and the feedback was great. The best part was when three of the five workmates showed such a lack of enthusiasm when I asked them to try it. In fact, one of those workmates who hates fruitcake, ate two pieces of biscotti. (She knows who she is so I won’t mention her here.) #margaret
Let’s get to the recipe. You head to your kitchen and whip up a batch. Then get yourself a hot coffee or tea, turn off the television, throw on some Celine Dion Christmas music, and put your feet up.
STORING AND FREEZING
These biscotti will last in the freezer for three months. Be sure you have a good container with a tight seal. Whenever I’m freezing cookies, I always double up on the seal action. Before I place the lid on, I always drape a sheet of plastic wrap on top. Then I push the lid on. I just feel that the lid fits more tightly. Any little thing I can do to keep the frost out, I’m going to do it! I like to use tins like this.
Like I always say, if you freeze any baked goods, remove only the amount you want when you decide to thaw them. Fetch the container from the freezer and remove only what you need. Put the lid back on and get the container back in the fridge.
To properly thaw baked goods, place them on a plate or a wire cooling rack. Don’t pile them. Spread them out and give them some space. Let them sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. They will taste fresh and perfect every single time!
CONCLUSION:
Like I said at the beginning, I’ll be posting 12 biscotti recipes in this series on back-to-back days. If you can’t wait, you can certainly refer back to a series from previous years. Just click on the collection photos below. Cheers!
Christmas Fruitcake Biscotti
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups mixed candied fruit
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using a hand-held mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and beat to incorporate.
- Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt; beat to incorporate.
- Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the mixed candied fruit.
- Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet and form into a log. (Dust your hands with flour; dough is a bit sticky!) Form log into a rectangle shape that is roughly 5" wide and 14" long.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a wire cooling rack so that air can circulate around the baking sheet. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 300°F.
- Use a fine serrated knife to slice the loaf into 3/4" slices.
- Place the slices standing up, meaning that both cut sides are exposed, on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the biscotti from the baking sheet and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Package biscotti for gift-giving or pile into a food-safe container. Leave at room temperature, or freeze until needed for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Barb says
Hello you Byron! I just recently started my search for fruit cake (things) recipes…love this one! Could this be done with candied ginger instead of mixed fruits? I am so happy to find your site, because of this recipe, we have collective talents, and you are warmingly entertaining. Thank you for sharing, truly.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Barb. 🙂 Yes, I have used candied ginger in this biscotti before and it’s wonderful!
Gloria says
My go to when I am missing those holiday smells. I even have a 14yr old who says “not bad” with a cookie in each hand. These are simple and amazing. I make 2 batches at a time as 1 has red walnuts and the other plain. Delicious. Thank you fir sharing your recipe.
Gini says
Try the food savor systems for freezing your cookies. Sucking most of the air out of the bag before sealing keeps freezer burn at bay so much longer. Softer cookies need a “quick freeze” before using these bags as the vacuum action will compress the soft cookie into mush. I freeze about a dozen in each bag.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Great tip, Gini!
Dana says
Delicious! My mom made these and they were great! I tried as well, but added fresh orange zest and dried cranberries for a cranberry orange version. So happy I finally tried biscotti. Addicting and easy
Donna says
I drizzled melted white chocolate on them. Delicious and festive.
Mary Ann says
Hi. I have to say your recipe is good but, being a bakers daughter, I always improvise. I put 1 teaspoon almond extract , fresh orange zest and 1 oz brandy. They are yummy.. Thank you so much for sharing. Merry Christmas.