Candied fruit are made by cooking and soaking fruits in sugar syrup. The fruit is saturated with sugar which conserves it. They have been prepared by many cultures worldwide for centuries. Depending on the amount of sugar absorbtion, the fruits can last for years.
In Italy they are commonly used in desserts such as Spumoni, (Sicilian ice cream), Panettone, (a sweet bread commonly made at Christmas), preserves, Florentins, Cassata, (a Sicilian cake), gelato, tarrone, and biscotti.
Baskets of candied fruit are traditionally given during Christmas. This time of the year you can find stands in Christmas markets all over Italy filled with all sorts of colorful candied fruit selections.
We make candied fruit biscotti as part of our Christmas biscotti tray. These biscotti are colorful and are also very pretty in a Torta di Biscotto di Nozze (Italian wedding biscotti cake). It needs no frosting and is very easy to make.
Candied Fruit Biscotti
Napolitano
Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes @ 375º F
Yield: 5 Dozen
Dry Ingredients
2 cups sugar
5 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup of walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup candied fruit, chopped
Wet Ingredients
6 eggs
2 teaspoons anise extract
2 sticks butter
DOUGH
Cream the eggs and sugar, and add the butter and extract and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour and baking powder. Fold in the nuts and chopped candied fruit. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
ASSEMBLY
Form the dough into long cylinders about 12” long. Place the loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Teflon mat.
BAKE
Bake at 375º F for 20-25 minutes. Remove them from the oven and slice the loaves diagonally when cooled. Place the slices on their side and return them to the oven. Bake for another 2 minutes on each side.
Thank you for putting together such a cheerful and most colorful post for the festive period.
Although I’m not a huge fan of some candied fruit…I do have my very particular selections which I could substute into your yummy biscotti ;o)
Patricia, I’d like to wish you a great holiday with your loved ones and a memorable year ahead.
Ciao for now and flavourful wishes,
Claudia
Claudia,
Hope you had a Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for the new year. I hope we get a chance some day to meet each other someday, I think we probably have a lot in common.
Nice thing about these biscotti is that you really don’t get a full burst of candied fruit. But something like figs or dates might be a great substitute.
Cheers,
Patricia
I love, love, love this place! Especially the cookies and pasta recipes you post. 🙂 Thank you for the time you put into each one of your posts… Have happy holidays!!
marcela.