Apricot and nut biscotti

Hello, my fellow bakers. In the some past weeks I've been obsessing with biscotti baking. I just love that crumbly texture and taste of filling I chose to put in. One day I just googled the recipies of biscotti - oh my word - they are more than men in the world :) I'd really love to if you'd post some of your favourite biscotti recipies, I'll try them and let you know how it went.
   Here I'm gonna post my far most favourite recipe!

       

250g plain flour
250g caster sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
50g dried sweetened strawberries, chopped
100g dried apricots, chopped
50g medjod dates, pitted and chopped
75g shelled pistachio nuts
50g whole blanched almonds
50g shelled hazelnuts
zest of 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the half of the beaten eggs and mix well, then add half of what's left and mix again. Now add the last quarter a little bit at a time until the dough takes shape but isn't too wet ( you may not need to use all of the eggs). Add the fruits, nuts and lemon zest and mix well.
3. Divide the mixture into six, roll into sausage shapes about 3cm in diameter and place at least 6cm apart on lined baking tray (wetting your hands before rolling these helps to prevent the dough sticking). Lightly flatten the "sausages".
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the heat and leave for 10 minutes to cool and firm up.
5. Using a serrated knife, cut the biscotti on an angle into slices 5mm thick. Lay the slices back on the baking tray. Return to the oven and cook for 8 minutes, then turn the slices over and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until a pale golden color. Cool on wire rack, then store in airtight jars. 

P.S. I did not use all of the sugar what's shown in recipe, biscotti in the end came out quite sweet, but if you like them sweet do use it all. 

 

Anzac biscuits

         Funnily enough, I don't really like porridge, but I love oats in biscuits, flapjacks and other desserts. These recipies are quite delicious, they disappeared fast!!! So make sure you make more of them if you have big family or just lot of hungry friends :)

85g porridge oats

85g desiccated coconut

100g plain flour

100g caster sugar

100g butter, plus extra for greasing

1tbsp golden syrup

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1. Heat oven to 180C. Put the oats, coconut, flour and sugar in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the golden syrup. Add the bicarbonate of soda to 2tbsp boiling water, then stir into the melted butter and syrup mixture.
2. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the butter ad syrup mixture. Stir gently to combine.
3. Put dessertspoonfuls of the mixture on the buttered baking sheets, about 2.5 cm apart to allow room for spreading. Bake in batches for 8-10 min until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate box

Hello, everyone. This is my first blog. Here I'm gonna post some tried baking recipes from the best baking recipe books. For example, this recipe is from "Decorating Biscuits". I just loooove these, as well my friends. It's gonna take quite a time and bit of patience, but it's well worth it. This chocolate box can easily make a great gift...because who doesn't love chocolate, right? :) When I made this, all my kitchen was covered in chocolate and smelled of chocolate... felt a bit of like in fairytale of Hans and Greta in sweety house :) I think it would be great to include the kids in preparation and coating the biscuits, it's gonna be so much fun for them. Use your imagination to coat them in chocolate, just let to alternate the variety of chocolate. They tasted great when they were completely set and with hot cup of coffee. Let me know if you tried, and how did it go?

So, you will need:                                             for icing and decoration:

60g butter                                                        150g white chocolate
175g self raising flour                                        150g milk chocolate
25g good-quality cocoa powder                        150g plain chocolate ( at least 70% cocoa solids)
60g light muscavado sugar                                 cocoa powder, for dusting
2 egg yolks
60g black treacle/molasses

1. Finely chop the butter and put this, along the flour and cocoa powder, into a food processor. Blend until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugar, egg yolks and black treacle/molasses to form a dough.
2. Roll the mixture under the palms of your hands into a thick, even sausage, about 30cm long and 4 cm wide. Neaten the edges of the sausage, then wrap in clingfilm and chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C and grease a large baking sheet.
3. Use a sharp knife to cut the mixture into 8mm thick slices and transfer them to a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until slighty risen, the transfer pieces to a wire rack to cool.
4. Finely grate 15g white chocolate. Melt the remaining chocolate, and milk and plain chocolate into seperate bowls. Line a tray with greaseproof paper.
5. Dip a third of the biscuits into the melted white chocolate, allowing excess chocolate to drip into the bowl. Tranfer to tray and sprinkle with grated white chocolate.
6. Place the spoonful of melted and plain chocolate into seperate piping bags and keep in warm place. Coat half the biscuits in the remaiming milk chocolate and half in plain chocolate, using a fork, and tranfer to the paper-lined tray. 
7. Snip the merest tip of the piping bags. Scribble freehand lines of milk chocolate over a each plain covered biscuits. 
8. Pipe swirls of plain chocolate over the milk chocolate-covered biscuits and if you wish, you can decorate with chocolate coffee beans or chocolate buttons. Leave the tray of biscuits in a cool place (not in fridge) to set (takes a few hours).

P.S.
I usually use for baking unsalted butter, if you can take a hold of them, if not, salted butter is ok.
Try to use for these biscuits very-good quality chocolates with less sugar and saturated fat content.
If you like sweet biscuits use all 60g sugar, but for me it felt a bit too sweet, so I would put a bit less.
Make sure you store them in airtight container in slighlty cool place.