Fig and Walnut Biscotti With Anise and Cardamom

Ingredients

5 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour

5 1/2 ounces white wheat pastry flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature

7 ounces sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 ounces walnut pieces

5 ounces dried Turkish or Calimyrna figs, quartered (about 1 cup)

1/2 orange, grated zest

1 1/2 teaspoons anise seeds, crushed and roughly ground with a mortar and pestle

1/2 teaspoon (scant) ground cardamom

Preparation

Toast walnuts on baking sheet for 5 to 7 minutes in a 325ºF oven. Allow walnuts to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Set oven rack in middle position. Line a baking sheet with

Parchment paper or silicone mat.

Chop walnuts and figs.

Sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, anise seeds, and cardamom.

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed about

Minutes.

Add the eggs and vanilla and orange zest, and beat for another 2 minutes.

Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions. Mix dough just until

Dough comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the chopped nuts and figs.

Turn dough on to work surface and divide in two equal portions.

Form each portion of the dough into 12-inch long logs. The logs should be about 1 inch high

And 2 inches wide. Transfer logs to baking sheet.

Bake the logs for about 25 minutes, or until they are just slightly firm. Remove the baking sheet

From the oven. Cool the logs on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes. (Leave the oven on.)

Use a long serrated knife to cut each log into slices between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick. Stand the

Slices up on the baking sheet (don’t lay them on their sides) and bake the cookies for 10 minutes.

Transfer the biscotti to a rack to cool.

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About

Note: This recipe was submitted by Kate Holmes Thompson to the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle's Ultimate Holiday Cookie Contest.

Growing up, I only knew biscotti as a cookie my mom made at Christmas that contained candied fruits in shocking yellow, green, and red colors. And my dad was the only one to eat those cookies. As a young adult, I experienced the tastes of biscotti studded with chocolate, dried fruit, and nuts and I realized the potential of this cookie. I’ve developed my own biscotti recipe to include dried figs and walnuts and the comforting, warm flavors of orange, cardamom, and anise. As a holiday cookie in our household, this biscotti marries the memory of my childhood Christmas cookies, with seasonal ingredients of figs and walnuts, and the flavors of anise and cardamom, which are reminiscent of the baked goods of my Swedish husband’s family. Together, these elements create a new cookie from both our backgrounds.