(This dose makes approx. 60 Biscotti of about 5cm long, by 2cm wide and 2 cm thick)

Ingredients

175g           Mixed nuts (such as almonds, pistachios & cashews, toasted &                          finely chopped with a knife, approx. in equal quantities)
2 ½ tsp       Baking Powder
½ tsp          Salt
260g           Flour sifted
180g           Sugar
3                 Eggs
1 tsp           Vanilla essence
1 tsp           Almond extract
90g             butter, unsalted, at room temperature
1                 Orange zest
100g total   Raisins & Sultanas (approx., in equal quantities)
¼ cup         Grand Marnier or Cointreau

Method

Place raisins and sultanas in a bowl, add Grand Marnier or Cointreau, stir and put to the side.

Beat sugar and eggs in a standing mixer with a whisk, at medium to high speed for about 4 minutes, until almost cream-like.

Change whisk to a “K” attachment then at reduced speed, add vanilla, almond extract, butter, and zest.  Put the baking powder and the salt into the flour, and then add flour, spoonful by spoonful until well incorporated into the mixture.   Do not overbeat.

Lightly strain raisins and sultanas so that some liqueur remains, and place into the mixture, and then fold in the mixed nuts & the raisins and sultanas by hand or wooden spoon thoroughly.

Place approximately the same quantities of the mixture separately onto an oven tray covered with non-stick parchment paper, form two logs of about 8/9cm wide and about 23cm long, and bake for 25 minutes in a preheated oven of 350°F

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for ten minutes.  Transfer each log carefully on to a cutting board.  First cut the log in half lengthwise, and depending on your preference, you may cut each half again, in half lengthwise, so that you have four lengths of each log.  Then cut each log across in strips of about 2cm wide.

If you only cut the log in half, the resulting Biscotti will be longer/bigger.   Once both logs have been cut in this way, place Biscotti on the baking tray, cut side up, and bake in a preheated oven of 325°F for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and turn Biscotti on to the other cut-side and bake again for another 10 minutes.   Remove from the oven, let cool, and store.

Note:

It should be noted that the logs expand during cooking, therefore they should be placed on the baking tray, with a gap between them lengthwise of about 8cm.