Mince Pie Biscotti

Mince Pie Biscotti are deliciously light and crunchy sweet biscuits, full of Christmas fruit, spice, and nuts. Flavoured with the same mincemeat used to fill traditional mince pies, you won’t believe how easy it is to make these artisan-style biscuits. Perfect eaten alongside a tipple or a cuppa, Mince Pie Biscotti make a wonderful Christmas gift too.

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EASY BISCOTTI

The crunchy sweet Italian biscuits known as biscotti are said to take their name from the Latin biscoctus meaning ‘twice cooked’. A two-stage (but still incredibly simple) cooking process gives them their distinctive drier texture. This means they’re perfect for dipping into a dessert wine like Vin Santo or enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee. It also allows the biscotti to be stored for longer.

In modern Italian, biscotti is the generic word for all types of biscuits or cookies. However, here in Britain the biscotti we’re most familiar with are the elongated ones often studded with almonds. But you can flavour biscotti any way you like: my herby Savoury Biscotti are wonderful with cheeses, pâté, or just as a tasty nibble.

At Christmas, I love these homemade sweet Mince Pie Biscotti. With only around 20 minutes of hands-on time, they’re great with drinks and make a simple but thoughtful gift too. Flavoured with the same mincemeat found in mince pies, the light but crunchy biscuits are full of Christmassy spice, nuts and fruit. And so easy!

MINCE PIE BISCOTTI 

You’ll find ingredient amounts and full instructions in the recipe card at the end. But I recommend you read the whole of this post first for extra tips and step-by-step images to guide you. For the best results use digital scales (affiliate link) and metric measurements.

The dough for biscotti is similar to a scone mixture in both appearance and handling. You simply mix the wet ingredients into the dry then form the resulting dough into a long log shape. This is baked, cooled then sliced, and the slices baked again until wonderfully toasted and crispy.

NOTE: If you want to double the recipe divide the dough and roll into two logs.

WET INGREDIENTS

The only ingredients you’ll need are beaten egg for binding plus mincemeat. A batch of approximately 24 Mince Pie Biscotti requires just a few tablespoons (about 100 grams) of mincemeat. Which means biscotti are great for using up the last of a jar after you’ve made your Traditional Mince Pies or Viennese Whirl Mince Pies.

If you’ve time before Christmas, making your own fruity mincemeat is incredibly easy. Ideally, you’ll want to mature it a couple of weeks before using. I recommend either my classic Homemade Christmas Mincemeat or the warmly spicy Ginger Christmas Mincemeat I used for the biscotti you see in this post.

If you’re buying mincemeat, I think it pays to get a well-flavoured, good quality one. I recommend checking the label to avoid palm oil and cheap fillers like apple puree.

DRY INGREDIENTS 

• Self-raising flour. Can be replaced with plain/all-purpose flour + extra baking powder.
• Baking powder. Boosts the rise.
• Mixed spice and cinnamon. Classic Christmas spices.
• Light brown soft sugar. Adds sweetness and a caramelized flavour but can be replaced with white sugar if that’s what you have.
• Nuts. Any type is fine, singly or a mixture. I like the bright green of pistachios plus earthy roasted hazelnuts. Don’t eat nuts? Just leave out.
• Salt. To enhance the flavours.

HOW TO MAKE MINCE PIE BISCOTTI

Start by sifting into a bowl the flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Then stir in the sugar and chopped nuts. The mincemeat goes in next; use a fork to break it up as you stir it into the flour mixture.

Now gradually add enough of the beaten egg, stirring it in with your fork, to create a soft scone-like dough that isn’t too wet. Because some mincemeat will be moister than others and egg sizes vary, you may or may not need to add all the egg. If you don’t have quite enough egg then add a drop of milk, juice, or water. However, if you’ve mistakenly made the dough too wet, work in a little extra flour.

Use your hands to finish bringing the dough together into a ball then transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. For baking jobs like this where things can get sticky, I highly recommend you cover your work top with a silicone mat (affiliate link). They make cleaning up loads easier too.

Now roll the ball into a long log approximately 26 cm long x 3 cm wide x 2 cm high. Bear in mind it will spread in the oven, so don’t make it any wider or flatter. Also, try to avoid having any gaps or air holes. Once you’re happy with the shape, carefully transfer to a paper-lined baking tray.

If you doubled the dough and made two logs as mentioned above, be sure to place with plenty of space between them to spread. Alternatively, bake on separate trays or in batches.

TWICE BAKED BISCOTTI 

The log is baked for 35 minutes in an oven you’ve preheated to the temperature shown in the recipe card. It should be risen and firm when done. Because my oven cooks a little unevenly, I turn the tray around part way through. So it doesn’t crumble when you slice it, you now transfer the log to a cooling rack until it’s only just warm.

Now take a serrated bread knife and carefully cut into 1 cm slices, using a sawing motion. It’s traditional to cut on a slant so you get elongated slices. In my house, the end pieces never get as far as their second bake: they get popped in my mouth while I’m slicing. Cook’s bonus!

Place the slices back on the baking tray, a cut side uppermost, and return to the oven, this time at the lower temperature given in the recipe card. Bake for 10 minutes, turn each biscotti over, then bake for another 8 – 10 minutes or until dark golden brown. You can also test they’re done by pressing down with a finger: they should be firm with no ‘bounce’. Avoid overbaking though: you don’t want rock-hard biscuits.

Transfer the Mince Pie Biscotti to the cooling rack and leave until completely cold before storing in an airtight container.

STORING & SERVING MINCE PIE BISCOTTI

Stored as described above, these wonderful Christmas biscotti should stay good and crunchy for a least a week. So easy, the artisan-style biscuits are perfect alongside a drink, whether something boozy or a cup of tea of coffee.

And if you’re looking for a thoughtful but not-too-time consuming Christmas gift, Mince Pie Biscotti fit the bill. Just pop some in a bag and tie with a ribbon. You can even do most of the prep in advance. Make the dough, shape, bake, cool, and slice it as per the instructions. Freeze the slices (I freeze on a tray then transfer to a freezer bag). All that’s left to do then is defrost and do the final bake and cool just before you need them.

If you want to customize the Christmas biscotti, try dipping half of each biscuit in melted chocolate and sprinkle with pieces of crystallized ginger or more nuts.

If you’ve made this recipe, I’d love to know what you thought. Please leave a comment and rating.

5 from 3 votes

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Mince Pie Biscotti

Light and crunchy biscuits full of Christmas fruit, spice, and nuts. Flavoured with the same mincemeat used to fill traditional mince pies. Perfect eaten alongside a tipple or a cuppa, these easy biscotti make a wonderful Christmas gift too.

If doubling the recipe, form into two logs and space well apart on a baking tray (or on separate trays or baked in batches) as they will spread as they cook.

It's recommended that you read the accompanying blog post before starting the recipe.

Course Dessert, Snack, Biscuit

Cuisine Italian, British

Keyword biscuits, christmas, christmas bakes, christmas baking, mincemeat

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Cooling time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 24 biscuits (approx.)

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 125 g self-raising flour (or plain/all-purpose + 1 tsp baking powder in addition to that below)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp mixed spice (can be increased to 1 tsp for a stronger flavour)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon (can be increased to 1 tsp for a stronger flavour)
• 1 large pinch salt
• 50 g light brown soft sugar (can be replaced with caster sugar)
• 50 g roughly chopped nuts (e.g. pistachios and hazelnuts)
• 100 g fruit mincemeat (see Recipe Notes)
• 1 medium egg, beaten

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C /160°Fan /Gas 4 /350°F with a shelf in the middle position.

   Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt into a bowl.

   Stir in the brown sugar (or caster sugar if using) and nuts.

   Add the fruit mincemeat to the bowl, breaking it up with a fork.

   Gradually add enough of the beaten egg, stirring it in with the fork as you do, to create a soft dough that isn't wet. Use your hands to bring it together into a ball.

   Tip 1. Some mincemeats will be wetter than others so you may not need all the egg or, if you've added it all and the mixture still seems dry, you can add a splash of milk, juice, or water.

   Tip 2. If you've made the mixture too wet, work in a little more flour.

3. Sprinkle flour over your work surface, ideally covered with a silicone mat, then transfer the ball of dough onto it.

   Roll into a smooth log approximately 26 cm long x 3 cm wide x 2 cm high.

   - Don't make the log any wider or flatter as it will spread a little as it bakes.

   - Try to avoid gaps or air holes.

   - Add extra flour if necessary to prevent sticking.

   Carefully lift the log onto the paper-lined baking tray. If it stretches as you lift it, just pat it back together to the correct size.

4. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the log is risen and firm; if your oven cooks unevenly then turn the tray around half way through.

   Remove from the oven, transfer the log to a cooling rack and leave until only just warm.

   While the log is cooling: reduce the oven temperature to 160°C /140°Fan /Gas 3 /325°F.

5. Put the log on a board and use a serrated bread knife to carefully cut it into slices 1cm wide, using a sawing motion: cutting on the diagonal for longer slices is traditional.

   Put the slices back on the paper-lined baking tray, with a cut side uppermost, and return to the oven.

6. Bake for 10 minutes then turn each biscotti over and bake for a further 8 - 10 minutes or until they are deep golden brown and completely firm: you shouldn't feel any 'bounce' if you press down on them.

7. Put the biscotti on the cooling rack and leave until completely cold before storing in an airtight container.

   Should stay crisp for at least 1 week.

Recipe Notes

Fruit Mincemeat.

Mincemeat is a British dried fruit preserve traditionally eaten at Christmas as the filling in mince pies. Making your own is incredibly easy, although ideally you'll want to leave it a couple of weeks to mature before using. I recommend either my classic Homemade Christmas Mincemeat or the one I used for the biscotti you see in this post, warmly spicy Ginger Christmas Mincemeat.

If you're buying mincemeat, it pays to get a well-flavoured, good quality one. Check the label to avoid palm oil and cheap fillers like apple puree.

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