The classic fall treat turned into a baked good!
It’s the first full week of November, so why not kick off the recipes with a classic fall treat? Caramel apples may be a treat that you only have at your local farmstand or at the county fair, because who wants to deal with all that mess? However, these biscotti are much less messy but just as delicious. Bring the flavor of fall to your afternoon snack or Sunday brunch with this recipe.
To learn more about this recipe, originally published in September 2017, keep reading.
As I’ve mentioned, one of the things that I love about fall is the abundance of apples. Another thing that I love about fall, and try to indulge in once each season, is a caramel apple (or a caramel apple scone). There’s something so wonderful about the sticky, sweet mess that treat is. Yes, I know I’ll need a washcloth (or two) when I’m done, but it’s worth it.
When I started thinking about new recipes to create this fall, apples obviously played a key part in my brainstorming. I began to wonder how I could get apples into a biscotti recipe. Would they need to be dried, or could I use fresh? What sort of glaze or coating could I use to up the sweet factor? Yes, these are some of the things I get to think about in this job.
I decided to start with fresh, and if they didn’t work, resort to dried fruit. To test the recipes fully I tried two different versions of fresh apples- cubed and shredded. My initial supposition was that shredded would be the winner, as I could remove moisture by squeezing the shredded apple before baking. It did produce a dry biscotti with less baking, but it also had less flavor. Less moisture = less apple taste 🙁
So, cubed apples were the winner, although they did require a bit more baking time. However, biscotti aren’t the quickest treats to bake, so what’s a couple minutes more? The next decision was how to impart some more sweetness. Thankfully, on a trip to the grocery store I discovered a new item in the baking aisle- caramel chips. When you eat one, it tastes exactly like the caramel sauce that you’d pour on a sundae. Win! Win!
These Caramel Apple Biscotti deliver on the promised flavor. . .with a lot less mess while eating. Plus, no one will look at you twice if you eat one for breakfast. A truly sweet victory!
Caramel Apple Biscotti
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1-1/4 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1-1/2 cups diced dried apples
- 1 cup caramel baking chips
- 1 teaspoon shortening
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350.
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Beat butter and sugar in bowl of stand mixer on speed 2 for 3 minutes.
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Add eggs one at a time, beating until smooth.
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Stir in vanilla extract.
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Slowly add flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, mixing until combined.
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Stir diced apple into dough.
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Divide dough in half.
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Shape each half into 10″ x 4″ rectangle, using floured hands.
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Set each loaf 3″ apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
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Bake for 30 minutes or until the dough is set.
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Leaving the oven on, remove the baking sheet from the oven, and cool biscotti loaves for 15 minutes on cookie sheet.
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Using a chef’s knife, cut the loaves into diagonal slices, 3/4″ thick.
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Place slices on cookie sheet with the cut sides down. Bake for 12 minutes.
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Turn slices over, and bake for 12 minutes more.
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Remove biscotti from oven, and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
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Combine caramel chips and shortening in a small bowl.
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Microwave on high in 15 second increments, stirring after each, until fully melted.
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Using a spoon, coat one side of biscotti with caramel.
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Return to parchment paper to allow coating to harden.*
Notes
