CHRISTMAS CARAMEL JOY!

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This is definitely not a traditional variant of the recipe, but I thought, why not make caramel biscotti? Because there’s always room for caramel, right?

Opt for good, soft caramels. They’ll go gooey in the oven and be lovely and chewy after baking. Feel free to put more in; it’ll probably make you happier. And if you really want to push the boat out, add a handful of chocolate chips, or hazelnuts, or even dried cranberries.

Also, the coffee really works in these biscuits, so it’s important to get something good quality. I love using flavoured coffees in baking, and the caramel espresso in this recipe was perfect!

RECIPE: CARAMEL Biscotti

MAKES: 1 log / 10 biscotti

INGREDIENTS:

• 210g FLOUR
• 65g GROUND HAZELNUTS
• 1/2 tsp. BAKING POWDER
• 50g BUTTER
• 1 EGG
• 70g HONEY
• 30g GOLDEN SYRUP
• 55g BROWN SUGAR
• Double Shot CARAMEL ESPRESSO
• 1 tsp. CARAMEL EXTRACT (optional)
• 1 tsp. VANILLA EXTRACT
• 40g SOFT CARAMELS, diced

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c and line a baking sheet with baking paper. In a mixing bowl, add the BUTTER, EGG, HONEY, GOLDEN SYRUP, BROWN SUGAR, VANILLA EXTRACT and CARAMEL EXTRACT (if using), and whisk until smooth. Add the Double CARAMEL ESPRESSO and stir.
2. In a separate large bowl, add the FLOUR, GROUND HAZELNUTS and BAKING POWDER. Stir, so that everything is evenly distributed. Then, stir in the diced SOFT CARAMELS.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and gently fold until there are no remaining white streaks. Tip onto the baking sheet and shape into a log approximately 30cm long and 3cm high. Flatten the top; the dough will be a little sticky but malleable. Then, bake for 25 minutes.
4. Remove the log and reduce the oven temperature to 160c. Allow the log to cool for 10 minutes. Cut into even slices approximately 2cm thick.
5. Arrange the slices back on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Then flip them over and bake for a further 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.