Calimyrna and Black Mission Fig Biscotti

Dried figs: I'm obsessed. The greenish kind on one of our fig trees are turning yellow and fat, but they are few and far between at this point. Dried figs, at least, are always plentiful.

Recently, I was trying to think of a dessert to go with grilled pizza on the 4th, something a little Italian but not made with any heavy cream, which seems too cloying in the heat. I made half of these cookie-like, and the other half hard like traditional twice-baked biscottti for later with espresso.

Calimyrna and Black Mission Fig Biscotti

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup dried black mission figs

1/2 cup dried golden calimyrna figs

2 duck eggs

1/3 cup cane sugar

1/3 cup dark brown muscovado sugar

1 tsp. vanilla paste

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup AP flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Next, finely chop the almonds and roughly chop the figs. Set both aside. Whisk the eggs and sugars together for 3-5 minutes until creamy. Add vanilla.

In a different bowl, whisk the dry ingredients: baking powder, salt, and AP and whole wheat flours. Combine wet and dry ingredients so that they come together, but don't over-mix. Add in the almonds and figs. (Mixture will be very dry; you can add a tablespoon of water if needed.)

Place dough on a floured surface, and with flour-dusted hands, shape it into a loaf about five inches wide and one inch tall. Bake for 15 minutes. Let it cool a bit and then use a knife coated in flour to cut the biscotti into slices about an inch wide. Place pieces back onto the cookie sheet. Cook for another 15 minutes until golden brown for a harder biscotti. When they cool, sprinkle them with powdered sugar on one side.