These biscotti remind me of a church's stained glass windows.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup almonds, toasted
• ¾ cup Brazil nuts, toasted
• ¾ cup pistachio nuts
• 125 grams butter, softened
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons almond essence
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup finely diced glace papaya
• 1 cup finely diced dried pineapple
• ½ cup diced red glace cherries
• ¼ cup diced glace angelic or green glace cherries
• ½ cup ground almonds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Lightly grease 1-2 baking trays or line with baking paper.
2. Chop the nuts into chunky pieces.
3. In a large bowl, beater butter, sugar and almond essence together until very creamy. Add the eggs one at a time.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder together and stir into the creamed mixture with the nuts, fruit and almonds.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench and divide in half. Roll each portion out into a sausage shape to about 3cm in diameter. Place on the prepared tray.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the rolls are lightly browned and firm to the touch.
7. Remove from the oven and allow the rolls to cool on a cake rack for 10-15 minutes.
8. Using a bread knife, slice the biscotti diagonally into ½-1cm wide slices. Place the slices on the baking tray and return to the oven for a further 7-8 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool the biscotti on a cake rack and keep in an airtight container.

Cooks Tips

Glace angelica is the preserved stem of Angelica, an arch-angelic plant. Grown in cooler climates, crystallising the stems takes much time, hence its expense. The finished emerald green colour is enhanced by dying as during the sugar saturation process the stems become a dull green.