DATE AND FIG BISCOTTI

All bakeries in Delhi have stocks of Cake Rusk.  It is something that my family, especially R has been in love with. I remember picking up half a kg of fresh cake rusk every week and it vanishing even before the week ended.  Some would have tutti-fruiti in it, but we always liked the plain ones, coz the fruit in the cake rusk was always very hard, spoiling the texture.

I too am very fond of this particular preparation, but I never realized it would be so easy to do it at home.  Till I actually did it myself.  This recipe is my second attempt at the cake rusk or biscotti in the international language.  The first one I did was Almond and Orange which required some improvement.  And the second one came out perfectly.  After this I think I will be making more biscotti than cookies or muffins or cakes.  They are soooo good, and healthy too.

This is my own recipe.  After I got the hang of the whole concept of getting the texture right, I made my own stuff.  


Prep Time - 10 minutes
Cooking Time - 20-30 minutes (Logs)
Cooling time - 30 minutes
Cooking Time - 8-10 minutes (Biscotti)
Cooling Time - 20 minutes
Makes about - 2 dozen biscotti of medium size

Ingredients
 2 cups atta
1 tspn baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup dates n figs chopped
1/4 cup cinnamon honey (I don't think it's available in India so use honey mixed with 1/2 spoon of cinnamon or put the powder in the flour)
5 tbspn salted butter
2 tbspn rum (optional)


Method
Preheat oven to 150 deg
In a dish mix the flours n baking powder
Add the dates n figs n give it a good mix
Separately beat the butter n eggs
Add the sugar n mix
Pour in the rum
Now mix the wet into the dry
Add the honey
Combine into a dough
Don't knead too much
Pat into 2 logs by dividing them into two balls
Try and keep the logs rectangular
Lay them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Now bake for 30 minutes
Remove from oven n cool for 30 minutes
Meanwhile before 30 minutes are over start preheating once again
Once the logs are fairly cool use a serrated knife to slice them into 1/2 inch slices and lay them cut side down on the baking sheet with the baking paper and bake again for about 8-10 minutes. Just until they start browning.
Take the sheet out and leave to cool.

Believe me you will love the crumbs as much as the biscotti itself.