Servings: 40 cookies 1 cup shelled almonds 1 cup shelled pistachios 1/3 cup candied pineapple, chopped 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped 1/3 cup candied cherries, I used dried craisins 1/3 cup dried papaya 1 stick, 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp real vanilla extract 3 large eggs, room temp 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour 2 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt
Place almonds and pistachios on an un-greased baking sheet and bake at 350˚F for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool to room temp then coarsely chop and transfer to a medium bowl. Chop your dried/candied fruit into pieces about the size of raisins.
Add dried fruit to the bowl with nuts and stir to combine. This would make one fine trail mix; I tell ya what! In the bowl of your electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat together: 1 stick butter, 1 cup sugar, and 2 tsp vanilla on high speed (3 min). Add 3 eggs and beat until well combined (1 min).
In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 1/4 cups flour, 2 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix (with the paddle attachment) until combined. Stir in nuts and fruit with a spatula, mixing until dispersed.
Divide the dough into three equal pieces and shape each piece into a 12"long by 2" wide by 3/4" thick. They can be longer or wider but be sure you stay under 1" in thickness for even baking. Arrange on a large greased baking sheet, at least 1" apart. Bake at 350˚F for 25-28 min or until starting to turn golden (they shouldn't be fully cooked at this point).
Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to carefully slice each log into individual biscotti about 1" wide. Add a little more grease to the same baking pan(s), arrange cookies evenly over the top and bake 15-18 min or until golden and firm. Biscotti cookies will harden more as they cool.