Cranberry Almond Biscotti: A cookie so nice, they baked it twice
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Cranberry Almond Biscotti
When I was about 14 years old, I went through a serious biscotti craze. While other girls my age were starting to get into normal early-teen things like makeup, hair straighteners, and school dances, I was elbow deep in biscotti dough, forming little loafs, baking, slicing, and baking again. Biscotti are just a little bit more involved than a traditional drop cookie like chocolate chip or oatmeal but they are oh-so totally worth it.
By twice-baking these delectable little Italian cookies, they become a little crunchy and crumbly making them perfect for dunking into a cup of coffee or tea. Another bonus? The double bake allows them to stay fresh in your cupboard for up to a month though I’ve never had a batch last that long!
Cranberry Almond Biscotti
Makes around 30 biscotti
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 ¼ cup All Purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup dried cranberries
¾ cup whole almonds, unsalted
1 cup white chocolate chips
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition followed by the vanilla and almond extracts.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt then fold in the dried cranberries and almonds. Don’t worry about sifting your dry ingredients – these lovely little cookies have a great bite to them and are much more hearty than sifted things like cake.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and stir just until combined. Set the bowl in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350F and line one large or two small cookie sheets with parchment paper. Once the dough has chilled, divide it in half and form each into approximately a 3x8” rectangle on your parchment lined sheet. Be sure to leave at least 5 inches of space between your two biscotti loaves as they will rise and spread in the oven. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown and slightly set.
Remove your biscotti from the oven and allow it to cool slightly on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes. Lower your oven to 325F and slice each biscotti loaf into around 15 cookies. I like to do mine on a bit of an angle – it gives you longer biscotti and a nicer looking cookie. Place the biscotti cut side down back onto your baking sheet and back for 15 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake for an additional 5 minutes. This flip is not totally necessary but it does give your biscotti a more even colour and texture.
Remove your biscotti from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack while you melt your white chocolate in the microwave. Once the biscotti are cool, dunk or drizzle each cookie with the white chocolate and allow it to set up on a piece of parchment before digging in!