For the holidays I was trying something new when it came to the recipes I was baking, from Cheesecake to cookies I covered it all, so I thought some biscotti would have to be next! As I mentioned, I purchased the eCookBooks, Cookie Cravings and Holiday Cookie Cravings, from Heidi at Foodie Crust, and I am so glad I didi (you should head over and get them too)! Biscotti here we come.
(Don't mind the nutcracker, I thought I was going to post this before the holiday, but there were just too many recipes to share!)
No free recipe card download for these babies, go buy the books!
RECIPE BELOW, GET BAKING!
Yields 15 Biscotti
INGREDIENTS /
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 orange
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large egg
¼ tsp. almond extract
¾ cup chopped almonds
⅔ cup dried cranberries
DIRECTIONS /
1 / Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2 / In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3 / In a small bowl, combine the sugar and orange zest. Rub together until fragrant.
4 / With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar mixture together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in almond extract until well combined. * I substituted Vanilla Extract because I didn't notice until it was too late that I didn't have anymore Almond and it worked just fine!
5 / Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the almonds and cranberries.
6 / Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until pale golden or about 35-40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheet. * I'm learning more and more that the bake time is not as important as it being ready. When you are doing a recipe or an item that you have never dine before, it can be confusing and difficult to tell if its done, I totes get it! Well, I pulled the log out too soon. It was brown on the far left and right, but the center was not cooked enough (the edges of my log were a bit thinner). Leave it in, don't get crazy about the time listed!
7 / When cooled, move the log to a cutting board and with a sharp, serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into ¾ inch thick slices. * As I said above, I didn't cook my quite long enough, which is why its uber crumbly. Yours should slice easier and will less crumbing.
8 / Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.
These weren't a typical biscotti because of the texture. As I said, I messed up on the bake time, but its ok! The flavor was great, the orange was so refreshing! They weren't as hard as a normal biscotti, but those who got graced with my baking this year for the holidays loved them! They LOVED that they weren't too hard, they were cake-like and lovely! Yay!
The base of this Biscotti was so easy and delish, I can't wait to make some other flavors, any ideas?