Made with cranberries and coarsely chopped hazelnuts. These cranberry hazelnut biscotti are a twice-baked cookie.
Biscotti are first baked in the shape of a log, then sliced diagonally in about one inch thick slices. After the second baking, they become crisp and keep well while being stored. Biscotti are an excellent snack when dipped in regular or speciality coffees.
Other additions or variations can be dried cherries, toasted pistachios or raisins. Stored in a tight fitting container Biscotti can last up to two weeks. Biscotti freeze well, but should be toasted when taken out of the freezer. If the Biscotti soften at any time during storing, put them in the oven and baked on low at 300°F for 7 min to about 12 min to get them nicely dried out again. Using fresh or frozen cranberries will result in a softer but still tasty cookie. For a nice decorative and tasty finish, drizzle or dip the biscotti with melted white or dark chocolate.
Cranberry Hazelnut Biscotti
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup butter unsalted, melted, cooled
- 2 teaspoons orange zest or lemon zest grated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 cup almonds or pistachio or hazelnuts coarsely chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F .Mix together the sugar, oil, eggs, zest and almond extract in a large bowl. Stir in the cranberries and your choice of coarsely chopped nuts. In another bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg, add to wet mixture and stir until blended. Divide dough in half and make 2 logs about 10 inches long and slightly flatten to get that Biscotti shape. Place the 2 logs 3 inches apart on a parchment covered baking sheet. Smooth the top with slightly dampened fingers.Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and slightly cool until a knife can cut through the logs without ripping logs apart when slicing.Slice across logs to make cookies 3/4 thick. Place cookies back on baking sheet cut side down and bake for another 20 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Biscotti can be drizzled with melted chocolate or dusted with icing sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze.
F.A.Q.
Q – Can I mix all 3 types of nuts into one recipe?
A – Why not! You could also make one roll with pistachio and the other with almonds.
Q – Can I use fresh or frozen cranberries?
A – Yes you can make biscotti from frozen or fresh cranberries; but I would recommend dried berries to avoid adding too much moisture to your biscotti dough. If that’s all you have is fresh or frozen then you’ll need to add baking time to your cookie to prevent a soggy biscotti.
Q – My cookies are soggy, help
A – Stick them in a 300°F oven for about 5-7 min, then turn off the heat and let them sit in the oven a little longer to dry up more if needed.
