almond cranberry biscotti

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Biscotti is just an excuse to have cookies for breakfast, and I am 100% okay with that. This recipe for biscotti has no pretenses to anything other than a sweet, crunchy bite. Heck! It even has chocolate drizzled on top. But they are also loaded with almonds and cranberries, which makes them both satisfying and nutritious. They are just tender enough to be eaten on their own without breaking any teeth, but they hold up extremely well--and perhaps are improved--when dipped in coffee, which brings them into the breakfast realm, which, like I said, is fine by me. 

Beneath the Crust: almond cranberry biscotti

almond cranberry biscotti

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

  • 1 cup of sugar

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 oz) of butter, softened

  • 2 large eggs

  • 3/4 teaspoon of almond extract

  • 1 cup of dried cranberries, chopped

  • 3/4 to 1 cup of almonds, toasted and chopped

  • 1 egg white, for brushing

  • 3 oz. of dark chocolate for drizzling*

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (a quarter sheet works but it will be a tight fit; I like to use a half sheet).

  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

  3. Place in the bowl of a mixer the butter, sugar, whole eggs, and almond extract. Beat on medium speed until well combined, about one to two minutes.

  4. Remove the mixing bowl from its stand. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir gently with a wooden spoon until nearly all incorporated. (It will look like it's not going to come together, but just keep going.) Add the chopped toasted almonds and chopped cranberries and mix well until evenly distributed. Stick your hand in the bowl and give the dough a couple turns to bring it all together.

  5. Divide the dough in half. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet and shape into two logs, roughly one inch tall, 2 1/2 inches wide, and 8 1/2 inches long. Whisk the egg white until foamy, and then brush all over the two logs. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until golden.

  6. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack. When the logs are cool enough to handle, lift them off the baking sheet with the parchment paper. With a serrated knife, gently slice each log on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices, yielding roughly 10 slices per log.

  7. Arrange the biscotti cut-side down on the baking sheet (without the parchment paper) and bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, flip the biscotti, and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until they begin to turn golden.

  8. Once the biscotti are cool, melt the dark chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave in short 15-second bursts, stirring in between until smooth. Arrange the biscotti right-side-up and drizzle the chocolate over top. If you flick the fork quickly back and forth, you can achieve thinner drizzle lines--but be ware! It can make quite a mess on your counter. If the biscotti are touching, separate them a little so they don't harden together. Once the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes, they are ready to enjoy. Store in an airtight container,

Makes 20 cookies.

*Note: about the chocolate. You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips. I often like to use Ghirardelli dark melting wafers, which are stabilized and set up with a hard, glossy coat. I also sometimes add a few paramount crystals to my melted chocolate to thin out the consistency and get a cleaner drizzle. 

Adapted from Bon Appetit.