Cranberry, Orange and Chocolate Biscotti

Biscotti is by far my favourite afternoon pick me up with tea. I don't bake it much in the summer, but as soon as fall rolls around it's in the oven pretty much weekly.

When I owned the bake shop, I would make an enormous batch every Christmas Eve. I always tied a clear bag that was full of biscotti, with some gorgeous Christmas ribbon, and gave it to my customers as they picked up their Christmas baking. As a way of saying thank you for their patronage each year. I keep a jar of Biscotti in the cupboard at work too. I'm all for sharing! Anyone is welcome to come and grab a piece with their afternoon tea. It's kind of like my way of spreading love.

Cookie love. Chocolate-y, orange-y, crunchy cookie love.

The recipe is incredibly versatile. I load chocolate chips, cranberries, dried apricots, pumpkin seeds, and nuts in them. Whatever I have on hand at the time. This particular version has dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and almonds. I also, always add orange bakery emulsion or orange zest to the recipe. It adds just a slight citrus note that makes each crunchy bite even more amazing. Another fabulous combination includes almonds, white chocolate and dried apricots. The combinations are endless!

Don't be intimidated by Biscotti. It couldn't be any simpler. The dough only bakes for about 30 minutes. After that, it's sliced up into those delicious dipping fingers and left in the oven for the rest of the night. Other recipes usually call for a double bake, but I slice it up and put it back in the oven and turn the oven off. Overnight, or several hours later when the oven has cooled down, the Biscotti are nice and crisp. When I get up, I can throw them in the cookie jar and get on with my day.

One in hand, of course.

Happy Biscotti baking and coffee dipping friends,

Renee

Cranberry, Orange and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

*adapted from a recipe by Julie Van Rosendaal

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp orange bakery emulsion or orange zest
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°.

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the butter, sugar, eggs, orange juice, orange emulsion and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir just until combined - avoid over mixing. Add the almonds, cranberries and chocolate chips and gently fold in.
2. I prefer my Biscotti pieces to be about 6-7 inches long. Place all of the dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet. With dampened hands (essential), shape the dough into a rectangle about 6 inches wide and 12 inches long. It should be just under an inch thick. Do the best you can, you can't go wrong here. Similarly, if you prefer smaller cookies, shape the dough into two logs, 2-3 inches wide and 1 inch thick. (You should be able to fit both on one same sheet.)
3. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then carefully transfer the whole piece to a cutting board and cut on a slight diagonal into ¾-inch slices with a sharp or serrated knife.
4. Place the Biscotti back on the cookie sheet, this time laying each piece on its side. Put it back in the oven, and turn the oven off. Leave overnight or for several hours without opening the door. In the morning, you will have crispy Biscotti waiting for you! Store in a cookie jar for several weeks, if they last that long.