Late last summer, I did some prop shopping for a prop-stylist colleague who was swamped and needed a hand. It’s a lot of work, don’t get me wrong, the shopping bit is fun but there is a lot of schlepping! And you have to be extremely organized to be able to return some of the props that weren’t used! That being said, it’s a job I don’t envy, they earn every penny and then some. While I was waiting for a store to open, I stopped into an Italian cafe for a coffee and biscotti. The coffee was fine but the biscotti was atrocious, it was soggy! Imagine that. Such an unsatisfying treat. The worst. So I had to make my own! These definitely hit the spot!
Cranberry and Almond Biscotti Revisted
Makes about 30 biscotti
Ingredients:
- 320 g AP unbleached flour
- 4 g baking powder
- 3 g salt
- 340 g sugar
- 125 g butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 7 mL almond extract
- 150 g frozen cranberries, defrosted
- 70 g almonds, toasted
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Fold in the cranberries and almonds (I used whole)
- In the large bowl of your stand mixer, combine the sugar, butter, eggs and almond extract and mix for about 4 minutes.
- Fold in the dry ingredients until entirely combined (I did this using my whisk attachment so I didn’t break up the cranberries.
- Divide the batter in half and shape into relatively skinny logs on the parchment, leaving sufficient space between the two as they will spread during baking.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until golden.
- Remove logs from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice each log into 1.5 cm slices. Place cut-side down on the baking sheet (reuse the original parchment) and bake for 10 minutes, flip and continue to bake for 5 more minutes or until lightly golden. Cool completely.
- Store in an air-tight container or freeze. Serve with coffee or tea.
Fascinating! I’ve only make biscotti with dried cranberries, never fresh/frozen/thawed! I can definitely imagine how good these would be! Merry Christmas!
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I usually use dried too but I had these in the freezer for a recipe testing gig. I actually thought they were better than dried because they added a great tart punch that the dried just don’t have. Merry Christmas to you too.
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I love moist dried fruits in otherwise crisp and dry biscuits. The difference of textures is amazing! Your biscotti look fantastic and perfect for this festive period!
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Thank you kindly, Sissi.
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Yeah, soggy is probably not what you want ;/ I used to make biscotti regularly at Christmas time but stopped a few years back. Seeing your lovely cranberry almond version makes me want to bring them back into production. I always thought they were the perfect nibble with a cuppa. The almond extract must add a beautiful essence to these and they’re gorgeous! The cranberry is so pretty, poking through in festive red.
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Thank you so much, Kelly for your kind words. The tart cranberries gave a lovely punch of colour and flavour too.
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Love the use of cranberry in this — neat idea. These sound delightful — thanks. And Happy Holidays!
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Thanks John, they were rather festive. Happy holidays to you too.
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I’m not a big biscotti fan but the cranberry-almond combination sounds delicious. I’m curious why dried cranberries aren’t used but fresh/frozen and thawed instead. Wouldn’t it be easier to get a dried/crispy biscotti if your cranberries weren’t ‘wet’ to start with?
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Yes, they would Maria, but I had some leftover from a recipe test that I needed something to do with! The frozen did a a lovely punch of tartness that dried would not have had.
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They look wonderful. Soggy biscotti, are they actually Italian?
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I highly doubt that, actual Italians would have been embarrassed to serve soggy biscottis!
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A soggy biscotti? Was it pre-dunked in coffee? Yours sound wonderful!
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No, they just didn’t protect them from the humidity we had. Such a shame for an Italian café.
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The colours are so pretty and perfect for the season! I’m definitely going to try these as part of my Christmas baking this year! (Along with your chocolate crinkle cookies and Anzac biscuits, which are now firm holiday favourites in my house!)
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I made the almond and cranberry biscotti for Christmas at my house and they turned out great! Lovely and sweet, and the cranberries added a wonderful punch of flavour. Thanks again!
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Thank you for the feedback, I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
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Thank you Michela, it always makes me smile when you make my recipes. The crinkle cookies are a holiday favourite for sure.
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Biscotti 💕
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Thank you.
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It’s been years since I’ve made biscotti, but these are PERFECT for the holidays!!! Wonder if I’ll have time to add these to my baking list???
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I hope you enjoy them. Thank you for your kind words, Liz.
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I haven’t baked any biscotti this year yet…maybe I should bake a batch before the cookie season is over! These look wonderful!
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Thank you Angie, I hope you enjoyed them.
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