Cranberry Hazelnut Biscotti are something I make year round; a great dessert to have on hand...especially for dipping in sweet dessert wines!
When I think of Christmas dishes in America I think of cranberries...they appear in sauces, breads, stuffings. And in Italy hazelnuts are a common Christmas dessert ingredient: nougat torrone, chocolate torrone and many other desserts. So why not make something sweet that will bring both Christmas traditions together in a very tasty way?
Although fresh cranberries are impossible to come by in Italy, dried ones are quite easy to find and biscotti most definitely call for a dried fruit. Try making these delicious biscotti as a New Year's or Befana treat.
The biscotti are baked twice, just as the name implies: bis is the Italian word for twice, and cotti for cooked. Hence, the English word biscuit (although the English word stems directly from the French word of the same meaning).
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2 CommentsCranberry Hazelnut Biscotti
Makes about 30 to 35 biscotti
- 240 grams flour “00” or all-purpose ((2 cups))
- 135 grams sugar ((⅔ cup))
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (1)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (½)
- ½ teaspoon salt (½)
- 2 egg whites (2)
- 1 whole egg (1)
- 35 grams butter, softened ((3 tablespoons))
- 80 grams dried cranberries ((½ cup))
- 50 grams almonds, slivered ((½ cup))
- 70 grams hazelnuts, shelled ((½ cup))
- olive oil, just enough to oil your hands
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Using a dough hook, add the butter and eggs to the flour mixture on medium and mix for about a minute, or until a dough ball forms.
- Mix in the cranberries and nuts until incorporated, about 20 seconds.
- Using oiled hands shape the dough into a ball.
- Place the dough on the cookie sheet and press into a rectangular log shape measuring approximately 35 centimeters long (14 inches), 10 centimeters wide (4 inches) and 1¼ centimeter (1/ 2 inch) thick.
- Bake for about 25 minutes until the flattened log is just golden.
- Remove from the oven and cool for ten minutes.
- Slice the log into biscotti about 1¼ centimeter (1/ 2 inch) wide.
- Line the biscotti on their sides on the baking sheet (two baking sheets if necessary) and bake for another 10 to 12 minutes, until a rich golden color.
- Cool the biscotti completely before placing in an airtight container for storage.
- The biscotti can be kept for several weeks or frozen for later consumption.
These step by step pictures are wonderful. It really helps you judge the dough.