Easy Cranberry Orange Biscotti Recipe

If you are the person who only eats biscotti when you can order it in a coffee shop, let me tell you it is easier to make than you might think. With my recently designed Easy Cranberry Orange Biscotti Recipe, you will be a pro in no time.

These lightly sweetened cookies are some of my favorites for tea or hot cocoa (or coffee if you are into it). Keeping them on hand is a regular for me, but gifting them is also a reason for making them. Imagine this: a cute bag of biscotti with your favorite tea and mug. Who wouldn't love a gift like this? If you want to gift a few different cookies, how about my salted rye chocolate chip cookies? Or maybe these bite-sized raspberry shortbread cookies?

Steps to making biscotti

While biscotti isn't a complicated cookie to make, there are a few steps to it. Let me explain in concise steps.

1. Mix the dough: It is a simple dough as I use melted butter in my recipe. You don't even need a hand or stand mixer for this recipe.
2. Chill the dough: Take the time to chill the dough for about 30 minutes before shaping.
3. Shape the dough: This recipe will make 2 "loaves" or logs.
4. 1st bake: The first bake will set the biscotti dough and bake it into the form.
5. Cool the baked biscotti: After the 1st bake, be sure to let the cookies cool before slicing. This is very important.
6. Slice the biscotti: It will still be warm to the touch, but much easier to slice.
7. 2nd bake: Baking the 2nd time will give biscotti the distinct crunchy texture you are used too.
8. Cool and enjoy: The last step is the most enjoyable. Let it cool and enjoy.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour- If you have followed me for any amount of time, you know I add whole wheat flour to all my bakes. This was an exception, I like the white flour better. However, if you want to add in whole wheat flour, I recommend whole wheat pastry flour and only using 1 cup, the rest white flour.
• Salt- Kosher salt is always my go-to.
• Dried cranberries- This recipe is not designed for fresh cranberries. It is not adjusted for the added moisture. So dried cranberries it is.
• Oranges- we are going to use orange zest and orange juice.
• Chopped almonds- These aren't a must, but the added flavor and texture are really good!
• Butter- will be melted for this recipe as noted above.
• Vanilla
• Almond extract- you can skip this, but it adds a delicious flavor dimension to the biscotti.
• Eggs- large eggs
• Granulated sugar- you will notice it isn't nearly as much as most cookie recipes. They are lightly sweetened. I will add adjustments if you want it a little sweeter.

How to make

Making the dough

Mix the flour and salt and set them aside. In another smaller bowl, mix the eggs. Zest and juice the orange.

Be sure to zest the orange before you juice it. I have made the mistake before of juicing first. Trying to get the zest of a squeezed orange is almost impossible! So, learn from my mistake, don't juice first.

Once everything is prepped, it is time to mix it. Add the melted butter and sugar to a bowl and mix well. To this, add the orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, almond extract, and eggs.

Next in is the flour mixture. Mix this into the butter mixture until it is combined, don't overdo it. Last in is the chopped almonds and dried cranberries. Mix them to combine as well.

Chill the dough

Chill the dough for 30-45 minutes. This makes the dough easier to form and improves the depth of flavor. No need to cover the bowl, 30 minutes isn't long enough to form a crust on this dough.

Form the dough

Next up, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough in half and shape each into a 4x8-inch loaf. You will have 2 loaves from this recipe.

Move the pan to your preheated oven and bake for 3-40 minutes. You will want the bottom and edges to be golden brown.

Cool and slice

When the loaves have baked, move the parchment paper and loaves to a cooling rack. If you leave it on the pan it doesn't cool as quickly. Let them cool for 15 minutes.

Then with a sharp, serrated knife, cut the bread into ½-3/4 inch slices. Place the parchment paper back on your pan and the slices on top of it.

2nd bake

At last, we are at the final step. Bake the biscotti for 8-10 minutes on each side. Remember biscotti is a crispy cookie, so while we don't want it browned, we do want them baked and dried sufficiently.

Once they are properly baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool before serving.

How to store biscotti

1. Cool completely: Make sure the biscotti have cooled down entirely after baking. Warm biscotti can trap moisture and affect the texture.
2. Airtight container: Store biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature. This keeps them crisp and prevents them from going stale.
3. Layer with parchment paper: If stacking biscotti in the container, separate the layers with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking.
4. Freezing: For longer storage, biscotti can be frozen in a freezer-safe bag or container. They will keep well for up to 3 months. To serve, just let them thaw at room temperature.

By storing them properly, biscotti can stay fresh and crunchy for up to two weeks at room temperature.

• Cookies
• Baked