My husband and I love a good breakfast tea on our days off where we can relax and enjoy our mornings. I'm always looking for simple treats that we can enjoy with our tea that's not too sweet but still delicious and flavorful. I've always loved biscottis but have only ever had hazelnut or chocolate ones. I decided to take on a cranberry and orange flavored biscotti. The base of the cookie is packed with orange flavors and I used dried cranberries to give that beautiful pop of color and sweet taste. I then drizzled some white and milk chocolate on half of the cookie to add a slight sweetness to the simple yet beautiful biscotti.
You can leave the biscottis plain, however the melted chocolate adds an easy yet beautiful presentation and the extra sweetness is just the perfect amount!
It's really important to keep a close eye on the biscottis while they are baking so they don't overcook too much on one side!
Biscotti cookies are meant to be more subtle than sweet when it comes to their flavors. This is because they are usually served with coffee or tea. I chose a more fruity route because I know my husband loves anything citrus flavored and I felt like the chocolate or almond flavors were a bit too common. The preparation on these cookies took almost no time at all. The real trick however, is the bake, so be sure that you're checking on the cookies every 5 minutes!
These are the perfect treats as well to give away to teachers or coworkers to show appreciation. They are known as a fancier cookie that are just beautiful, but they take almost no effort at all! This batch makes about 30 cookies so it's a perfect way to share with your neighbors and the ones you care about!
Prep Time: 10 minutes Yields: 30 Biscottis
Chill Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Total Time: 58 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Dried Cranberries
1 1/2 cups Boiling Water
1/2 cup Butter, melted
3/4 cup Sugar
3 Tbsp. Orange Juice, high pulp
1 Tbsp. Orange Zest
1/2 tsp. Orange Extract
1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Chips, optional
1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips, optional
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil, divided for the chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a small bowl, add in the dried cranberries and the boiling water. Allow the cranberries to sit in the water for a couple minutes until they are softened. This helps them absorb water so they don't dry up when baking in the oven.
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, orange extract, and vanilla extract until evenly combined. Whisk in one egg at a time.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and continue whisking until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
Drain the cranberries and fold them into the batter. Place the batter in the fridge and allow it to chill for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Divide the batter in half. On a parchment paper lined baking tray create two 4x8in rectangular logs. You can use vegetable oil on your hands to shape the logs because the dough can get pretty sticky. The log shouldn't be too thick, about 2 inches thick at most.
Bake the logs for 18-20 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and the top is beginning to gain color.
Transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes.
Once they are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife and slice 1/2-inch thick biscotti cookies.
Place the sliced biscotti back on the baking trays.
Bake them for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden in color. It's okay if they aren't crunchy yet, they will harden as they cool.
Place the sliced biscotti on a cooling rack and allow it to cool to room temperature.
In 2 microwave safe bowls, add the white chocolate chips and white chocolate chips separately. Add in half a tablespoon of vegetable oil into each bowl.
Microwave the chips in 30 second intervals until the chocolate is melted.
Drizzle the chocolate onto the biscotti however you want to, I covered only half of the cookie.
Serve and enjoy.
*You can keep these in an airtight container in the fridge or a cool place for a week.
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