Cherry Almond Biscotti

I don’t usually eat anything in the mornings, but if I’ve got biscotti then you better believe I’ll be having that with my morning coffee!

I’m partial to biscotti with some sort of chocolatey situation, but I thought it would be fun to mix things up! My grandma told me that she loves fruit and nuts in her biscotti so I made these with her in mind. I love that the toasted almonds bring a nice nuttiness and the cherries bring a tart burst of flavor!

Making the Dough
The dough for biscotti is quite similar in consistency to that of room temperature cookie dough and even made using the same process (creamy method). At the end of the day you really just want it to be right at that point of holding it’s shape when spread out on a pan.

Forming Your Log
After making your dough, you will need to spread it out on a lined baking sheet. The shape/size you make out of your dough is going to be important when considering your final product’s size. I personally like a long piece of biscotti so I make one log that is about ¾ the length and width of a large baking sheet. If you prefer something smaller, you’ll want to use two baking sheets. Divide the dough between the two sheets and make the log about ¾ the length and 1/3 the width.

Baking Your Biscotti
The word biscotti is derived from a Latin term meaning “twice baked.” It is aptly named because that’s exactly what you are going to do! After baking your shaped logs, you will then slice the log width wise to make individual cookies. At this point they will have a dense cookie consistency so you will bake them a second time to get them nice and crunchy.

Adding the Final Touches
After your second bake, your biscotti is essentially ready to be devoured. But you don’t have to stop there! If you want to add an addition flavor and texture to your biscotti you can dip or drizzle them in the chocolate of your choosing.

What you’ll need:
– 1/2 cup butter, room temp (4 oz)
– 1 cup white sugar (200g)
– 2 eggs
– 1 teaspoon vanilla
– 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
– 2 1/2 cups flour (280g)
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
– 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (25g)
– 1/2 cup dried cherries (80g)
– Melted white chocolate, optional

What you’ll do:
– Preheat your oven to 350F and line a 12×16 baking sheet with parchment paper.
– Cream together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
– Cream in your eggs and vanilla until smooth and fully incorporated.
– Combine dry ingredients (except almonds and cherries) and slowly add until fully combined.
– Fold in your almonds and dried cherries.
– Spread your mixture out on your parchment lined pan to form a rectangle.
– Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown.
– Cool until you can easily handle it and slice into 16 pieces.
– Arrange cut side down on the baking sheet (you may need a second sheet for this) and bake for 10 minutes.
– Flip pieces over so that the other cut side is down and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
– Allow to cool and drizzle with white chocolate if desired and ENJOY!

Check out these other biscotti recipes:
Gingerbread Biscotti
Chocolate Iced Caramel Biscotti