Cherry Almond Biscotti

We all have the cookies we love to get from our favorite coffee shop or little diner. Biscotti is one of those for me. I love biscotti because they aren’t too sweet, they have that nice crisp to them, and they are full of yummy add-ins.  They are perfect with a cup of hot coffee or tea. Add in some dried cherries and slivered almonds and you have the perfect treat. Cherry almond biscotti!

How to make biscotti

Making biscotti might seem like a task because it does have a couple of steps, but don’t let this stop you from making them. I think you will find that they are not that hard to make and the time will definitely be worth it.

First, if I can make a dessert in one bowl I like to do it. A big family for me equals, how can I do it quickly! I start with soft butter, eggs, extracts, sugar, then baking powder and salt. Once those are mixed together I add in the flour and dried cherries and almonds. Yes, all in one bowl. Easy, easy, easy!

Next, you are going to lightly flour a surface for your dough. Add a little flour on top and just pat the dough out into a long oval. It doesn’t have to be a perfect shape. I just use my fingers and press it into shape. Once you do this you want to cut the dough in half. Now you shape those two into 2 long ovals. The more long and narrow they are the smaller the biscotti. If they are more wide and short the biscotti will be longer. Neither is wrong. It’s up to you!

Now, just transfer the dough to a cookie sheet with parchment paper and cook the dough on 350 for about 25-30 minutes. Then pull this out and let it cool. It doesn’t have to cool completely, just at least until it’s warm v/s hot. With a serrated knife with one push (don’t saw) cut the biscotti at a diagonal.

Lastly, you are going to bake on one side for 10 minutes.  Take them out and flip them, and bake them on the other side for 10 minutes. That’s it! homemade biscotti!

How to slice biscotti

Many people find that it can be hard to slice the biscotti without them crumbling or breaking. Although you may have a little crumble here and there I have found that these few tips have really helped.

• Don’t overbake. When you are baking the logs of biscotti make sure they are lightly brown around the edges but light in the middle. If you bake your logs up too long and they may get too crispy. This could cause them to break more easily when you go to cut them into slices. Make sure they are done all the way through, but not overdone. This usually takes 25-30 minutes. But keep an eye on them. Baking time may be a little different for your oven.
• Make sure your add-ins aren’t in big chunks. In the past, I have just thrown in my dried fruit or nuts and found that when I went to cut them they would break. I have found that slivered almonds are fine, but add-ins like dried cherries, walnuts, pecans etc… need roughly chopped. When you cut the slices this helps them not to break because you can more easily slice through your add-ins.
• Use a long serrated knife. A short knife doesn’t work well for cutting biscotti. You want to cut the biscotti with a long serrated knife so you can push the knife through in one cut. Sawing with the knife will most likely break the biscotti.

Why are biscotti so hard?

Biscotti are traditionally hard cookie that is eaten with coffee or hot tea. During the baking time, you will bake the logs then cut the biscotti and bake on both sides for another 10 minutes each. If you like your biscotti a little crispy but don’t want them rock hard pay close attention when you are baking the cut biscotti. You may find that you want to bake them around 7-8 minutes on each side v/s the 10 minutes. It’s always good to remember they will harden a little more after they cool completely.

Do you love baking around the holidays? Me too! Here are some of my holiday favorites!

Cinnamon pull-apart bread

Soft gingerbread cookies

Carrot Cake