What is the coziest, most satisfying way to enjoy a hot cup of coffee on a winter’s day? Biscotti! Yum. It reminds me of my best friend and her mama, I think they make it every year. It is so yummy, and the perfect treat to dip in your hot drink, I also won’t judge if that hot coffee contained a lil bailey’s, just go all out.
I got this recipe from my Martha Stewart Baking Handbook, a gift from my sis from a past Christmas. It does make a good gift, so if you’re still racking your brain trying to think up a good gift idea, I suggest this book and maybe some lovely baked biscotti to go along with it (since I’ll be giving you the recipe anyway). I modified Martha’s recipe a bit, I used what I had in my cupboards, so walnuts instead of pistachio, I also dipped my biscotti in white chocolate. The recipe did not call for that, but I wanted an excuse to use my white chocolate melting wafers.
What you’ll need:
1/2 cup dried cranberries | 1/2 cup boiling water | 3 cups flour and some for dusting | 2 teaspoons baking powder | 1/2 teaspoon salt | 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature | 1 cup sugar, more for sprinkling | 3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg lightly beaten | 2 teaspoons vanilla extract | 1/2 cup walnuts | 1/2 cup white chocolate melting wafers (optional) | red sprinkles (optional) | fresh cranberries, rosemary and cinnamon (optional, for decorating)
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
Place cranberries in a small bowl, and add boiling water. Let stand until plump, 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed . Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined. Mix in the drained cranberries and walnuts.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each piece into a 16-by-2 inch log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly. Brush beaten egg over the surface of the dough logs and sprinkle generously with sugar.
Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until logs are slightly firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer logs on parchment paper, to wire rack to cool, 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
Place logs onto a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices, place them (cut sides down) on baking sheet and put back in oven to bake for 30 minutes.
If you want to add white chocolate, melt the chocolate in a double boiler, and dip the biscotti, let cool then sprinkle with red sugar for colour.
Enjoy! Give away as little holiday gifts to friends, coworkers, neighbours, etc. Decorate with a little rosemary, cranberry, and cinnamon bouquets (see photo).
