Cranberry Orange Biscotti

You’ll love this crunchy cranberry orange biscotti recipe that is delicious yet so easy to make! These twice-baked Italian cookies are perfect as a special holiday gift!

Today I share a cookie recipe that I love so much.   If you haven’t made any Biscotti recipe, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to make. I want to share cranberry orange version first as they are great for holidays.

What is Biscotti?

As I mentioned in the very beginning, they are Italian cookies. Biscotti are baked twice to dry the cookies to give their crunchy effect.  First, it is baked as a log and then sliced to bake again.

They should be crunchy and firm but not too hard so you don’t break your teeth while eating them. They are crunchy outside but softer in the middle.

A good biscotti should be dunkable to your coffee and tea. If you love crunchy cookies, these cookies are for you.

Ingredients you’ll need

You can find the exact quantities at the bottom of my post, in the recipe card.

• Cranberries-I use dried cranberries.
• Flour-I use all purpose flour, it gives structure.
• Baking powder-It works as a leavener.
• Orange-I use only the zest of 2 medium oranges.
• Sugar-I use granulated sugar.
• Eggs-They give structure.
• Butter-I use just a little butter for flavor.
• Vanilla extract-It adds flavor.

Step by step instructions

This first step is optional. You should do it if your dried cranberries are too dry and not soft.

Last week I made many of these orange cranberry biscotti but I skipped this step as my dried cranberries were soft. However, today the ones I used for this post were too dry.

So I place the cranberries into a bowl and pour boiled water on top to soften them. I keep them 10 minutes in boiled water and then drain them, blot with a paper towel and use in my recipe.

You may need to keep in boiled water for less time or not at all depending on how dry they are. This step doesn’t take your time, while you continue with other steps, they soften.

I start by combining the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl.

Then I mix the sugar and orange zest in another medium bowl. You can either rub with your fingers or use a fork to mix.

Next I add the eggs and stir with a whisk for a couple of seconds until just combined.

I mix in the melted butter and vanilla extract.

Then I pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture and stir until barely combined. I add the cranberries. This way it is easier to combine them.

I divide the dough in half and put onto the baking sheet.

Next I turn each dough into a 7.5 inch (19 cm) long 3 inch (8 cm) wide log and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown. It starts to change color at 24 minutes, I add 6 more minutes. So it is 30 minutes in total.

The dough is easy to work with but if you find it sticky, flour your hands and try to give the log shape. If you are using cups, please remember that I use dip and sweep method (you can read how to measure flour by clicking the link) when I convert cups to grams. If you use less flour the dough will be sticky.

Then I remove the baking sheet from the oven, keeping the oven on, I let it cool for almost 10 minutes and cut each log at an angle into 0.6 inch (1.5 cm) slices. I cut the slices very gently as they are soft at this moment.

Finally, I place each slice cut side down onto the baking sheet and let them bake for 14 minutes. I flip them halfway.

When they are out of the oven, they won’t be too crunchy but they’ll become crunchier as they cool.

Enjoy!

Frequently asked questions

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