Easy Biscotti Recipe (Cranberry Orange)

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An easy biscotti recipe, crispy Italian cookies with the addition of dried fruit and zest. Dipped in white chocolate, these are a wonderful treat!

Update: This was originally posted in 2015, and has been updated with new pictures and step by step instructions.

I just love holiday baking, and really really love that this is so easy, and mostly hands off. The Italians know how it’s done! BONUS: it makes the house smell amazing!

It’s a great time of year to be baking biscotti recipes – endless possibilities for combinations and flavors and not terribly labor intensive. More time for eggnog….

While I’m in love with this cranberry and orange combo – you could add nuts, different fruits, cinnamon, coffee, coconut, limes, chocolate… lots of possibilities!

These are so so simple, but so good. Amazing so, actually.

What is biscotti? – Biscotti just means “twice baked” – ie, we bake our biscotti log, then we cut it into slices – then bake again! (and then we dip them in chocolate, but that has no bearing on why it’s called biscotti). They’re a crisp, Italian cookie – popular year round!

How long do homemade biscotti keep? If they even last that long (in my house, they don’t), they’ll last up to 2 weeks if stored properly (airtight container, cool & dry place)

Cooking for a crowd? No problem! Simply double the recipe, and divide the dough in half to make two logs. These will keep in a sealed container for several days. Or you can make and bake ahead, and freeze!

Why is biscotti so hard? They shouldn’t be “hard” per se, more like extra crispy. Perfect for dunking in coffee. Or tea. You just do you.

Can you freeze biscotti? Yes! freeze the undipped, baked biscotti in sealed zip top bags. I do this ahead of the holidays and pull them out and dip them.

Ingredients:

• FLOUR – regular, all purpose flour
• BAKING POWDER
• SUGAR
• BUTTER – I soften this to room temperature.
• ORANGE ZEST – the zest of one average orange – or 2 Tbs
• SALT
• EGGS
• CRANBERRIES – I use dried cranberries, they’re the sweetened kind!
• WHITE CHOCOLATE – I say this is optional, but seriously…. it’s not. Just melt it and dip your biscotti. You’ll thank me!

How to make Biscotti:

Full, printable recipe below – just scroll down to the recipe card!

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking powder and set aside.
• Beat together the sugar, butter, zest and salt.
• Mix in the eggs, 1 at a time.
• Add the flour mixture and mix just until blended, then stir in the cranberries.
• Form the dough into a 12-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the baking sheet.
• Bake for 40 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
• Using a serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into slices (about ¾ inch thick).
• Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the lined baking sheets.
• Bake the biscotti again, for 15 minutes, until they are golden brown.
• Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and cool completely.
• Melt the white chocolate, dip the bottom of the biscotti and let cool and set.

Kylee’s Notes

• Mix it up!
  • 1 tsp of vanilla or almond extract will boost the flavor, if you wish!
  • Use raisins, dried blueberries, apricots – any kind of dried fruit works well! ( I love me some lemon/blueberry)
  • Use lemon zest in place of the orange zest for a different flavor.
• Looking for some more easy, but decadent recipes?
  • Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pie – simple to make and pleases the whole family. A flaky pie crust filled with a custard-like filling, that will invoke memories of times gone by.
  • Thick & Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies – they have 3 types of chocolate and are decadent and delicious. Grab a glass of milk!

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