Cranberry and Walnut Biscotti

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This article was published 16/12/2014 (3944 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cranberry and Walnut Biscotti

125 ml (cup) unsalted butter, melted

250 ml (1 cup) granulated sugar

3 eggs

45 ml (3 tbsp) brandy

650 ml (2cups) all-purpose flour

5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder

1 ml (tsp) salt

125 ml (cup) dried cranberries, chopped

125 ml (cup) walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 175 C (350 F). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, eggs and brandy until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in cranberries and walnuts. Add dry mixture to butter mixture, stirring gently by hand just until combined. Do not overmix. Divide dough into 2 long portions and place on prepared cookie sheet, separating as much as possible, as the dough will spread when baking. Shape each portion into a log about 5x30cm (2×12 inches). (Dough will be sticky, so you will need to lightly flour your hands to get the basic shape. Then wet your hands with warm water to smooth out the edges.) Bake logs for about 25 minutes, or until tops are starting to crack but spring back when touched lightly. Let cool on cookie sheet on wire rack for 20 minutes, or until logs can be handled and do not compress too much when cut. Use a serrated knife to cut into slices about 1.2 cm (inches) wide. Return to cookie sheet cut side down — you will need to bake in batches — and bake until dried to your taste (about 15 minutes for slightly chewy, 20-25 minutes for dry and crunchy), flipping slices over at the halfway point. Cool completely on cookie sheet on wire rack before storing. Store in single layers separated by wax paper in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Do not refrigerate. Makes about 35-45 biscotti.

Tester’s notes: These biscotti contain butter, which old-school Italian biscotti do not, so they don’t have a really long shelf life. They should remain tasty for a week or two, though. You can change the add-ins to suit your taste, and if you don’t have a bottle of brandy on hand, you could sub in orange juice and maybe some orange rind for flavour. The final baking time can vary to suit your preferred biscotti texture. If you prefer longer biscotti, you can cut them on the diagonal. Make sure to cool the biscotti completely before you store them.