Cranberry Orange Almond Biscotti
almonds, oranges, cranberries, sponsored
These Cranberry Orange Almond Biscotti or Cantucci as they are more specifically called are crunchy and delicious whether you enjoy them with a cup of coffee, tea or cocoa or even wine (a Tuscan tradition). I added cranberries to these crunchy almond cookies as well as some orange zest which adds a nice bright flavour to them.
What are biscotti?
Biscotti generally refer to the twice baked, oblong Italian cookie (biscuit) that is dry and crunchy. The dough is shaped into logs, baked, cooled and sliced and baked again until dry and crispy. Biscotti literally means twice (bis) cooked (cotti), biscotti is also the generic term for cookies in Italian. These ones are generally more on the crunchy sides when it comes to biscotti - you can tell by the shape and texture of them. They are crunchier with a less uniform surface than others. It’s a good thing - because this crunchier texture makes them easy to eat and enjoy without necessarily having to dip them into something hot to soften them enough to bite through. I love those harder ones too but I wanted to try something a little different with these ones.
I made these in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. I used their Gluten Free 1-1 Baking flour to make these gluten free. It’s a simple and great swap out for all purpose flour to make your baked goods gluten free. I also used their Almond flour which added more almond flavour to each bite and also added to their crunchy texture. The almond flour is optional and can be replaced with more of the flour, but if you have it definitely use it cause it does add to these biscotti. Bob’s Red Mill really helped me make the perfect baked goods to share with loved ones. These in particular keep well for long which makes them perfect and easy to make ahead of time and they also are pretty robust meaning if you wanted to surprise friends or family with some they would do fine in the mail if well sealed. They will be making their way to my folks house this week.
This is a pretty basic recipe for these almond biscuits. You can easily switch out your add ins to create combos of your own. You can replace the almonds with chocolate chips, hazelnuts, pistachios, other dried fruits. The possibilities are endless. These Cantucci or Biscotti di Prato are not generally dipped in coffee, but in a sweet, fabulous dessert wine. But there are no rules when it comes to cookies. They can be enjoyed however you please. Personally I love mine with a hot cup of coffee. I also love to dip mine in melted chocolate to add another layer of flavour but that is optional. Dark or white chocolate go so well with these!
These little guys last up to a week in a airtight container or can be frozen too. Thaw them out in the sealed container and if they need to be crisped up a bit simply bake them off again for a few minutes, allow them to cool and enjoy as if they were freshly baked. Making biscotti at home is so easy and rewarding and are they are made for sharing. It doesn’t matter if you don’t make them perfectly (they are meant to be a bit more rustic looking and crunchy/crumbly anyways) the first time or even the next time because these little guys will still taste delicious. Hope you guys enjoy these!
I have partnered up with Bob’s Red Mill to bring you this fabulous recipe, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Olive & Mango.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-1 Baking flour
- ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill almond flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temp
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup of brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ½-1 cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup almonds, coarsely chopped
- 1 egg beaten for egg wash (optional)
- Melted semi sweet or while chocolate for dipping (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the almond flour, the baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugars at medium speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the butter, vanilla or almond extract and the orange zest. Gradually mix in the dried ingredients until just combined. Fold in the dried cranberries and almonds.
- Scoop out dough onto a lightly floured surface. The dough will be sticky. Using lightly floured hands, shape the dough into a ball then cut in half and form into 2 slightly flattened 10-inch logs on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to baking sheet and adjust them if they need adjusting shape after transferring.
- Brush them with egg wash if using then bake for 30 minutes, or until golden. Let the logs cool slightly approx 15-20 min. Using a sharp serrated knife, slice the logs ½-1 inch thick on the diagonal. Do not use the knife in a seesaw manner - start by slicing them once through the top push straight down on blades to cut straight through to the bottom of them. They may cut a little crumbly and that is ok they will set nicely with the secondary baking.
- Arrange the slices on the baking sheet cut sides up and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the biscotti are lightly browned and crisp. Let cool completely before serving.
- If you want your biscotti chocolate dipped: Melt semisweet chocolate (I usually melt 2 cups of semi sweet chips or chunks) and dip biscotti tips in them then transfer them to cooling rack garnish with chopped nuts if you would like and allow them to set.
