Cranberry Almond Biscotti

Ah the beauty of biscotti. You can't just chow down on a biscotti slice like any other cookie. Because of the nature of the biscotti (it is a very hard and dry cookie, meant to be dipped in coffee) you are forced to sit for a minute with a cup of coffee or tea and savor the biscotti and in the process relish in the joy of life and good food and the results of your efforts in the kitchen.  Otherwise, you may break a tooth.

Martha (I use only her first name because I feel like I know her. Alas,... I don't) has a recipe for Pecan and Cranberry Biscotti, but I only had sliced almonds so that is what I used. I also decided to make a 1/2 recipe and it turned out just fine. However, I'm posting the full recipe here.

Kitchen TIP: I turned the dough onto a silpat mat and instead of transferring the biscotti log to the pan, I simply lifted the silpat onto the sheet pan for baking. EASY!!

There's nothing particularly difficult about making biscotti, but it isn't a quick recipe....so make yourself a pot of coffee and take the time to make this delicious recipe.

Ingredients~

1 1/2 C toasted almond slices (I used Trader Joes unsalted toasted slices)
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 1/4 C sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C dried cranberries (I used Trader Joes Orange essence cranberries)
zest of 1 lemon

Directions~

1. Preheat the oven to 350 with rack in center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment (or you can do as I did and use the silpat for the first step).

2. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the baking powder, flour, sugar and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients; mix on medium low until combined to a sticky dough.  Stir in, by hand, the almonds, cranberries and zest.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle with more flour. Knead slightly. Shape into two 9" X 3 1/2" logs. Transfer to the baking sheet.

4. Bake until the dough sets, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 15 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275. Slice the dough on a diagonal into 1/2 pieces; place, cut side down, on the baking sheet (this time use a piece of parchment).  Bake for 20 minutes.

5. Turn the pieces over and bake for another 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Biscotti will keep for several weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.

Enjoy!