These Cranberry Orange Biscotti are light and crunchy, filled with orange zest, sweet dried cranberries, and topped off with a drizzle of white chocolate. You won't be able to have your morning cup of coffee without one again.
A cookie made to be dipped into coffee? That's literally all I needed to hear before falling in love with biscotti.
These crunchy cookies (yes, crunchy) are the perfect way to start your morning, next to your cup of joe. Biscotti are an Italian biscuit (or cookie) that is twice-baked, hence the crunchiness! They are meant to be that way, and while some might think that's odd, I promise these cookies are amazing.
Not only do these biscotti taste great, but they are actually very easy to make!
What is Biscotti?
Biscotti is an Italian biscuit (or cookie) that literally translates to English as "twice-cooked". They are dry and crunchy from being baked twice and you typically see them in an oblong-shape.
In Italy, they are typically served as an after-dinner treat with a traditional dessert wine. Outside of Italy, they are more often served with coffee, lattes, and tea.
Ingredients needed
Orange zest- this recipe calls for 4 teaspoons of orange zest, which is about 2 large navel oranges.
Dried cranberries- any type of dried cranberry works for this recipe!
White chocolate- white chocolate drizzle is optional (but recommended)- I used a bar of white chocolate and melted it in the microwave. You could also use white chocolate chips.
How to make this recipe
combine wet and dry ingredients mix together and add cranberries
shape into two logs bake, slice, bake again, and drizzle!
step 1: make the dough
Using an electric mixer, combine the wet ingredients in one bowl. Whisk together the dry ingredients in another bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, and then mix in the cranberries.
step 2: form dough into two logs
Using lightly floured hands, seperate the dough into two equal part and place on your parchment paper lined baking sheet. Form the dough into two logs, remembering to leave some space inbetween because they spread in the oven.
step 3: bake, slice, bake
Bake the loaves for 30 minutes. Take them out and let them cool completely. Once cooled, slice them and place back on the baking sheet, sliced side down.
Bake for 10 minutes, carefully flip the biscotti and bake again for 10 minutes. The biscotti should be lightly golden brown when finished. Let them cool completely before drizzling with chocolate and eating!
Step 4: drizzle with white chocolate
While this is optional in my recipe, I highly recommend doing it. It adds just a little touch of sweetness to your cookies that can't be beat!
Why is biscotti so hard?
They are actually supposed to be hard! The word biscotti translated to twice cooked. They were originally made to be very dry so that they could be stored for long periods of time.
Storing
Biscotti can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for 1-2 weeks. You can also wrap your biscotti airtight and store them in the freezer for 3 months.
Tips for baking the best biscotti
- Be sure to let your biscotti cool completely before slicing it. If you cut it too soon, it will crumble!
- For that classic oblong shape, cut the slices at a 45-degree angle across each log.
- If you want your biscotti to be more crunchy, bake for a little longer! If you like them on the softer side, bake them for a little shorter. They seem soft when they come out of the oven but will harden up as they cool.
for more recipes, try these next!
Cranberry Orange Biscotti Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 4 tsp orange zest (about 2 large oranges)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- white chocolate for drizzling (optional but reccomendedl)
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and orange zest together with an electric mixer until light adn fluffy. Add in the eggs 1 at a time. Mix in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this to your butter mixture. Mix in the dried cranberries. The dough should be thick.
- With lightly floured hands, divide the dough in half and place on the baking sheet. Shape the dough into two separate logs, about 10-12" long and 2-3" wide. Make sure to place your logs about 3-4" apart because they do spread as they bake. The dough will seem sticky, so just lightly dust it with flour and keep your hands floured while shaping the logs.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 350° or until golden brown. Take the biscotti out of the oven and allow it to cool completely, about 45 minutes or so.
- Once cooled, cut the loaves on a diagonal into slices that are about 1-1½ inches thick. I used a large chef's knife but you could also use a bread knife. Place the biscotti cut side down on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Return to the oven at 350° and bake for 10 minutes. Then flip each biscotti oven gently and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. They should be lightly golden brown when done baking. Allow them to cool completely.
- Optional but recommended: Melt white chocolate in 20-second increments (stirring in between) until melted and use a spoon to drizzle over cooled biscotti. Allow white chocolate to harden before serving.
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