Cranberry Orange Biscotti

So, I’m a New England Girl, through and through. Give me your white steepled churches and ancient graveyards, lighthouses, glorious autumns, and all of the goodness that comes with the history of our great nation.

With that, and I’ve blogged about this before, is the amazing tradition of taking a perfectly healthy berry and plunking it down in a dessert. Now, if peanut butter and chocolate are a culinary “Bachelor”, cranberry and orange are the “Bachelorette.” Disclaimer: I don’t watch either show. However, this match of cranberry and orange just work so well together. I am all about being a resident of Massachusetts. We be the cranberry kings. Bring on the cranberries. 

In my endeavor to make all of the biscotti, it was inevitable I would find this recipe and attempt it.

Now, in my defense and love of citrus…I did really amp up the orange zest. How does one end up with 1/4 a cup of zest? Easy. You buy a bag of clementines, your mom brings over more clementines, and then, you see Satsumas with their little green leaves at the grocery store and you just have to buy them. Citrus overload. I can’t say I am sorry. We eat a lot of citrus. I need my vitamin C. I work with small children. My teaching table is a Petri dish.

Well, if a clementine gets past it’s freshness it gets hard and almost field hockey ball like. But guess what? That zest is perfect. I also just bought a masticating cold press juicer (who knew this was a thing? it is). Enter more use for citrus but not it’s peel. Aha! Zesting has become pretty regular and normal around my kitchen.

This recipe combines easily and bakes in two stages. It keeps forever in an airtight container. Even though I don’t love white chocolate I think it adds just a little sweet and pretty on the finished cookie. I might make these again with white chocolate chips on the inside of the cookie; give the batter a bonus, and not dip them. Mix it up a bit. I might also make an orange glaze with citrus zest and confectioner’s sugar next time around.

I will be honest and say I do love these biscotti, they are one of the best cranberry orange cookies I have ever had.

If you are a New Englander, you need to make yourself these cookies because they embrace everything that our history holds, (cranberries were even at the first Thanksgiving, remember). If you aren’t a New Englander, you should grab yourself a bag of dried cranberries and try this recipe. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe.

Cranberry Orange Biscotti

Print Recipe

This combination of cranberry and orange biscotti with a white chocolate dip makes for the perfect New England biscotti. Recipe adapted from www.yourhomebasedmom.com

• Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 6 ounce package of Dried Cranberries (I used Craisins)
• 3 Tablespoons Orange Juice
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 Cup Grated Orange Zest
• 2 1/2 Cup AP Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup White Chocolate Chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Place dried cranberries in a bowl and add boiling water. Let sit for five minutes. Drain well and set aside.
3. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar and orange zest and mix until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time and incorporate.
5. Add Orange Juice, Baking Powder and Salt.
6. Add flour until mixed.
7. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into two 4″ x 8″ rectangles with softly rounded edges.
8. Place on parchment lined or silicone mat lined cookie sheet.
9. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
10. Allow to cool for ten minutes.
11. Slice baked logs into one inch slices, on the diagonal, if you desire.
12. Return cookies to the cookie sheet sliced side up and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes.
13. Allow cookies to cool.
14. Microwave white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, checking frequently to not scorch the white chocolate.
15. Dip each biscotti into the white chocolate (or drizzle on top) and allow to cool.