Saturday, November 7, 2015

Biscotti

Bake a batch of crunchy deliciousness to dip in your coffee.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Line a baking sheet with parchment

2 cups AP flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C dried cherries
1 cup toasted walnuts (toast nuts in 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes; stirring occasionally)
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract


In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine the cherries and nuts. Mix two tablespoons of the flour/sugar mixture into the cherries and nuts. This will help prevent the fruit and nuts from clumping together

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla and orange extracts. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and, with a large spoon, stir eleven times. Add the nuts and dried fruit and stir 20 times. Mixture will be thick and sticky.

On the parchment-lined baking sheet, form the dough into a log about 12" x 4" x 1/2" in diameter. If you keep your hands wet it is easier to handle the sticky dough, so keep a bowl of cold water nearby to dip your hands into as needed.

Bake the log for 50 minutes.

While the the oven stays on at 300 degrees, cool the log on its baking pan for 15 minutes. Carefully slide the log onto a cutting board. If the log sticks to the parchment, gently pry it loose with a metal spatula. Using a serrated knife, cut the log into diagonal slices that are 1/2 "to 3/4" thick. Stand the slices on the baking sheet, allowing 1/2" of space between each slice. Toast in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven. Cool completely. I freeze the biscotti, removing cookies as needed (i.e., 1 or 2 every day!).