I think December should be declared national coffee month. Even for a non caffeine drinker like myself, coffee is what I crave in the month of December. Sometimes, I just want to wrap my cold hands around a mug of steaming hot coffee simply for warmth. It's also the month that I want to curl up in front of the fire with a cup of coffee and watch a movie. (Honestly, that RARELY happens in December but I can dream can't I?)
What goes better with a warm cup of coffee on a cold winter day than a crunchy biscotti? Give me a sweet biscotti and a cup of coffee in the afternoon and I am a happy girl.
I found this recipe for Cranberry Orange biscotti on bakerbynature.com. I'm always trying new biscotti recipes and this one sounded like it would be perfect for Christmas morning. Yields 16-18 biscotti cookies
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sweetened or unsweetened dried cranberries
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a small bowl combine the sugar with the orange zest.
Add the sugar to the body of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed with the butter, salt, and vanilla until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Beat in the eggs.
Lower the mixer speed, and add the flour and baking powder, mix just until smooth.
Stir in the cranberries.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, and shape it into a rough log about 16 inches long. It will be about 2 1/2 inches wide and about 1 inch thick.
Add the sugar to the body of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed with the butter, salt, and vanilla until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Beat in the eggs.
Lower the mixer speed, and add the flour and baking powder, mix just until smooth.
Stir in the cranberries.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, and shape it into a rough log about 16 inches long. It will be about 2 1/2 inches wide and about 1 inch thick.
Bake the dough at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let cool on the pan.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Cut the biscotti into 1/2- to 3/4-inch slices.
Place the biscotti upright on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for another 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.
Get your coffee pots ready folks - these biscotti are just begging to be dunked.
As always, biscotti are freezable so if for some weird reason they don't get eaten for Christmas, you can always them away for a cold January day.
Ciao!
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