The Twelve Cookies of Christmas: Orange Cranberry Walnut Biscotti

 

The Twelve Cookies of Christmas: Orange Cranberry Walnut Biscotti

This is a recipe I've had in my recipe collection forever, but have not ever tried it yet. I tracked down the original source: Gourmet Magazine, 1998. That makes this recipe 23 years old, and I've never tried it! It's sad, because this was really not hard to make, and really delicious. I could have been enjoying this for so much more of my life!!

Because I tracked down the source of the recipe, I will be sharing it here, instead of writing it out.

It says peel and all, but trust me, you don't want the pith of an orange in this. That would make the entire thing bitter and disgusting. Zest the peel and then peel the orange segments from the rest. It's a little more work, but so worth it in the end.

There's nothing better than this smell right here.

All of this can be done by hand, no need for a mixer. Here is the sugar/egg mixture after the orange has been mixed in.

The dough does get thick, but it's ok.

Adding the cranberries and walnuts will likely have to be done by hand, unless you have incredible upper body strength, which I do not. Especially post-Covid! Just make sure you use clean hands and/or wear gloves.

These roll out really easily and will fit onto one sheet pan.

Here were are, after the first baking step. They puff up and crack on top, but that's normal.

You will need a second sheet pan for the second baking after you slice them. Now, this recipe says it makes 6 dozen, but based on the 1/2" thickness for slicing, I only got half that. You can slice them thinner, but they will probably crumble more, and get way harder. Biscotti are supposed to be hard, but I like them to be not tooth-breakingly tough.

I baked it for the 12 minutes, then flipped them over and switched positions of sheet pans in the oven and baked them for the last three minutes.

This is the final product. They taste so good! They are crispy on the outside, but soft in the middle still. If you wanted, you could melt some white chocolate and drizzle them over the cookies, but I'm just going to keep them as is.

Biscotti can be done to your liking. Want them harder? Cut them thinner and bake them longer. Want them softer? Cut them thicker and bake them for less time. 

Orange, cranberry, and walnut are a fantastic flavor combination for the holidays. You could do these for Thanksgiving or Christmas and they'd fit in just fine in either setting. Definitely give these a try!

Happy Baking!