Cherry Almond Biscotti

I love biscotti, because they’re such simple yet delicious cookies. They are soooo good enjoyed with a hot cup of coffee or tea, and are a perfect afternoon treat!

I used to not really like biscotti, because they all seemed kind of dry and flavorless to me. Then I started experimenting with making them myself, and discovered that a fresh, homemade biscotti is nothing like one from the store or coffee shop.

These biscotti cookies can be stores in an airtight container for up to three weeks, so they’re really perfect for impromptu guests or just enjoying a quiet moment to yourself.

Did you know? Biscotti in Italian actually means twice baked, and these cookies are appropriately named because, you guessed it, they’re baked twice! Biscotti are very easy to make, but I’d recommend reading through the directions before getting started if you’ve never made biscotti before to familiarize yourself with the steps. 

I seriously debated dipping these in dark chocolate, and you totally can!  But sometimes I think there’s something really nice about a simple recipe.  I really enjoy the subtle almond and bright cherry flavors in these, which would be overpowered by chocolate.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup dried cherries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the dry ingredients, flour through cinnamon and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together melted butter, vanilla and eggs. Add the flour mixture in two batches, mixing until just combined. Dough will be sticky! Add almonds and cherries, and mix until they’re all incorporated.

Moisten your hands, and separate the dough in two. Form into two logs on the prepared baking sheet, about 8 inches by 3 inches, continuing to moisten hands as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to you. As you can see in the photo below my logs were not exactly even, and that’s ok.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the logs are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, and allow them to cool about 20-25 minutes, or until they’re just warm to the touch. Then use a serrated knife, and cut the logs into 1 inch slices. I discard the ends (by discarding I mean I eat them then and there haha!), just because they’re not as pretty.

Arrange the biscotti slices flat side down on the baking sheet, and bake again for about 15 minutes or until golden. 

Serve with tea or coffee, and enjoy!