Saturday, November 28, 2009

Cranberry Hazelnut Biscottini

Yesterday we went an sorted, packed and distributed our wholesale dried fruit and nut order, bringing home a good hundred pounds to our own pantry. And thus the holiday baking has gone into high gear.

Cranberry Hazelnut Biscottini

We like these small so that they more closely match the size of our other holiday fare -- the truffles and the like.

1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. grated orange rind
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 325F.

Cream together butter and sugar util fullffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest until blended. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking power and cloves. Add to butter mixture and mix well. Stir in cranberries and nuts.

Shape into logs about 8" long and 1 1/2" in diameter. Flatten each log slightly to make a slab about 1/2 an inch high and 2 inches wide. Place on parchment on baking sheet and bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Allow to cool for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Use a chef's knife (quickly and decisively!) to slice the logs into 3/8" strips. Place back on baking sheet in upright position and bake for a further 15 minutes at the lower temperature.

Makes about 6 dozen.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:07 am

    Hi from Germany -- I enjoy your Blog and have for many years.

    Just wanted to pop up and say that I just served a batch of these to a group of my German academic colleagues, and they were GREAT! Thanks so much for posting this great recipe. I will be making 3 more batches today to serve at our big Christmas party on Saturday!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2:54 am

    They were also a big hit in Amsterdam yesterday -- we brought a tin of them along to my son's violin lesson -- for the after the bi-weekly megalesson tea! This is my new favorite recipe -- so thanks a second time from Germany.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5:44 pm

    Nice recipe! I'm a teenager baking and knitting all my christmas gifts, and I've had to make 3 batches so far (Moms...) And an extra tip for anyone reading the comments: 1 1/2 ts. = 1/2 tbs.

    ReplyDelete

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