biscotti recipe | City Boy Hens

Biscotti originates from the Latin word biscoctus, meaning “twice-baked”. Its origins date back to the Roman times when certain foods needed to be completely dried so that they could be stored for long periods of time.

Today, biscotti are made using many different ingredients. Almonds, pistachios, raisins, cranberries, and lemon & orange zest make for great flavors for this cookie. I really like this cookie because it is not terribly sweet, you won’t find an ingredient in this recipe that you can’t pronounce, and best of all………. it is sooooooooooo easy to make. Those 3 reasons are enough for me to make this my “sweet treat” of choice after our evening meal. I hope you give it a try!

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter (room temp.)

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 farm fresh eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups All Purpose Flour

Zest of 1 orange

1 cup raisins

Directions:

Beat 1/3 cup of room temperature butter for 30 seconds.

Combine sugar, baking powder & salt with the butter.

Beat in 2 eggs and vanilla extract.

Stir in flour, 1/3 at a time until completely mixed.

Add zest, raisins & form into a ball.

Divide dough in half on lightly floured surface and flatten down into shape (about 1/2″ thick).

Transfer on to cookie sheet and bake for 22 minutes at 375 F. or until golden brown.

Cool on rack for 20 minutes and then cut into pieces using a serrated knife.

Transfer back on to the cookie sheet and bake at 325 F for another 8 minutes/ side.

* Substitute anise for vanilla, lemon for orange, cranberries or dried cherries for raisins or add 1 cup of chopped almonds or pistachios to make your own biscotti. Better still…….drop me a line and share your favorite biscotti recipe.

“OK……….there’s gingerbread men, sugar cookies, snickerdoodles and a host of other Christmas cookies, but where the heck are the biscotti?????????????????????? Well……I’m glad to report that Christmas Biscotti has made its introduction at City Boy Hens. I came up with the recipe by adapting my original biscotti recipe Click Here and some inspiration from my Christmas Fruit Cake recipe Click Here. These cookies are easy to make and look very festive. But, best of all, they are not loaded with sugar and butter which seem to be a common thread in a lot of other Christmas cookies.

*For the purpose of this post, I have made two separate biscotti recipes. This will allow you to sample 2 different loaves in one try. If you are partial to one recipe, than double the ingredients in bowl #1 or #2 (see below).

Directions:

Beat 1/3 cup of room temperature butter for 30 seconds.

Combine 2/3 of a cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder & 1/2 a teaspoon of salt with the butter.

Beat in 2 farm fresh eggs.

Stir in 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/3 at a time until completely mixed. Form into a ball and divide in half.

In two separate bowls combine the “Christmas” ingredients:

Bowl #1

1/2 cup chopped candied cherries

3/4 cup dried currants

1/2 cup chopped almonds

zest of 1 navel orange

1/2 teaspoon of almond extract

Bowl #2

1/2 cup of chopped dried cranberries

1/2 cup of chopped pistachios

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract

Remove one half of the dough from your mixing bowl and set aside. Add the “Christmas” ingredients from bowl #1 to your dough. Need until all ingredients are completely combined and evenly distributed in the dough. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Using the palms of your hands, press and shape the dough until it is around 10 ” long and 5″ wide. Gently lift up the dough and place it on one side of a cookie sheet.

Repeat this process for bowl #2.Bake at 375 Ferinheight for 20-25 minutes or until loaves are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Using a serrated knife, cut the biscotti into 3/4″ strips and transfer back on to a cookie sheet and bake at 325 F for another 8 minutes/ side.So….there you have it……..Christmas Biscotti. Move over gingerbread men and sugar cookies. There’s a new cookie moving into the festive spotlight. I hope you give it a try! Buon Natale!