[June] Cranberry Almond Biscotti Thins

Back on track!

June's recipe in June.

Barely.

This recipe was my attempt to replicate THINaddictives®, these very thin crunchy cookies I discovered a few years ago while on holiday in America. I really love the cranberry and almond ones and they're hard to find outside the US.

I had hoped they would turn out good, but I was surprised—pleasantly— at how great the result was. They are pretty close to the real thing. Crisp and crunchy, perfect for snacking, and loaded with cranberry and almond goodness.

Even better, no butter, no oil.

And no electric mixer needed.

Ingredients

⅓ cup whole almonds
⅓ cup dried cranberries*
1 egg
⅓ cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla (optional)
¾ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp salt

*This time I used Del Monte dried cranberries but I have used this brand as well.

1. Preheat the oven to 350⁰F (180⁰C).
2. Spread the almonds on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, let them cool, and then chop them up.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the egg and sugar (and vanilla, if you're using it) and whisk for 1 minute.
4. Sift together the flour and baking powder, and add to the bowl. Add the salt, chopped almonds, and cranberries and mix well.

5. Scrape out batter onto greased and lined* baking tray. The dough is sticky so keep a small bowl of water next to you and dip your fingers in it to help you shape the log.

6. Shape the biscotti mixture into a log, 10 to 11 inches long, about 1 inch high, and about 2 inches wide. (It may look weird and runny at this point but it will turn out fine once it has baked.)

7. Place in the oven and bake at 350⁰F (180⁰C) for 20 minutes. Remove the log from the oven and allow to cool. Turn the oven temperature down to 290⁰F.

8. When the log is cool enough to handle, cut it, with a sharp knife, into slices as thin as you can easily manage. Mine were between 0.5cm and 0.75cm.

9. Place the sliced biscotti back on the baking tray and return to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes on one side, then turn them over and bake for another 15 minutes.

10. Remove biscotti from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container/jar.

What I'm Reading...

I haven't had time to bake/cook and post anything new in a while, so I thought I'd share some 

links to things that have caught my eye lately...

1. I read about cronuts only last week; I am fascinated and intrigued and quite tempted to give them a go...

The Cronut – the US pastry sensation that must cross the Atlantic (from The Guardian)

2. It's been so ridiculously hot recently and since I can't ever give up tea, this would make a great summer substitute...

Cardamom and Saffron Iced Tea (from Honest Cooking)

3. Coffee isn't all that bad for you after all...
This Is Your Brain on Coffee (from The New York Times)

4. Cookies + Nutella + marshmallows = dessert heaven! (From Clockwork Lemon)
Toasted Marshmallow and Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies 

5. I love it when I discover a blog I didn't know about before. I found this one a few days ago; so many gorgeous recipes for cookies, cakes, pies, and so much more...
Une Gamine dans la Cuisine

[May] Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

Have I bitten off more biscotti than I can chew?

First I was posting my monthly recipe in middle of the month, then towards the end, and now I'm posting May's recipe in June!

I need to get more organized... I pretty much have the recipes for each month planned out but for blogging purposes maybe one recipe every two months might be more manageable? We'll see...

Anyhow, it's about time a chocolate recipe was added to the list. It took me a couple of tries to get it right though. The first time I made a recipe similar to this one I forgot about it while it was baking for a second time, resulting in very hard, almost teeth-shattering biscotti.

This time around I was much more careful and these were almost finished before I got a chance to photograph them.

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

Ingredients

2 tbs canola (or vegetable) oil

2 eggs

¾ cup caster sugar

1 cup flour
½ tsp baking powder

⅓ cup cocoa powder

½ tsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
a pinch of salt

½ cup walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 325⁰F (165⁰C).
2. Line a baking tray with wax paper. Spread the walnuts evenly on the tray and bake for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool, then chop them up.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. 
4. In a large mixing bowl, add oil, eggs, and sugar and beat with a whisk until the mixture is light and airy.
5. Stir in the flour mixture, the coffee mixture, and the chopped walnuts.
6. Turn the dough onto the baking tray (greased and lined with wax paper) and shape it into a log, about 12 inches long, 2 inches wide and about 2cm to 1 inch high.
7. Bake the biscotti log at 325⁰F (165⁰C) for 25 minutes.
8. Remove the log from the oven and allow it cool. Turn down the oven temperature to 290⁰F (145⁰C).
9. When it is cool enough to handle, slice the log into ½-inch slices, either diagonally or straight across.
10. Place the biscotti back onto the baking tray, cut side down, and place the tray in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the biscotti over and bake for another 20 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight jar.

More biscotti recipes on Chai + Cake:

Almond-Orange Biscotti

Chocolate-dipped Orange Pistachio Biscotti 

Almond Biscotti