Cranberry Biscotti with Pecans

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Cranberry Biscotti is a twice baked cookie studded with cranberries and pecans that’s delicious served with a cup of hot tea or coffee or packaged up as a gift for the holidays.

A plate with three biscotti on it and cranberries around it.

I’ve been on a huge biscotti kick lately.  I really enjoy them in the morning with my coffee or after dinner as a sweet treat because they aren’t overly sweet.

I was looking for one with cranberries in it because I had just bought a huge bag of dried cranberries.  I found a recipe for almond and cranberry biscotti but I didn’t have any almonds in the cupboard.

I looked through all of my nuts and decided that cranberries and pecans would be a tasty combination.   It’s also a great winter flavor so I wanted to give it a try.

Ingredients:

  • flour
  • baking powder
  • salt
  • butter
  • sugar
  • eggs
  • vanilla bean paste (I used Taylor & Colledge)
  • pecans
  • dried cranberries
  • white chocolate (optional)

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3.  In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and mix well.

4.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.

5.  Fold in the cranberries and pecans.

6.  Shape the dough into a log that is 10 inches long by 4 inches wide and about 3/4 of an inch thick.

7.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

8.  Use a serrated knife and slice the biscotti into ½ inch wide slices.  Turn the biscotti on their side and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Pin Image:  A plate piled with biscotti and sprinkled with cranberries, text title, a wire rack piled with biscotti.

So the thing with biscotti is that you need to have a solid hour to mix it up, bake it, cool it, bake it, and then get it out of the oven.  It isn’t exactly the fastest cookie to make.

I made mine on a Saturday when I knew I’d be home for a while.  I mixed up the batter while J was busy and popped it into the oven.   I pulled it out and let it cool and then he wanted to help so he counted the pieces while I cut it.  This is a great way to get kids learning and helping in the kitchen.

I then had him help me flip all the pieces on their sides so that we could put them back into the oven.  I used a second baking sheet for this just so he wouldn’t get burned but if I was doing it myself I would put it back on the warm baking sheet.

A sheet pan with biscotti cookie dough shaped into a rectangle.

What is Biscotti?

Biscotti, is an Italian almond biscuit cookie that is from the Tuscan city of Prato. They are twice-baked, oblong-shaped, dry, crunchy, and can be dipped in a hot beverage like coffee, espresso, or tea. 

Can I use a different type of nut besides pecans?

Of course!   Traditionally almonds are used in biscotti and this recipe actually had almonds in it originally.  You could also use walnuts, macadamia nuts, or hazelnuts.

I don’t have dried cranberries, can I use a different dried fruit?

You can but make sure it’s a dried fruit that pairs well with the nut you are using.  Dried cherries, apricots, raspberries, or strawberries would be good in this biscotti recipe.

I’d like to decorate these, what can I use?

I used white chocolate and holiday sprinkles on mine which tasted delicious.  I also think that a dark chocolate and chopped pecans would be tasty.  You can also drizzle milk chocolate and mini chocolate chips on them.

The second baking is the one you really need to watch. You want the cookies to be well cooked and starting to dry out when they are pulled from the oven.  The issue is that they won’t harden until the cool so you can’t be sure they are cooked enough until they cool. 

While I go by cooking time there has been a time or two that I’ve had to put them back into the oven for a third time to get them to firm up.  Don’t be afraid to do this if they aren’t as firm as you’d like.

A plate piled with biscotti and sprinkled with cranberries.

After the final cooling I like to jazz mine up a bit so I drizzled them with white chocolate and then put holiday sprinkles on top.  You can leave them plain, just do the drizzle, or go for the drizzle and sprinkles.

More Biscotti Recipes:

These biscotti are so good.   While they are sweet they aren’t overly sweet.   The cranberries add a bit of tartness and the pecans add additional flavor and crunch.

I had mine with coffee for breakfast and then with a cup of tea for dessert.  I liked it better with the coffee but I’d eat them again with either one!

If you’ve tried my Cranberry Pecan Biscotti or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

A plate with four biscotti on it.

Cranberry Pecan Biscotti

Yield: 16 biscotti
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Cranberry Pecan Biscotti is a twice baked cookie studded with cranberries and pecans that's delicious served with a cup of hot tea or coffee.

Ingredients

  • 2 c. flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
  • 3/4 c. sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
  • 1/2 pecans, chopped
  • 2/3 c. dried cranberries
  • 1/4 c. white chocolate (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
  4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
  5. Gently fold in the cranberries and pecans.
  6. Shape the dough into a log that is 10 inches long by 4 inches wide and about ¾ of an inch thick.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
  8. Using a serrated knife slice the biscotti into ½ inch wide
    slices.  Turn the biscotti on their side and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
  9. Remove from oven and put on a cooling rack. Cool completely.
  10. Put the white chocolate in a heat safe bowl and microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each heating, until melted.
  11. Put the white chocolate in a zip top baggie, cut off the tip, and drizzle onto the biscotti.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Savoring the Good

 

 

A plate with four biscotti on it.

Welcome to #CranberryWeek where we celebrate all things cranberry! We have 11 bloggers sharing over 25 recipes this week. There are sweets, savories, and even a few beverages this week. Make sure to follow #CranberryWeek on social media to see all the delicious recipes we’re sharing this week.

Friday’s Cranberry Recipes

2 Comments

  1. I have never made biscotti before. I love eating it, but never made it. And this one looks so delicious with all the pecans and cranberries in there.

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