Recipe: Cranberry Hazelnut Biscotti

Grrr....my camera is still missing!!!! Its hiding somewhere around here.....and do you want to know why?????? Because last week, instead of knitting, I actually DID housework. I remember....I think....picking up the camera and putting it somewhere. Thus, strong reason for the title of this blog: knitting instead of housework. If I had been knitting, I wouldn't have lost my camera.

(my house is picked up, though; and the laundry is done; and I made cranberry and roasted hazelnut biscotti yesterday.....and cleaned the kitchen afterwards.)

Cranberry and Hazelnut Biscotti
(adaption from recipe originally found at Epicurious).

3 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.
4 large eggs
4 tsps FRESH grated orange peel (not the dried stuff)
2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp salt
6 cups bread flour or all-purpose
2 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cups dried cranberries (about one and a half bags of Craisins brand)
2 bars Godiva bittersweet (60% cocoa) chocolate (the large bars used for baking) or any bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Oven preheat to 325.
Using handheld electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time just until blended. Mix in orange peel, baking soda and salt. Add 3 cups flour, hazelnuts and cranberries; stir until well blended (may need to do by hand depending on power of electric mixer). Add 2 to 3 cups flour (one cup at a time) stirring until well blended.
Transfer dough to floured work surface. Dough should be crumbly and difficult, but not so dry that it is impossible. Divide dought into 4 equal parts. Knead each piece until dough holds together. Form each piece into 9inch by 2 1/2 to 3 inch wide logs. Pound logs as you form them to make sure there are no internal cracks inside the logs. Form them as smoothly as possible - this step does take some physical exertion.
Place 2 logs on each of 2 large ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart (logs will spread during baking). Bake 55-60 minutes. Logs should not be doughy. Poke center of log with knife to see if it comes out clean. Remove logs from oven (leave oven ON) to cool for exactly 15 minutes.
Carefully remove logs from baking sheets, supporting their undersides with a long spatula (so they don't crack in center) and transfer to cutting surface. With electric bread knife (or serrated knife, slice the logs crosswise (across their width) every 1/2 inch. Place slices cut side down back on cookie sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes and then flip to other side and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Slices should be LIGHTLY browned and not appear doughy at all. Remove from oven and transfer slices to cooling racks.
After biscotti has cooled: place back on cookie sheets, cut side down, as closely together as possible.
place broken chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Melt on MEDIUM power for 30-45 seconds. Stir well. Melt again on medium power for 15-30 seconds more. Stir well (continue in small increments until chocolate is melted....should not take long. do not overmelt). Spoon chocolate into a squirt bottle or paper cone (used for cake decorating) and in quick-long diagonal strokes over the entire cookie sheet, drizzle the chocoate to form diagonal lines over the facing side of the biscotti. Repeat drizzling in opposite diagonal as well.
Store in air tight container. May be frozen. Serve with beverage for dunking.




Back to my knitting now...