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These easy and delicious Cherry Almond Biscotti deserve a special place on your holiday cookie tray!
I truly admire anyone who creates those gorgeous and intricately-decorated sugar cookies at Christmastime.
As much as I love seeing them (not to mention eating them too 😉), this time of year, I rarely have the time or the patience to make them myself. I don’t mean to complain – it’s all good, with different and fun activities at work, school and with family.
So with a lengthy to-do list and events to attend, I reach for easy (but still equally delicious) recipes like today’s Cherry Almond Biscotti.
How do you make biscotti?
Biscotti means ‘twice baked’ in Italian – and that’s exactly what you do to make this Cherry Almond Biscotti recipe. An easy cookie batter is mixed together, then shaped into a log on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The log is baked, cooled, then sliced on an angle into that distinctive biscotti shape.
Those slices are baked for a second time – and it is then that your Cherry Almond Biscotti will become crispy and crunchy, and absolutely perfect for dipping into a hot cup of espresso.
This Cherry Almond Biscotti recipe is a variation of my go-to cranberry pistachio biscotti recipe – swapping in dried cherries for the dried cranberries and chopped almonds for the pistachios.
Cherries and almonds are a wonderful flavor pairing in just about any dessert – and that holds true in these crunchy biscotti.
We also added an optional drizzle of dark chocolate to our Cherry Almond Biscotti. These Italian treats are delicious with or without the chocolate added – but we thought the dark chocolate was a nice complement to the flavor of the tart cherries.
You may enjoy these other recipes made with dried fruits:
- Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
- Mini Cherry Almond Galettes
- Mostarda
- White Chocolate Apricot Scones
- Cranberry Almond Coconut Macaroons
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Cherry Almond Biscotti
These easy and delicious Cherry Almond Biscotti deserve a special place on your holiday cookie tray!
Ingredients
1/4 cup light olive oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup coarsely chopped whole almonds (if you prefer, you can also use slivered almonds instead)
2 ounces dark chocolate, for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil and sugar until well blended. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts and eggs. Mix well again.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder, mixing well. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture – mixing until fully blended. Add cherries and almonds and mix until just blended.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough in half and form into two logs (approximately 12×2 inches for small biscotti or 9×3 inches for longer biscotti) on the parchment paper. Note: dough is sticky so wet your hands with cool water to more easily handle the dough.
Bake the logs for 30-35 minutes in the 300 degrees F oven until logs are a very light brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 275 degrees F.
After 10 minutes, using a serrated knife, cut the logs on a diagonal into ¾ inch thick slices. Lay the cookies on their sides on the parchment covered cookie sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes more. Let cool.
Once the biscotti are cooled, place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir with a whisk. Microwave in additional 5 second intervals, stirring after each interval until the chocolate is completely melted. (Avoid overheating as the chocolate may seize and become hard again.)
Using your whisk, drizzle the dark chocolate over the cooled biscotti. Allow the chocolate to cool completely until firm. Serve immediately, or store in an air tight container until ready to serve.
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These were delicious!! I love that they are made using olive oil❤️ Thank you!!
You’re welcome Jennifer – glad you enjoyed the biscotti!
Biscotti doesn’t mean twice baked in Italian. It means cookie or biscuit.
Thanks Roses – In addition, (from Wikipedia): Biscotti is the plural form of biscotto. The word originates from the medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning “twice-cooked”. It characterised oven-baked goods that were baked twice, so they became very dry and could be stored for long periods of time. Such non-perishable food was particularly useful during journeys and wars, and twice-baked breads were a staple food of the Roman legions