Winter Biscotti with Orange Zest and Crandberries

T'is the season to embrace hot beverages and sweet treats!  This recipe is a new found family recipe... aka it comes from my husbands side!  I hope you fall in love with the biscotti as much as I feel in love with the chef!

Ingredients:

1/2c    orange zest
6        eggs
6.5c   flour
2c      sugar
1c      dried cranberries
2tbs   baking soda
1c      vegetable oil
1tbs   extract (usually vanilla)
2tbs   fruit liquor (optional)

Serves: a party!
Time: 1 hour, better chilled over night

This is actually a double batch, because why would you want less!  But feel free to half everything :) 

Directions:

1) Zest 2 to 3 oranges, or until you have 1/2c of zest.

2) Combine all dry ingredients (baking soda & flower) into a mixing bowl and proceed to whisk together! (they rise better)


3) Combine all wet ingredients in the mixer (or separate mixing bowl).  Feel free to add the  dried cranberries separately (and last).

4) While the mixer is on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.


5) Once the biscotti mix is smooth, cover it with serine wrap and chill it for overnight for better flavor.  The dough is way easier to work with chilled too.

6) Perheat the oven to 375 degrees.  ( This is assuming you are not going to bed to wait for the overnight part...)


7) This dough cooks like very large cookie dough, so it will rise and spread some.  Make loaves no more than 1.5 inch(s) thick.  One inch thick works if you are trying to make more classical biscotti.  Place on greased pan.

8) Cooking is tricky, you want then 80 % cooked before cutting.  They should have the consistency of fully cooked brownies just out of the oven.  People love them just like this too!

9) They won't be fully cooked if you pull them right.  Cutting into them should not put a lot of dough on the knife, but some may stick.  Wipe off any dough before cutting more as it will just attract more.  Greasing the knife helps.

10) Cut in 1/2 to 3/2 inch thick slices, Cook them longer the thicker the original loaf.  The extra half inch may require a min of 5 min more cooking time.  If trying to make huge biscotti think about covering them with tinfoil toward the end so they don't over brown.

10) Cook 3-5 min a side back on the original baking sheet, the ends only need to go through once face down.  Pull and allow to cool, done.

Cost:

orange                 $0.50

eggs                    $1.00

flour                    $2.00

sugar                   $1.00

dried cranberries $2.00

baking soda        $0.10

vegetable oil       $0.35

1tbs   extract       $0.20      

Total                    $7.15

Per piece            $0.19