Cherry-Cranberry Biscotti

Remember the sparkly cherry card? I made it for Trevor's teacher. She is a wonderful person and a top-notch teacher. When I taught, I was blessed with many thoughtful students and parents who gave me gifts on Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Teacher Appreciation Day. And sometimes, I would receive a small gift on a random day, for no reason other than the fact that the family wanted to tell me how much they appreciated me. That meant a lot to me. When I had Trevor, I knew I wanted to be the kind of parent who supported his teachers any way I could, who reminded them all the time how much we appreciate what they do.

Trevor and I made a sweet treat to accompany the card: cherry-cranberry biscotti. We started with a recipe for a cranberry-pistachio recipe that I tore out of Gourmet Magazine a decade ago. It called for 1.5 cups of dried cranberries. We replaced half the cranberries with dried cherries, skipped the pistachios, and upped the vanilla slightly. Here is Trevor shaping the biscotti for the first baking:

Of course, we had to sample the cookies after the first baking. So delicious!

Here they are after the second baking.

Next, we dipped them into chocolate. Half got semi-sweet and half got white chocolate.

 

We had to wait for the chocolate to set up.

 

Then we bagged up our biscotti, filled out the card, and delivered them to Mrs. Forbes.  

 

Here's our version of the recipe if you'd like to try them yourself.  (You should.  They are delicious!)

Cherry-Cranberry Biscotti

                                                 3/4 c. dried cherries                            1/2 tsp. baking powder

                                                 3/4 c. dried cranberries                      1/2 tsp. salt

                                                 2 1/2 c. flour                                         3 eggs

                                                 1 c. sugar                                               1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

                                                 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Soak cherries and cranberries in a small bowl of boiling hot water for 10 minutes. Drain, then pat dry with paper towels. Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add eggs and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until a dough forms. The dough will be very thick. Add cherries and cranberries and mix at low speed.

Turn out dough onto a well-floured mat and knead several times. Divide the dough in half, then form each into a 13-inch by 2-inch slightly-flattened log. Transfer to a baking sheet that has been buttered and floured (or, line it with a Silpat). Logs should be about 3 inches apart. Bake at 325°F for 25 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board. Cut diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes. Flip each cookie over and bake for 10 more minutes until crisp and golden. Allow to cool, then dip flattened end into melted chocolate.