White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Biscotti + Video
Happy holiday season!
December the 20th. It's got a nice ring to it. And since today feels like a lovely day, how about adding some lovely holiday cookies to the mix?
Oh, and by "cookie," I mean biscotti. Because biscotti are still cookies, even if they don't take on the traditional round cookie shape. And I also think that biscotti are extra-appropriate for those cute gift boxes you might have been planning on putting together sometime soon.
Oh hey, I put something together too. It's this little video, depicting the way to make these white chocolate cranberry macadamia biscotti. Here we are:
Or, watch in on YouTube.
So yes, these biscotti have got a lot going on. They've got dried cranberries, otherwise known as Craisins, packed inside of them. And they've also got crunchy macadamia bits in them as well. And also, these biscotti have got chopped white milk chocolate generously incorporated into them too.
And not only have these cranberry macadamia biscotti got chopped white milk chocolate in them, they've also got some more white milk chocolate atop them. Why more, you ask? Rhetorical question, I reply.
Guess what? These white chocolate biscotti are like so quick and easy to make. Like one bowl, mix together the wet ingredients, stir in the dry, shape the dough into two logs, bake the logs, slice up the logs, return the tray to the oven for five minutes, and you're done. That type of easy.
Well, not counting the white chocolate glaze, of course. That'll require one more bowl to melt the chocolate in, and one more minute to actually melt the chocolate. And then two more minutes to dunk the biscotti into the melted white chocolate.
Feasible?
These white chocolate biscotti aren't as crispy or crunchy as your classic biscotti. This recipe yields biscotti that are a lot more tender and soft and rich.
So the true title for these cookies should be "mandel bread," which is the Jewish version of the Italian biscotti.
What's the difference? Basically, the texture of mandel bread is a bit softer and more cookie-like than a thin, crunchy biscotti is. Mandel bread are also usually a bit thicker than biscotti are.
Moving on.
Shall we discuss the deets of these white chocolate cranberry macadamia biscotti?
These biscotti, as mentioned, are soft and tender. They're also rich and lightly sweetened. Probably a bit more sweet than a traditional biscotti, but a bit less sweet than a traditional chocolate chip cookie.
These biscotti are also full of flavor from lots of vanilla extract, as well as all that white milk chocolate and all those chewy, sweet dried cranberries and all those crunchy, nutty macadamias.
And although these biscotti are perfect on their own, feel free to pair these with a steaming mug of coffee or tea. Because it is December after all, and it is cold out.
White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Biscotti + Video
Yield: about 18 biscotti
1/2 cup canola/vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups packed flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped white milk chocolate
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup chopped white milk chocolate, for glazing
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Add in the flour and salt and mix with the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in the chocolate, cranberries, and nuts last. Dough will be loose and slightly wet, not dry like a normal cookie dough.
Dump dough into 2 even portions spaced out on prepared baking sheet. Wet your hands and then shape the dough into 2 logs.
Bake logs for 18 minutes and then remove sheet from oven. Slice logs into biscotti of desired thickness, and then place the biscotti cut side up onto the sheet. Return sheet to oven and bake biscotti for another 5-7 minutes, or until the tops and bottoms are just golden brown. Let cool on sheets before glazing.
Glaze: finely chop the white chocolate and melt it in the microwave in short intervals, or in a double boiler. Dip or spread the chocolate onto one end of each biscotti, completely coating the end and its sides. If desired, let first layer of chocolate harden before drizzling more white chocolate over the first layer.
