Chocolate Cherry Almond Biscotti
Recipe by kiteless Wikified by Drimble Wedge
- 1 1/4 sticks of butter (10 TB)
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 TB vanilla
- 1 drop almond extract (optional)
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom seed (optional)
- 3 1/4 cups flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup toasted almond slivers (or other nut such as hazelnut pieces)
- 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 TB coarse sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix/sift together flour, salt and baking powder in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
Melt butter in a large bowl in the microwave on medium heat. When melted, mix in sugar, vanilla, extracts and spices. Add eggs one at a time and mix until thoroughly blended. Gradually mix in the flour and baking soda. When blended, mix in remaining ingredients (nuts, cherries and chocolate chips).
Separate dough into halves. On a large cookie sheet, shape two long, flat rectangles the length of the sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake for 25 minutes or until light to medium golden brown.
Remove cookies from the oven and let cool one hour. When cooled, cut 1/2 inch thick pieces on a diagonal. They are fully cooked at this stage, and you can enjoy them as a sugar cookie if you like. For traditional crispy biscotti, arrange slices cut side down on the cookie sheet and bake for another 15-20 minutes at 325 degrees. After 15-20 minutes, turn off the oven and let the cookies cool inside for another hour or two.
