Dried Cherry Chocolate Chip Almond Biscotti

Put the rack in the center of the oven. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat eggs until foamy. I use a KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment. Gradually add sugar and beat for 2 minutes (see note below).

Add vanilla extract and melted unsalted butter and continue to beat for 2 minutes. (To melt the butter, but it into 8 slices and microwave for approximately 25 seconds, then let cool until just barely warm before adding to the eggs and sugar.)

Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until well incorporated. Stir in the cherries, almonds and chocolate chips by hand with a sturdy spoon.

Note: dried fruit is really sticky when you try to dice it. Use a cutting board. Sprinkle a little flour over the dried fruit and toss together. Then dice it. The flour should coat the little pieces. Keep tossing around in the flour as you dice.

Get plastic wrap and a rimmed cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in front of yourself lengthwise. If you have an 18″ x 13″ cookie sheet, the 18-inch side is in front of you. Take the plastic wrap and stretch it out over the length of the cookie sheet. Tear off enough wrap so you’ll have about 4 inches hanging past the ends. We’ll just do one side at a time.

Place the plastic wrap so a third of it is hanging off the side and two thirds is on the inside of the cookie sheet.
Now take spoonfuls of the biscotti dough and lay them on the plastic wrap along the edge of the cookie sheet like a long snake. Don’t go all the way to the end. Stop when you run out of dough. Use half of the dough.

Smooth out the top of the dough with a knife so it is exactly the same height as the rim of the cookie sheet. Now take the two edges of the plastic wrap and bring them up to meet each other. Then fold over. Twist the ends. Now smooth out the dough so that it is uniform and solid. I lift up the right end of the dough and wrap my index finger and thumb around it with my finger tips touching together and slide my hand down the length of the dough to the opposite end so it is uniform in shape. It should end up looking like a roll of cookie dough. Now make sure that it is the same height as the rim. You may need to do additional shaping. You want a uniform and solid-looking roll.

Now do the same thing with the remaining half of the dough. If you end up with one log that’s wider or bigger or shorter, don’t worry. That’s ok. They don’t have to be exactly the same size.

Carefully move the dough from the cookie sheet onto a cutting board that is long enough to support the dough and place in the refrigerator until firm, about one hour.

Make sure your oven is preheated to 325 degrees.

Place the logs so they are about 2 inches from the sides of the cookie sheet and there is space between them for the dough to spread.

Your dough should be firm enough to pick up without being limp. Peel off the plastic wrap and place on the cookie sheet. Square up each end if it is tapered-looking. This way, when you slice the log, you won’t have tiny end pieces.

Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Then turn the oven down to 275 degrees and continue baking for 10-15 minutes.

Note: after 30 minutes, the logs should just start to be turning golden brown. If they just look pale, bake for another 5 minutes and recheck before turning the oven down to 275 degrees.

Keep a careful eye on them once you turn the oven down to 275. After 10-15 minutes, they should look golden brown and the cracks should look dry, not wet. They will continue baking once they come out. Better to slightly under bake than risk over baking.

Once the biscotti logs are removed from the oven, turn it down to 250 degrees.

Cool the biscotti for 30 minutes. You’ll need a serrated knife, cutting board and a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Make sure the logs are cooled to at least barely warm before slicing. Completely cold might be best if this is your first time.

Make sure your oven is now set to 250 degrees.

Carefully take one log off the cookie sheet. Tilting it up on its side works best for me. Then, holding it at the top, I quickly transfer it to a cutting board and gently lay it down. (Lifting it off by putting your hands underneath could cause it to crack.) Have your cutting board close at hand so you can quickly make the transfer.

Place one log on the cutting board. Take your serrated knife and slice using a back and forth, sawing motion, while slightly pushing down. Practice makes perfect. The goal here is not to tear the cookie or cause a piece to break off. I usually cut 1/2″ slices.

Place sliced cookies standing up on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. I don’t lay them on their sides. As long as they aren’t touching, you can put them close together. One cookie sheet should hold them all.

Carefully place the cookies in the oven and bake to your desired level of crispness:

50 minutes for hard but crunchy—I recommend this if it’s your first batch
40 minutes for medium hard
30 minutes for barely crunchy

Let cool completely.

Place in a glass cookie jar with a tightly fitting lid or cookie tin to prevent them from getting soft. I think they taste better a few days after baking. They keep really well for at least two weeks. If by chance they do lose crispness, just reheat in a 300-degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

Variations:

Chocolate Biscotti: substitute 1/2 cup cocoa powder for 1/2 cup of flour, add 1 cup chocolate chips.

Anise Biscotti: substitute 1 teaspoon anise extract for the 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, add 1 tablespoon anise seeds.

Almond Biscotti: add 3/4 cup dry roasted almonds, chopped; substitute 1 teaspoon almond extract for 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Dried Cranberry Biscotti: add 1/2 cup dried cranberries that have been soaked in 1/2 cup of boiling water, drained and patted dry.

50/50 Biscotti: make 2 batches of biscotti. One vanilla and one chocolate. Take 1/4 of the vanilla dough and lay out on the plastic wrap like a long snake, then 1/4 of the chocolate dough right next to it. Form into one log. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Note: you can decrease the sugar to as little as 3/4 cup without wrecking the biscotti. Or if you want it, sweeter you could add up to 1 1/2 cups sugar and it will still be okay.