Cranberry Orange Biscotti

In a KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment or any electric mixer, beat well:

1 stick unsalted butter (room temp.)
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
(a touch of lemon or orange zest is nice in here too)

Add 2 eggs, one at a time.

Mix in slowly by hand with a wooden spoon:

2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

When mostly mixed add in:

1/2 c. pecans, chopped
1/2 c. dried cranberries (I like the Ocean Spray orange flavored ones)

I like to use a Silpat to bake on, but you can also spray a little Pam on a baking sheet and form the dough into a log about a foot long and 3 inches wide, flattening the top a little as you go. The log should be about 1 inch tall at most.

Bake at 350F for about 30-35 minutes until barely golden and firm.

Remove from the oven and let the log cool about 15 minutes. Cut into 1/2 inch slices with a serrated knife. Be careful, these can crumble easily.

Lay the slices back on the baking sheet and return to oven for 10 minutes, then turn the cookies over and bake for another 8 minutes.

Cool before packaging up or storing to retain the crunch. Great with tea or coffee!

Optional: Let the slices cool uncovered and drizzle a fine-quality white chocolate over one side and lay them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. (Melted chocolate can be poured into a Ziploc bag with one tiny corner snipped off as a make-shift pastry bag.)

Cool off in fridge to set chocolate. Enjoy!