These cranberry orange biscotti have an orange cookie base filled with dried cranberries and chopped pecans, then drizzled with white chocolate for an easy, festive breakfast treat! They're perfect for dunking in coffee, milk, or hot chocolate!
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What is Biscotti?
Biscotti is a long cookie that is twice-baked to make them super crisp and crunchy!
Biscotti is also the all-encompassing term for "cookies" or "biscuits" in Italian. The more specific name for this style of cookie is cantucci or cantuccini, but outside of Italy they are commonly just called biscotti.
They might seem a little complicated but they're actually super easy to make! We simply shape the dough into logs and bake it. Then let the logs cool slightly, slice them, and then bake the slices a second time! Super easy!
You can eat this cranberry orange biscotti like a regular cookie, but since biscotti is so crunchy, it's typically dipped into coffee, milk, or hot chocolate before eating!
You might also like these peppermint chocolate biscotti or these chocolate orange biscotti!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make this white chocolate cranberry orange biscotti!
Orange Zest - Fresh is best for maximum orange flavor! You need the zest from about 1 large orange.
Orange Extract - I also love adding a little bit of orange extract to the dough for extra orange flavor.
Almond Extract - I love using almond extract for a little extra nutty flavor but you can leave it out if you prefer!
White Chocolate - You can use white chocolate baking bars or white chocolate chips to melt to drizzle over the biscotti.
Dried Cranberries - Sweetened dried cranberries are best for these biscotti.
Pecans - These are optional, but I love mixing some toasted pecans into the biscotti for extra crunch! You could also substitute chopped pistachios, almonds, or walnuts.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Biscotti
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and orange zest. Then use your fingers to gently massage the orange zest into the sugar (this is optional, but helps infuse the sugar with even more orange flavor).
Then add in the softened butter and beat until combined and smooth.
Add in the eggs, orange extract, and almond extract and beat until just combined.
Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until fully incorporated. The dough should be slightly sticky.
Then gently fold in the dried cranberries and chopped pecans.
Scoop half the dough onto one side of baking sheet and pat it into a 10 inch x 2 inch rectangle that’s about 1 inch thick (lightly wetting your hands helps a lot with this step). Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Place the baking sheet with the shaped cranberry orange biscotti logs in the fridge and chill for about 20 minutes (this helps them not spread too much).
While the biscotti logs are chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top and edges are fully set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 25 to 30 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board and use a spray bottle filled with room-temperature water to very lightly spritz them (just one spray on each section of the logs). Wait about 5 minutes before using a very sharp serrated knife to slice biscotti ½ inch wide.
Return the cranberry pecan biscotti slices to the baking sheet, standing them up with ½ inch in between them, so air can circulate around them. Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until dry and golden.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate in intervals of 30 seconds until smooth and then let cool slightly.
Transfer to a piping bag (or small plastic bag) and cut the tip off to make a small hole. Then drizzle the melted white chocolate over the cranberry orange biscotti. Sprinkle with extra orange zest if desired. Let the chocolate fully harden before storing.
Serve the cranberry orange biscotti with your favorite latte or tea!
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Recipe FAQ's
Store the cranberry orange biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
You can eat this cranberry orange biscotti like a regular cookie, but since biscotti is so crunchy, it's typically dipped into coffee, tea, or milk before eating.
Biscotti are hard and dry because it is baked twice! First as a loaf and then again after being sliced. This hard, dry texture is what makes this orange cranberry biscotti perfect for dunking in coffee or tea and gives it a long shelf life!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Cranberry Orange Biscotti
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Biscotti
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract, optional
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
Topping
- 4 ounces white chocolate, melted
- orange zest
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and orange zest. Then use your fingers to gently massage the orange zest into the sugar (this is optional, but helps infuse the sugar with even more orange flavor). Then add in the softened butter and beat until combined and smooth.
- Add in the eggs, orange extract, and almond extract and beat until just combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until fully incorporated. The dough should be slightly sticky.
- Then gently fold in the dried cranberries and chopped pecans. Scoop half the dough onto one side of baking sheet and pat it into a 10 inch x 2 inch rectangle that’s about 1 inch thick (lightly wetting your hands helps a lot with this step). Repeat with the other half of the dough.
- Place the baking sheet with the shaped cranberry orange biscotti logs in the fridge and chill for about 20 minutes (this helps them not spread too much).
- While the biscotti logs are chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top and edges are fully set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board and use a spray bottle filled with room-temperature water to very lightly spritz them (just one spray on each section of the logs). Wait about 5 minutes before using a very sharp serrated knife to slice biscotti ½ inch wide.
- Return the cranberry pecan biscotti slices to the baking sheet, standing them up with ½ inch in between them, so air can circulate around them. Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until dry and golden.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.In a microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate in intervals of 30 seconds until smooth and then let cool slightly.
- Transfer to a piping bag (or small plastic bag) and cut the tip off to make a small hole. Then drizzle the melted white chocolate over the cranberry orange biscotti. Sprinkle with extra orange zest if desired. Let the chocolate fully harden before storing.
- Serve the cranberry orange biscotti with your favorite latte or tea!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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