Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

Holiday Biscotti

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Everybody complains about the short days and long nights of winter. But I absolutely love it! (Of course, minus the part where I have limited time to take blog pictures that require natural lighting.) In fact, I hate summer. Prolonged sunlight makes me feel as though time is moving at an excruciatingly dull rate and that life is sad and mundane. Winter evenings, on the other hand, are cozy and if you have the right people around you, can be indeed lively and fun.

Around this time of year I always make a few batches of biscotti. Some to give to friends as edible gifts, some for the family to snack on throughout the day, some for myself to have with a hot cup of chai.

For this recipe, I use dried cherries, coconut flakes, orange zest and almonds. The bright red dried cherries give the cookie a beautiful festive look, and the coconut gives a wonderful yet subtle flavor. Of course, it isn’t quality biscotti if you don’t add in a heaping serving of nuts. I kept it classic with some slivered almonds.

What makes this extra flavorful and not a sad, dry, and bland cookie is the orange juice and zest as well as the addition of almond and coconut extracts. The orange gives such a wonderful aroma and the extracts deepen the flavors, making this holiday biscotti absolutely divine!

So go ahead and buy a few  Christmas tins, and give these away generously. Your friends will be delighted!

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Holiday Biscotti - with cherries, almonds, and coconut

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c coconut oil
  • 2 c flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 c slivered almonds
  • 1 c shredded coconut (unsweetened!)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 tsp coconut extract (you can leave it out if you don't have it)
  • 2/3 c dried cherries or cranberries
  • 2/3 c sugar
  • zest of one orange
  • juice of 1/2 of the orange

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 300 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

  2. Pop your coconut oil into the microwave for about 30 seconds to melt it. Allow it to cool.

  3. In your electric standing mixer with your paddle attachment (or with a simple mixing bowl and spatula), combine eggs, sugar, coconut oil.

  4. Add in your extracts and orange zest. Make sure to measure out the almond and coconut extract before adding because they are quite strong!

  5. Now add in your dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, and salt in slow increments. Make sure everything is well combined.

  6. Once a dough is formed add in your nuts, dried coconut, and cherries. Combine until everything is evenly incorporated. Note - If you only have sweetened coconut on hand, then make sure to decrease the amount of sugar you use in the recipe by a tablespoon or two.

  7. Now you will form a log with the dough. It will be loose and sticky but that's okay! Just work slowly and add the dough to the middle of the parchment paper. Using a spatula try to get the log as even as possible into an oval shape. It doesn't have to be perfect.

  8. Once your logs are formed, put your baking sheet into the oven and remove when the edges start turning brown. This can take about 35-40 minutes.

  9. Remove from oven and let the logs cool. Do not touch or cut right away!

  10. After the logs have cooled to room temperature, you will cut them into pieces. Use a serrated knife and cut at a sharp angle for long pieces.

  11. Now take your biscotti pieces and put them back on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Increase the temperature of your oven to 350 and bake for about 6-8 minutes.

  12. Take the baking tray out of the oven, turn the cookies over and bake for anoter 6-8 minutes.

  13. Remove the biscotti. Once cooled, it is ready to be devoured!