Cranberry Almond Biscotti and Hot Chocolate

There's nothing like a cup of Ghiradelli hot chocolate and biscotti (especially on a brisk wintery night while studying for a midterm). I am not much of a coffee person and prefer to get my caffeine fix in the form of cocoa. However, these biscotti would be a perfect match for your morning coffee as well.


Here's the recipe for the Cranberry Almond Biscotti (adapted from the Food Network):

Holdiay Biscotti
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped (I substituted whole almonds, that I coarsely crushed)
2/3 cup dried cranberries


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.

Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.

The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.


Enjoy!

-Michelle