Hazelnut and Dried Cherry Biscotti

Hazelnut and Dried Cherry Biscotti are the most delightful Italian cookie. The perfect cookie to add to your holiday cookie tray and just what you need to dunk into your cappuccino!

Originally published December 2019 and republished December 2021. These lovely Hazelnut and Dried Cherry Biscotti are one of my personal favorites . They are the perfect treat for when you crave something a little sweet.

Hazelnut and Dried Cherry Biscotti

This is a favorite biscotti recipe that we make every Christmas! Cranberry Almond Biscotti are another Italian cookie favorite! As well as our festive Apricot Spice Biscotti!

My Favorite Italian Christmas Desserts

These biscotti are part of  our Favorite Italian Christmas Dessert series. You can impress your guests with my Italian mother-in-law’s cherished Nocatole-Calabrian Sweet Fritters recipe. She makes it for special occasions and holidays (Christmas!!). Don’t miss the recipe for Pitta ‘Impigliata-Calabrian Fruit and Nut Pastries.  Soon there will be more to come to make a sweet Italian Christmas!

What are Italian biscotti?

Biscotti are very traditional Italian cookies. You’ll find that the classic biscotti cookies always dry and crisp, which make them quite perfect for dipping in your hot coffee, latte or tea. In Italian, biscotti means twice baked (bis: twice, cotto: cooked, past participle of cuocere, ‘to cook’). The dough is first shaped into the logs (two for this particular recipe). When the log cools, it is sliced on a diagonal and the cookies get baked a second round until they are the perfect crispiness. Some classic biscotti flavors are almond, anise and vanilla.

I am always dreaming of biscotti! Since they aren’t as decadent as most cookies you would see they could be considered a little safer to eat. These biscotti are the perfect treat to get you through the afternoon with a hot cup of coffee or tea. These biscotti are just what you need to help you through a cold afternoon.

As soon as the biscotti were finished baking my mother delcared, “These are what you call dunkable biscotti!” So there you have it! These are dunkable biscotti!!

How to make this biscotti mini biscotti?

To make small biscotti, shape the dough into 4 logs instead of two. The smaller logs will require less baking time so be sure to check them at about 15 minutes.

How long will biscotti last?

Once the biscotti have come to room temperature, store them in a an airtight container. They should stay fresh for 1-2 weeks in the container.

Can you freeze Italian biscotti cookies?

Yes! Once they have completely cooled, you could also wrap the biscotti and place them in a zip lock plastic back. They will store for up to 3 months in the freezer.

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Some other cookie recipes to try:

• Apricot Almond Biscotti
• Banana Bread Biscotti
• Fig and Walnut Biscotti
• Biscotti di San Martino

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HAZELNUT AND DRIED CHERRY BISCOTTI

Hazelnut and Dried Cherry Biscotti are the most delightful Italian cookie. The perfect cookie to add to your holiday cookie tray and just what you need to dunk into your cappuccino!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: biscotti, Cookies

Servings: 20 biscotti

Author: Lora

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2/3 cup packed dark or light brown sugar
• 4 tbs unsalted melted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts toasted and roughly chopped
• 1 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Position a rack in the center of the oven. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and cinnamon and mix thoroughly.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar, butter, eggs, salt, and vanilla for 2 to 3 minutes, until thick and pale. Add the flour mixture a little bit at a time. Add in the hazelnut and dried cherries and mix on medium-low speed until all the ingredients are moistened.
• Use a spatula to scrape out the dough onto a lined cookie sheet (I used a sheet for each log) and divide the dough in half (or do one log to make marge larger biscotti).
• Spray hands with cooking spray; form each piece of dough into a 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Bake until dough is firm but gives slightly when pressed, about 20-25 minutes.
• Let the logs cool for at least 15 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
• Carefully place the loaves on a cutting board. Using a long serrated knife, cut each log on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place slices, cut side up, on sheet. Bake 7 minutes, flip biscotti, and bake 7 minutes more (it may only take 5 minutes on each side, every oven is different).
• Set the sheet on a rack to cool completely. May be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks

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