With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays it’s nice to have a few snacks around the house for when guests pop by. These Citrus, Cranberry and Hazelnut Biscotti that Susan makes does just the trick. You can dip them in a little coffee or just munch on them on their own.

And what a better time to share something than the holidays? Our very talented friend Camille of Camille Styles asked us to do just that. So pop on over and say hello to Camille and the other guests who contributed to the series and pick up this fantastic recipes for your holiday celebrations.

Happy Holidays!

I do a lot of baking around the holidays, and use it as a time to indulge in every sugary sweet cookie that struck my fancy over the past year. But by the end of the season, I’ll often opt for the savory version of a cookie over the sweet one. Biscotti is one cookie that I can make in advance and give as gifts or nibble myself. We spend a lot of time driving during the holidays to visit with family and nothing makes the car ride easier like a coffee and biscotti. This recipe has been part of my go-to collection for years, and you can change out the flavors depending on the season. I went rather savory, but you can use dark chocolate, white chocolate, pistachios or any other hard nut. Remember to toast your nuts if they don’t come that way. Place nuts on a cookie sheet and toast for 10 minutes or so in a 325 degree oven. You know they’re toasted when you can smell the aroma (meaning the oils have been released from the nuts.)

Citrus, Cranberry and Hazelnut Biscotti

Small Bowl Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Large Bowl Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar

Flavors Ingredients

• 1/2 cup toasted hazel nuts, chopped
• 1/2 dried cranberries
• Zest of one orange

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Cream eggs and sugar using a stand mixer with paddle attachment. You can also use a hand mixer but might have to stir in the flavor ingredients at the end. This dough is tough!
3. After creaming eggs and sugar, add in dry ingredients from the small bowl and combine well.
4. Add in your flavor ingredients. You can zest the orange right over the bowl. If you substitute other flavors, use the measurements for the correct dough to flavor ingredient ratio.
5. Prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment or a silicone non-stick baking mat. Turn your dough out onto the mat and form into one log, about 4 inches x 1 inch x 10 inches. Make sure the ends aren’t too pointy or you’ll have itty bitty biscotti, try and keep it a log and avoid tapering off the ends. TIP: wet your hands if dough is too sticky.
6. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 30 – 35 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let cool a bit, until it’s safe to handle. Using a bread knife (serrated) cut into 1/2 inch slices. Return sliced biscotti to baking sheet and bake for another 25 minutes. Now, my new oven is a bit fussy. I recommend check these half way through to see if one side is getting too brown (turn them over it it is). When I had a convection oven I didn’t need to worry about this, so double check based on your oven.