During my European Adventure, I spent 6 weeks in Italy and fell in love with biscotti. When I first arrived in Florence I went to the Central Market and bought a huge bag of biscotti and ate at least one every day, ok more like 3. They pair perfectly with coffee, as a mid-day snack, or as a dessert cookie to satisfy that sweet tooth we all try to hide! I had to make these Chocolate Almond Cherry Biscotti asap!
The first time I went to make biscotti I failed miserably! I tried cornmeal mixed in with the flour, baked the cookies too long, and used vanilla extract instead of almond extract because that’s what I had in the cupboard. They were not good, terrible actually! They all went in the trash, so I tried again and finally found a combo that worked, Chocolate Almond Cherry Biscotti. I have since proceeded to eat a LOT of these cookies, whoops 🙂
Biscotti are crisp and crunchy Italian cookies. Biscotti is the plural form of biscotto. The word originates from the Latin word biscoctus, meaning “twice-cooked”. It characterized oven-baked goods that were baked twice, so they became very dry and could be stored for long periods of time. To make Biscotti, fresh dough it is formed into 2 logs that are flattened and then baked. Once cooled, the logs are cut into smaller pieces and baked again until crunchy and crispy.
To add more chocolate to the chocolate overload, I melted some white chocolate chips that I found in the back of the cupboard and used them to add some decoration to the biscotti. I dipped and drizzled about half the cookies with the white chocolate leaving the other half plain.
The joy of Chocolate Almond Cherry Biscotti is that there are so many flavor combinations that you can choose from to switch things up! Now that I have the hang of this Biscotti thing, this will not be the last time I try my hand at making them. As for now, you should give it a go!
I recently heard the Barefoot Contessa say, “Any recipe that seems hard to make and your hesitant to try, cook it for the first time when you are alone and can make mistakes. Then tweak you mistakes and try and make it better the next time. If you’re the only one to taste it, you cant fail!” — Advice to live by.
Enjoy your Chocolate Almond Cherry Biscotti and share with friends!
If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to check out these other Sweet Recipes!
- Seven Layer Cookies
- Peach and Cherry Cobbler
- Dutch Baby Pancake
- Apple Butter Carrot Muffins
- Blackberry Scones
Chocolate Almond Cherry Biscotti
Ingredients
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and almond extract; mix well.
- Beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Stir in almonds and dried cherries.
- Divide dough in half on lightly floured work surface. Roll each half into a log, about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Transfer logs to greased baking sheet. Flatten logs slightly.
- Bake 40 minutes or until logs spring back when lightly touched. Cool logs on wire rack 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
- Transfer logs to cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut logs diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place slices, cut sides down, in single layer on baking sheets.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp. Remove biscotti to wire racks; cool completely. Store in airtight container up to 1 week.
OPTIONAL: You can melt some white or dark chocolate and drizzle the biscotti for some extra flavor and decoration! Sprinkle on some chopped cranberries or colored sprinkles for added colors!
Pin and share this Chocolate Almond Cherry Biscotti recipe for later when your looking for your next meal inspiration! Also visit the Charlotte Food Bloggers and follow my tribe, amazing Charlotte based foodies like me!
The Cook Nook 