Bring out the kid in you with this festive Christmas Funfetti Biscotti recipe. Drizzled with melted white chocolate, this is a gorgeous gift-able treat everyone on your Christmas list will love!
I’m so excited about today’s recipe post! These delicious Christmas Funfetti Biscotti are the first in my new Christmas countdown series. Welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Biscotti of Christmas!!
Before those non-Christmas lovers out there start moaning, keep in mind that at least this year, I waited for Halloween to be over. Last year, I did Lord Byron’s 12 Bundt Cakes of Christmas and I published the first recipe on October 21. I can still remember how that devastated my daughter. She’s not a big fan of Christmas like I am, but she loves Halloween!
This biscotti series is the fourth Christmas baking series. Last year, I did two – the bundt cake series and Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas Volume 2. The year before that, I published Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas Volume 1. Let’s see if I can get through this biscotti series without complaining about how much work I’ve created for myself!
NOT ALL SPRINKLES WILL WORK
If you’re like me, you have a big stash of sprinkles. Honestly, Dear Reader, I have a small wooden crate full of jars and bags of sprinkles. For this recipe though, not all types of sprinkles will work. You really do need to use what are most commonly referred to as jimmies.
I never call them jimmies to be honest. To me, all sprinkles are called sprinkles. For this recipe, you will need sprinkles that have an elongated shape – like a miniature rod! The non-pareils (small balls) will not work very well at all. The are too small to hold up the heat and won’t look as pretty or distinctively separate in the finished product.
There are hundreds of different sprinkles out there. You might be tempted to use little chocolate balls, or little candy cane or Christmas tree shapes. Please be advised that you are risking a not-so-good biscotti. I’m not endorsed in any way, and you can buy your sprinkles anywhere, but this type from Sweetapolita are what you need.
CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE OPTIONS
If you are not a lover of white chocolate, you can use milk chocolate instead. In fact, I’m not a huge fan of white chocolate at all. I just don’t get any pleasure from the taste of it. Milk chocolate is my chocolate of choice, but I decided to use white chocolate instead.
I’m a firm believer in the fact that we eat with our eyes first. Using the white chocolate helped to keep the biscotti looking more Christmas-like. I really wanted the “funfetti” aspect of the biscotti to be the star, not the chocolate drizzle.
Furthermore, if you’re not a fan of milk chocolate, you can use dark chocolate too. Lastly, you can even omit the chocolate completely! If I were feeding kids with these, I would skip the chocolate drizzle. Kids have enough energy already!
PACKAGING AND STORING
If you plan to enjoy these biscotti immediately, then you need not pay much attention to the next paragraph or two. Once they are completely cooled, place them into a food-safe container and leave them on your counter top. They will be fresh for almost two full weeks.
Many people like to bake for Christmas ahead of time. We like to freeze it and put out a big spread when company comes. Many of us also like to give baked goods as gifts, especially to neighbours and friends.
These biscotti will last in the freezer for three months. Be sure you have a good container with a tight seal. Whenever I’m freezing cookies, I always double up on the seal action. Before I place the lid on, I always drape a sheet of plastic wrap on top. Then I push the lid on. I just feel that the lid fits more tightly. Any little thing I can do to keep the frost out, I’m going to do it!
Like I always say, if you freeze any baked goods, remove only the amount you want when you decide to thaw them. Fetch the container from the freezer and remove only what you need. Put the lid back on and get the container back in the fridge.
To properly thaw baked goods, place them on a plate or a wire cooling rack. Don’t pile them. Spread them out and give them some space. Let them sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. They will taste fresh and perfect every single time!
CONCLUSION:
Like I said at the beginning, Christmas Funfetti Biscotti is the first in my new Christmas cookie series. I’ll be posting 12 biscotti recipes in this series on back-to-back days. If you can’t wait, you can certainly refer back to a series from previous years. Just click on the collection photos below. Cheers!
Christmas Funfetti Biscotti
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup Christmas rainbow sprinkles (jimmies)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust lightly with all purpose flour. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, oil, egg, vanilla and almond extract, and sugar until well combined. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles.
- Transfer the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until well combined with a spatula.
- Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet and form into a log. (Dust your hands with flour; dough is a bit sticky!)
- Form log into a rectangle shape that is roughly 4" wide and 10" long.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a wire cooling rack so that air can circulate around the baking sheet. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Using the parchment paper, slide the log onto a large cutting board. Slice into 1" slices across the width of the log.
- Place slices back onto baking sheet which has been lined with more parchment paper. Slices are cut side down. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Carefully turn the cookies over and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
- Once completely cooled, add white chocolate to a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 20 seconds on high. Stir and repeat until chocolate is smooth.
- Carefully transfer melted chocolate to a piping bag fitted with a small tip. Alternatively, transfer chocolate to a small Ziploc sandwich bag. Cut a small hole in one lower corner. Drizzle the chocolate over the biscotti. Top chocolate with extra sprinkles if desired. Allow chocolate to harden.
- Package biscotti for gift-giving or pile into a food-safe container. Leave at room temperature, or freeze until needed for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Trenna says
Your recipes look wonderful, hoping to try some in weeks to come
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Trenna. 🙂
Lori Ritchie says
Looking forward to seeing the other recipes, I am hoping for a good recipe for lemoncello biscotti. I love Nonni’s brand lemoncello biscotti, it has either a lemony white chocolate dip or a yogurt lemon dip. Costco has discontinued it in Canada – I know shame on me. I am willing to make it at home if I come across a good recipe! Thanks for all of your amazing recipe, spend about 2 hours on your site the other night!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you so much, Lori! 🙂