Cranberry White Chocolate Biscotti

Loaded with sweet, chewy dried cranberries, this Cranberry White Chocolate Biscotti is drizzled with melted white chocolate making it one of the most delicious and satisfying holiday treats! This should definitely be considered your snack of choice to pair with a cup of tea for an afternoon break!

This recipe for Cranberry White Chocolate Biscotti is great in that it works very well with dried fruit.  If you’re like us, there’s always dried fruit in the pantry.  We like to keep a good stock and supply of dried cranberries, apricots, raisins, dates, etc.  And, I always have candied cherries and dried mixed peel on hand.  I think it’s the Newfoundlander in me, and maybe it’s not.  Maybe it’s just because I can’t resist the sweet taste and chewy texture of preserved and candied fruits.

I make mention of dried fruits because you need to know that if you don’t care for dried cranberries, you can easily substitute them with any dried fruit you want. Just be sure to chop them first. I have used this exact same recipe with dried strawberries. Oh, they were so good! I have also used this exact same recipe using chopped dried cranberries.

The tartness of the dried cranberries is well balanced with sugary sweetness of white chocolate in this delicious biscotti . I was grateful to use dried cranberries instead of fresh cranberries. Food bloggers are always working ahead of schedule. When it comes to Christmas recipes, for example, we are baking cakes and cookies as early as September! (Or in my case, July or August!)

We do this so that we can test the recipes to make sure that they will work for you at home. The recipes need to be plated and styled. Photographs need to be taken. We have to write up the post and make sure we please the folks at Google, otherwise, our recipes run the risk of being buried in cyberspace somewhere. There are many other steps that I’m skipping here, but all of it is to say that we need the time to get the recipes out to you a few weeks before you need them.

There is one thing that frustrates me every single year. There’s a tremendous lack of things like fresh cranberries for many months of the year. Don’t even get me started on holiday confections like Hershey’s chocolate or candy canes! Luckily, dried cranberries are available year-round!

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So, welcome, Dear Reader, to my annual holiday-themed recipes. Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

This year I’m doing it differently. Rather than sharing multiple back to back series, I’m sharing a new holiday-themed recipe almost every day from now until Christmas Eve. For those of you who have followed my annual Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series, don’t worry, you will still get lots of new cookie recipes this year too. I will not, however, be publishing the cookies back to back in a 24-day series. This would have been my 8th year running the series and it becomes very exhausting, so this year, I’m spreading the recipes out so that I’m not sharing the same type of recipe every day.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature!
• Sugar
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Dried Cranberries
• White Chocolate Chips
• Vegetable Oil

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and baking powder until well combined and creamy. Next, add the eggs and beat them into the batter until well mixed. Now, add the flour and dried cranberries. Beat in until just combined. The dough will be sticky.

Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet and form it into a log. (Dust your hands with flour; dough is a bit sticky!) Form the dough into a rectangle shape that is roughly 4″ wide and 16″ long. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a wire cooling rack so that air can circulate. Cool for 5 minutes. Using the parchment paper, slide the log onto a large cutting board. Slice into 3/4″ 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 cooled, transfer the white chocolate chips and vegetable oil to a microwave-safe bowl. At half power, microwave in increments of 30 seconds, stirring well after each increment until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to a resealable sandwich bag. Cut a small hole in one lower corner. Drizzle the chocolate over the biscotti. Allow the chocolate to firm and 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.

STORING AND FREEZING

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 biscotti, 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! I like to use tins like this.

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!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!