Orange Cranberry Biscotti

The combination of orange and cranberry isn’t new, so it should come as no surprise that the two are showing up together in this Orange Cranberry Biscotti recipe. While the dried cranberries add moisture and texture to the dough, the orange zest and juice add flavour and scent. These biscotti are simply delicious!

I’m not sure what it is, but the tartness of cranberries always pairs so well with the sweet tanginess of fresh citrus. In the case of this Orange Cranberry Biscotti, I choose to use fresh orange zest and fresh orange juice. Unlike most of my orange-cranberry combination recipes, in this case, I’m using dried cranberries. Fresh or frozen cranberries will not work well in this recipe because they produce too much moisture when baked.

Now this is great news for me! Have you been reading my blog for any length of time? If you have, you will already be aware of what I’m about to discuss. If you haven’t, it’s important that you understand how frustrating it can be to be a food blogger at times. 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!

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.

Because we bake early in the season, in many cases, seasonal ingredients like fresh cranberries are not always easy to find. So, when I thought about making this biscotti, I was thrilled that I could use dried cranberries and get great tasting results!

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER RECIPE!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to the start of 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
• Orange Juice – I like to use fresh-squeezed orange juice. It might seem pretentious of me, but I have to buy oranges to zest anyway, so it’s not like I’m going out of my way.
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Dried Cranberries
• Orange Zest

For the Optional Glaze:

• Confectioner’s Sugar
• Orange Juice

HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CRANBERRY 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, orange juice, 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, dried cranberries, and orange zest. Beat in until just combined.

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 log into a rectangle shape that is roughly 4″ wide and 12″ long. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a wire cooling rack so that air can circulate. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Using the parchment paper, slide the log onto a large cutting board. Slice into 1/2″ 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. When completely cooled, whisk the confectioner’s sugar and orange juice together until smooth. Drizzle over the biscotti and allow the glaze to dry 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.

BAKED GOODS MAKE GREAT GIFTS!

These biscotti are so perfect for gift-giving, which is just what I did with it. Not only is this biscotti great for giving to a friend or loved one, but it’s so easy to package and transport. It might be just me, but is there anyone else out there who loves to receive kitchen-related products as gifts?

If you’d like to gift this biscotti to a friend, here’s what you should do. First, buy a glass cookie jar – preferably one that is large enough to hold at least six pieces of the biscotti and one that is clear so that you can see the lovely biscotti inside. While you’re out shopping, pick up a mini whisk or spatula too.

Once the biscotti are ready, pile them into the washed and dried cookie jar. Wrap the jar up in some cellophane, tie a ribbon on it, and attach the whisk or spatula to the ribbon before you tie a tight bow. Now, you’ve got a gift and a delicious treat all in one! I’d love to get something like that; so thoughtful, right!?

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!