Red White and Blue Biscotti

These crisp Red White and Blue Biscotti are so easy to make and they’re so brightly coloured and festive, no one could resist! Loaded with red, white, and blue sprinkles, and topped with a sweet sugary glaze, these are great for your 4th of July party, and even better when sitting on your back porch with a hot coffee on a lazy Saturday morning!

Can you believe that there once was a time when I would not eat biscotti? I always felt like what was the point? Why would I want to gnaw on a hard cookie when I could have a soft, chewy cookie? Little did I know that they are so delicious and pair perfectly with a hot cup of coffee. I missed out for so long, but I always make up for lost time whenever I get the chance, so I’ve eaten more than my share of these Red White and Blue Biscotti!

A couple of years ago, I shared twelve back-to-back biscotti recipes with you in a series that I called Lord Byron’s 12 Biscotti of Christmas. Did you see them? If not, I encourage you to take a look. There were a wide variety of flavours, such as peanut butter, chocolate, coffee, and peppermint too. I also shared a lemon poppy seed biscotti and a toasted coconut biscotti. Of course, it was Christmastime, so there had to be a gingerbread-flavoured biscotti!

Of them all, I think my favourites were the funfetti biscotti and the star anise flavour. I absolutely love the taste of anise and can’t get enough of it! These Red White and Blue Biscotti are fashioned after my funfetti biscotti. I just wanted to showcase something a little different and prove to you that all 4th of July treats do not need to be chocolate chip-style cookies. These were so much fun to prepare!

4TH OF JULY

Whipping up a batch of these Red White and Blue Biscotti and sharing the recipe with you is how I celebrate the Fourth of July with my readers to the south. I’ve mentioned before that about half of the readers and subscribers of Lord Byron’s Kitchen are from the United States. In comparison to the rest of the world’s population, that is quite high. I can’t tell you why Americans seem to love food blogs, but I’m happy that they do!

That is why I have no issues with publishing recipes that celebrate America’s Independence Day. People ask me why I do it and the answer is simple – it’s food! Food is synonymous with celebrations and holidays and I’m a food blogger. If a particular cuisine is one I feel comfortable with, I’ll work on a recipe which celebrates it.

And besides, no matter where you live, you can adapt these biscotti accordingly by using sprinkles that match the colours of your national flag.

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 is 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 nonpareils (small balls) will not work very well at all. They 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, little candies, or festively shaped sprinkles. 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 is what you need.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR 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 – You can use salted or unsalted butter. Melt the butter in the microwave and allow it time to cool. It shouldn’t reharden but should be cool to the touch.
• Sugar – Regular granulated sugar is needed here.
• Salt – This will offset the sweetness and balance the flavours.
• Vanilla Extract – You can use other flavours if you prefer. Have you ever tried cotton candy extract? It’s so good!
• Baking Powder – For leavening.
• Eggs – Be sure to remove your eggs from the fridge and allow them to warm up to room temperature before baking.
• Flour – All-purpose flour is used here. I have not tested this recipe with other types of flour.
• Sprinkles
• Confectioner’s Sugar
• Milk

HOW TO MAKE RED WHITE AND BLUE BISCOTTI

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. Next, in a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and baking powder until well combined and creamy. Add the eggs and beat them into the batter until well mixed.

Now, add the flour and sprinkles. 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 if the dough is too sticky.) Form a log into a rectangle shape that is roughly 4″ wide and 12″ long.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a wire cooling rack so that air can circulate around the baking sheet. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. In the meantime, reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Using the parchment paper, slide the log onto a large cutting board. Slice into 3/4″ slices across the width of the log.

Place the slices back onto the baking sheet which has been lined with more parchment paper. Slices are cut side down. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven. Carefully turn the cookies over and bake for another 12 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.

TO GLAZE THE BISCOTTI

Once the biscotti are completely cooled, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over the surface of the biscotti. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle over the remaining sprinkles. Allow the glaze to harden before storing.