Biscotti with hazelnuts, chocolate nibs and cranberries

February 27, 2010  •  Category: ,

I spotted some beautiful biscottis in  kalofagas.ca and I knew I had to make them! Making the dough sounded as easy as 1,2,3. I am in the mood for easy right now!

 


The  recipe called  for cinnamon and I prefer to bypass  cinnamon in sweet things; see, in our Lebanese kitchen, we use cinnamon every single day, for savory dishes: in kibbeh, stews, chicken, soups, cinnamon is everywhere. Never in pastries or puddings. Cinnamon is an  assertive spice; but  it is a matter of taste. Like the French say it so well Les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas! (tastes  and color preferences are not open for discussion!)

In the American kitchen, cinnamon is used in sweet things, and millions of people (my kids included)  love it this way and that is just fine!

INGREDIENTS:

  • Wet Ingredients:  3/4 cup olive oil (or any oil)
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • juice of an orange, zest reserved
  • Dry Ingredients: 3/4 cup of sugar
  • 3 cups of all-purpose flour (maybe more if the dough needs it)
  • 1 heaping tablespoon Baking Powder
  • a pinch of baking soda, pinch of salt

EXTRAS: a handful of dried cranberries, a handful of cocoa nibs, a handful of toasted and chopped hazelnuts.


METHOD:

  1. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
  2. Mix oil, wine, orange juice and orange rind
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients with a spoon mixing them well.
  4. Add all the extras: dried cranberries, cocoa nibs, toasted and chopped hazelnuts.
  5. Pinch small even-sized pieces and form into small fingers OR form into 3 logs and bake once, then slice and bake again in a slow oven to dry them. If using the first method, baking once at 325F is sufficient (until golden).

 

These cookies are very crunchy;  not very sweet.

 

Comments

27 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. maninas says:

    These are lovely.
    I saw some biscotti at Bria’s, too.

  2. Rosa says:

    Mmmhhh, wonderful! I’d love to nibble on one of those biscotti!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  3. Rachana Kothari says:

    Perfect Biscotti… looks so beautiful too:)

  4. Christine @ Fresh Local and Best says:

    Your perspective on cinnamon is very interesting. I can imagine that you wouldn’t want to be thinking about chicken when you’re eating a cookie. This biscotti looks fabulous!

  5. farida says:

    Did you change the blog design? Or am I dreaming?:) Looks good:)

    I love biscotti. Made a batch with my Italian friend recently and it was gone in a jiffy:) Your recipe sounds good! Saving it. Thanks a lot!

  6. Sushma Mallya says:

    I love coming to your blog as i get to learn so many new and awesome looking dishes and this is def one among them…looks perfect and so beautifully captured pic….

  7. souska says:

    Delicious biscotti like I live.Kisses

  8. pierre says:

    bravo à toi et comme les choses les plus simples sont les meilleures et tres jolie photo !! bizz de Paris Pierre

  9. Sophie says:

    Waw!! These biscotti look amazing & so tasty too!!

    i also love cranberries in nearly everything!

  10. peter says:

    Cinnamon is used alot in Greek cuisine but it’s use can/will vary from home to home and region to region. I like how you’ve taken an idea and tailored it to your tastes. We must do a banquest (you & I) with such dishes!

    The biscotti sticks look fab, ergonomically designed for coffee dunking.

  11. Priya says:

    Absolutely tempting and delectable biscottis!!

  12. Juanita says:

    What an unusual recipe ingredients-wise. The end-result looks yummy though!

  13. Simply Life says:

    wow! those are just beautiful! wish I had one here now to enjoy with coffee! 🙂

  14. shayma says:

    Joumana dear, congrats on the new gorgeous look of the website! and what a beauty you are i love the photo! i havent visited your site in a week and look at what happens when i am gone 😉 i know what you mean about cinnamon, it does have an assertive taste. i love your recipe. again, congrats on a beautiful new site, i didnt know where else to leave a comment about it so am hogging the space here. hugs, shayma

  15. Faith says:

    Your biscotti are lovely and sound delicious. I love the chocolate/cranberry combo and I think adding hazelnuts is a fantastic idea. These would be the absolute perfect compliment to a cup of coffee!

  16. Cherine says:

    Beautiful biscottis!!

  17. Azita says:

    love it! i’m off to the kitchen to make these! thanks.

  18. 5 Star Foodie says:

    Yum! I love the cocoa nibs in those scrumptious biscotti!

  19. Michelle says:

    Really like the idea of forming little fingers rather then cutting it. Great idea!

  20. The Paris Food Blague says:

    these look delicious. i have to say, the american in me is guilty of over-cinnamoning just about everything.

  21. sweetlife says:

    That biscotti looks delish and the the addition of cocoa nibs even better!!

    sweetlife

  22. Ivy says:

    These look so delicious! Yummy!

  23. PJ says:

    Tha is soo tempting!Can you pls pass them over!?

  24. Arlette says:

    This is a very simple recipe to whip in minutes. Will give it a try.
    Love the flavours you used.
    I do use cinnamon in savoury and sweet, In my sweet recipes I mix it with nutmeg, I love nutmeg , The cardamom with the cranberry is awesome too..

  25. Dimah says:

    Your biscotti look wonderful and delicious!

  26. Bria says:

    I see that great minds, once again, think alike. 😉 Love your fruity and nutty biscotti. Remind me a bit of my own Persian-inspired biscotti. Hee hee! Yes, you are right about cinnamon. Good call.

  27. cmiranda says:

    These look so delicious .They would be perfect with some of that tea mentioned in the previous post.

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