I put off attempting to make biscotti from scratch at home for many years because I thought it would be a complicated process. Not so at all. The recipe is almost the same as making like, chocolate chip cookies. {Actually, I find making biscotti a little simpler, but that's probably because I get impatient while shuttling cookie sheets in and out of the oven when making cookies.} The dough will turn out a little thicker than regular cookie dough. But, the recipe, basically, calls for the same ingredients and mixing process. From there, the dough gets formed into "logs," baked a bit, removed from the oven, sliced and baked again. That's it.
Biscotti - by the way - are sweet Italian biscuits or cookies that get double-baked and are often served up with the intention of being dunked into beverages. They are typically oblong. Due to the double-baking, the end result is a crunchy, dry baked good that keeps well for a longer period of time than traditional soft-baked cookies.
I've chosen to bring together dried cranberries and mini chocolate chips in this version. Then, I've drizzled the cooled biscotti with melted chocolate. But, you can experiment with other mix-ins if you'd like ... chopped nuts, different varieties of chocolate, various dried fruits, etc. Also, I have used almond extract in place of vanilla extract in the past ... that is, also, really good.
Yields 28 - 32 biscotti {depending upon thickness of your dough and cookies}
