Hazelnut Biscotti with Dried Cranberries

Biscotti are such a wonderful cookie and very Sephardic in spirit since they are great dunked in Turkish coffee.  I baked a new version of hazelnut biscotti the other day, try these.

6 plus 1 cups all purpose unbleached flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

2 teaspoon powdered anise

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons fresh orange zest

4 extra large eggs

2 and 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons strong espresso

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 and ¾- 2 cups ground hazelnuts

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup whole hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.  I prefer half sheet aluminum pans.  Dark colored or non stick coated baking sheets lead to different results.

Combine 6 cups of flour with baking powder, orange zest, and salt in a bowl and set aside.  Reserve last cup of flour separately.  Place cracked eggs in bowl of stand mixer, add sugar, and beat on medium high speed until light in color and thick.  Add oil to eggs and beat, starting at the slowest speed, until well combined.  Add espresso.  Add ground nuts and mix.  Next, add dry ingredients.  Start mixer on slowest speed.  Lastly add dried cranberries and hazelnuts.  Mix gently to combine and distribute throughout dough.  Remove dough from mixer bowl and place on a floured counter or board for a work surface.  Dough may be slightly sticky.  Add some or the entire last cup of flour as you knead the dough gently until it is smooth.  Roll it into a smooth flat ball and slice dough into 4 equal pieces.  Form four uniform compact logs patting dough into shape with your hands, about 2 inches in diameter and 10 inches in length.  Place logs carefully on silpat lined baking sheet, two logs per baking sheet.

Bake until golden in color 25-30 minutes.  Remove baking sheet from oven.  Turn oven temperature down to 200ºF.  Carefully place biscotti logs on a cutting board without breaking them.  Cut biscotti immediately on a sharp diagonal with a long serrated knife.  Return sliced biscotti to clean cookie sheets lined with silpats or parchment paper, being careful not to break them, and spread them so air can circulate all around them.  Toast biscotti in a 200ºF oven for two hours and then, turn oven off,  Leave biscotti in oven another 45 minutes or even better, overnight, without opening the door.  The residual heat finishes toasting the biscotti.  Biscotti should be crisp.  One recipe makes 60 to 80 biscotti depending on thickness. ^[1]