Cherry Almond Biscotti tastes amazing! It can be an after dinner dessert or a breakfast cookie with a cup of coffee. It will be a favorite!
A crunchy, slightly sweet Classic Biscotti is a cookie you eat for breakfast! This version has the perfect amount of sweetness to still dunk in coffee. Also try my Almond Biscotti and add these Cookies to your dessert table!
Sabrina’s Cherry Almond Biscotti Recipe
This tasty Biscotti with a pop of color makes makes this cookie ideal for the holidays and for homemade gift giving because they store well and feel a little special without being overly complicated. Their bakery style appearance and delicate flavor make them perfect for breakfast treats, afternoon coffee breaks, or dessert platters.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 3 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup almonds , chopped
- 1/2 cup dried tart cherries , chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together oil, sugar, eggs and almond extract.
- Add in the flour and baking powder whisking until just combined.
- Stir in the almonds and cherries.
- Divide the dough into two pieces and roll into logs almost as long as your baking sheets.
- Place the dough on the baking sheets and roll to about ½ inch thick, about 4 inches across.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.
- Using a pizza cutter, roll the slicer across the log in 1/2″ slices.
- Turn the cookies to showing the cut side up and bake it an additional 8-10 minutes until the tops are slightly golden brown.
Nutrition
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Note from Sabrina
The secret to making biscotti is to handle the dough gently, use the right proportion of dry and wet ingredients, and bake the biscotti twice at a low temperature to achieve a crunchy texture. It’s also important to allow the biscotti to cool before slicing and baking them for the second time.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Cherry Almond Biscotti is a fantastic recipe for traditional Italian cookies. Biscotti is often served with a cup of hot coffee to dip it in. Because the cookie has a dry texture, it does a great job soaking up the drink and tastes terrific. However, the combination of cherries and almonds mixed into the traditional Biscotti makes them so delicious you’ll enjoy them with or without coffee. Adding tart and sweet cherries to the biscotti makes them taste amazing and adds bright red color to the cookies.
What is Biscotti?
Biscotti is a traditional Italian twice-baked cookie that is known for its crunchy, dry texture and long shelf life. The word “biscotti” comes from the Latin word “biscoctus,” which means “twice-cooked.” Biscotti are typically made with a combination of flour, sugar, eggs, and nuts or dried fruits, and are flavored with ingredients such as vanilla, anise, or citrus zest. Because they are baked twice, biscotti are ideal for dunking into coffee, tea, or wine. They are a popular treat around the world and are often enjoyed as a dessert or a snack.
Ingredients
- Dough: The base ingredients for biscotti are super simple. All you need is vegetable oil, white sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder. Once combined, the dough is slightly sticky, so it helps to flour your hands before shaping it.
- Oil: Originally, biscotti was made without oil. But, the oil makes them taste a little better while still keeping them crisp. You’ll find oil or butter in most modern recipes for Biscotti.
- Almond extract: Use almond extract instead of vanilla to add to bring out the almond flavor naturally found in cherries as well as add it’s own flavor.
- Almonds: Chopped almond pieces add some crunch to these cookies and baking them brings out their sweet, slightly creamy and nutty flavor. You want pieces large enough for taste and texture but small enough the cookies will slice easily.
- Dried Cherries: These cookies use tart dried cherries that have natural sweetness, without being overly sweet like jarred cherries in syrup. Similar to the almonds, you want pieces big enough to taste without making the cookie hard to cut.
Can this be made ahead of time?
- Baked: The baked cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 month but will stay freshest in the fridge after about the first week. You can also freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months, then let them thaw at room temp before enjoying.
- Half-Baked: After the first bake, cool the cookie log and then slice as usual. Freeze slices cut side up on a baking tray until solid, then transfer to a storage container. Bake them from frozen or thaw first and then do the second bake.
- Unbaked: Raw biscotti dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply form the dough into a log, wrap in plastic wrap, freeze until solid on a tray (so it holds it’s shape), then store in the back of you freezer.
Serving Ideas
You can enjoy them with a mug of Hot Chocolate for a festive treat along with other favorite sugary holiday cookies. They also go great in holiday gift baskets to balance out sweeter treats like Peppermint Bark and Chocolate Fudge.
How to Store
- Serve: Let the biscotti cool entirely on a wire rack so they harden before serving to prevent them from crumbling.
- Store: To keep the biscotti fresh, transfer pieces to an airtight container and store them to room temperature for up to 1 month.
- Freeze: You can also freeze the biscotti cookies. For best results, place the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, then freeze them flat for about an hour. Once they’ve hardened, transfer them to air-tight containers to keep frozen for up to 3 months.
Frequent Questions
The bottom of your Biscotti Cookies will likely burn if you put them directly on the baking sheet without parchment paper. The paper acts as a barrier between the hot pan and is very important, especially in this recipe with a second bake.
To slice biscotti, allow them to cool enough to handle after the first bake because slicing them while hot could cause the dough to crumble. Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the dough loaf diagonally into 1/2-inch to 1-inch thick pieces, then bake a second time cut side down.
Cherry flavor and almond flavor share a similar chemical compound called benzaldehyde, which is responsible for their nutty, slightly sweet taste and aroma. In real cherries, the almond taste less pronounced, which is why cherry and almond extract are often paired together in recipes to enhance that natural flavor.
Variations
- Maraschino Cherry: For a sweeter cherry biscotti, use a ½ cup maraschino cherries, just be sure to pat them dry and chop them into smaller pieces. Make an easy icing with some maraschino cherry juice and powdered sugar to drizzle over top.
- Chocolate Chips: Make these biscotti cookies sweeter with a dark chocolate cherry almond flavor, by adding mini dark chocolate chips. You can also use semisweet, milk chocolate, or white chocolate but you do want them mini, or chopped into bits, so they distribute evenly.
- Cranberry Pistachio: Easily transform these into Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti by swapping the tart dried cherries with dried cranberries and the chopped almonds with chopped pistachios.
- Toppings: Adding different toppings onto the biscotti dough before baking can add a little flavor and decoration. A sprinkle of sugar crystals, coarse sea salt, cinnamon, or brown sugar would all look amazing and taste great with the cherry almond flavor.
- Chocolate Dipped: After they are baked and cooled completely the second time, dip the biscotti slices halfway into melted white chocolate or dark chocolate, similar to Chocolate Dipped Pretzels. Sprinkle them with chopped almond pieces before they set, or for the holidays, try festive candy cane pieces or sprinkles.
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Photos Used In Previous Posts
Very good recipe! My oven runs hot, so I think I should drop the temp to 350 on the first bake and 300 on the second bake. I think I’ll turn the cookies over midway during the second bake as well. Really enjoyed the cherry and almond combination! Thanks Sabrina!