Throwback Thursday: Cranberry Pecan Biscotti

Food speaks to me. It inspires me. It's not just the eating. It's the experience. The feel and smell. The color and textures. The challenge. The empowering feeling when it turns out well. The opportunity to share your creation with others and the opportunity to share the creating with someone.

Today I got to experience all of the things I love about food. Heika came over and we put a new twist on a recipe. There was the sweet smell of almond extract, the warm scent of pecans. The smooth feeling of the dough. There was shaping and egg washing. We baked on crackley brown parchment paper and sliced to bake again.
There was the photography, conversation, laughter and peace. There was French press and floral fabric. There were birds and sun beams, there were babies and make believe. It was air and life. I don't know about you, Heik, but it was just what I needed.
Our Friend Press FrenchShip. Thank you.

This recipe is for Cranberry Pecan Biscotti. We had made a cranberry almond biscotti a long time ago but this isn't it. This recipe is completely new. It's adapted (barely) from my Aunt Linda's friend. I don't know her name, but I'm thankful for her. My Aunt brought her scones to Easter and they were a hit! Her recipe calls for white chocolate instead of pecans and they were great. We made this small change just to try something new. It's what we do. Feel free to use the chocolate instead or try changing something else. There's some leeway for it. Just at least try. Or try something else. Try a recipe that speaks to you. One that makes you excited. You can. You do have enough time and you'll love it. It's not all about the outcome. It's about the process and what you learn along the way...

Cranberry Pecan Biscotti


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
2 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 egg white

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, eggs, and almond extract. Blend well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Combine two mixtures and add in cranberries and pecans.
Divide dough in half and form two 2 1/2 by 9 in logs with 1 in thickness.

Transfer logs onto baking sheet, spacing evenly.
Whisk egg white until frothy, and brush egg white glaze on the top and sides of each log.

Bake for 35 minutes.
Cool completely on baking sheet and set on top cooling rack. Transfer to a work surface. Using a serrated knife, cut logs on a diagonal into 1/2 in wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down on same sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake until they begin to brown, about 5 mins.
Transfer to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Love Heika and Darla