I’m so happy to have Wren, of finchnwren.com guest posting today for us. She’s sharing her own Vanilla Lime Cranberry Biscotti recipe with us. I’ve never tried biscotti; but I after seeing this recipe and how easy it really is to make, I have the ingredients added to my grocery order next week so I can surprise my family and friends with a new coffee break treat!
Are you a biscotti fan? Since I found my first biscotti recipes ever in the Southern Living ANNUAL RECIPES 1996, they have been family favorites and a part my gift-giving arsenal. These light, flavorful biscuit cookies from Italy are lovely to serve to guests or family. Every Christmas I have a massive baking day, and I always make my Southern Living biscotti faves.
However, after I made these recipes for a few years, I decided that I needed to branch out. Once you’ve got the basic biscotti method down, it’s fun to see what else you can come up with! These Vanilla Lime Cranberry Biscotti are my newest attempt, and a new favorite of both my husband and son. They have a very light and delicate flavor and are a perfect addition to tea time or afternoon coffee!
Enjoy!
Vanilla Lime Cranberry Biscotti
Ingredients:
- ½ C butter, softened
- ½ C granulated (white) sugar
- ½ C light brown sugar, packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lime
- Juice from ½ lime (if you want more lime flavor, use the entire lime)
- 2 ¼ C all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 C dried cranberries
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 F.
2) Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth in electric mixer. Add eggs, vanilla extract, lime zest, and lime juice. Mix well.
3) Stir together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) and add to wet ingredients. Mix well.
4) Stir in the dried cranberries, being sure to mix them evenly throughout the dough.
5) Divide the dough into two parts and form logs on a prepared baking sheet covered with parchment paper. The logs should be about 7” or 8” long and 4” wide.
6) Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 F, until logs are cooked thoroughly. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then, remove logs from pan and cool for 30 minutes more.
7) Slice each log into ½” to ¾” pieces. You can stop at this point, but if you’d like your biscotti to be crisper so that you can dunk them into hot beverages before you eat them, lay each slice on the baking sheet again and return to oven for 5 minutes on each side.
8) Cool, eat and enjoy!
We really like the flavor. The lime is just a hint, but I like what it adds overall. It is just super-easy. It’s a lot like making chocolate chip cookies but even easier, since you form the dough into two logs instead of into a bunch of cookies!
Wren blogs with her sister at finchnwren.com. She is married to the perfect guy (for her!) and homeschools their only son. She loves teaching, gardening, reading, and cooking. Check out these recent recipes Wren posted!
Wren says
Hi Crystal!
Thank you so much for allowing me to guest post for you! I adore the banner you made. Thank you for this neat opportunity!
:)Wren
Crystal McClean says
Thank you so much for being our guest, you’re always welcome to swing by any time!
I’ve just made this recipe and I’m looking forward to sitting down with a cup of tea when the children are in bed so I can really, properly enjoy it!
I’ve put some aside in the freezer to take out and ‘crisp up’ at short notice 🙂 It’s always great to have a little something homemade ready.
Thank you!
Audrey says
Oh my, where to begin? I love vanilla and lime together and biscotti. And I think I have cranberries in the cupboard. Thanks for sharing on the Creative K. Kids Tasty Tuesdays Linky Party. I hope you will join us again next time.
Crystal McClean says
Have fun making (and eating) this new biscotti recipe, I know we’ll be doing the same.
I do hope to see you again soon, snack in hand!
Anne Campbell says
I actually had never tried Biscotti until a few months ago, and now I absolutely love it. I even crave it for an afternoon snack. I’m pinning this recipe to try some homemade deliciousness!
Crystal McClean says
Fantastic to hear! We’ll be trying out this recipe ourselves tomorrow afternoon. I tried 2 other recipes last week that were so bad they ended up being thrown out. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to do this one – I (haven’t yet) ruined chocolate chip cookies, and these are similar…watch this space!
Andrea says
These look so yummy! I haven’t ever tried the combo of lime and cranberries, but it sounds appetizing. Adding this to my pinterest to try soon!
Crystal McClean says
The combination does sound refreshing, doesn’t it? I’m thinking it would taste great with a summer smoothie, too!
L. E. Mastilock says
I’ve never used lime in baking before. I’d love to try this. Looks yummy!
Crystal McClean says
I haven’t either, and I’m ready to try it out!
Michelle @SimplifyLiveLove says
I’ve never made biscotti either, but this does look pretty easy! Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Crystal McClean says
I’m so happy to have something new to try, too 🙂
Nicky says
A biscotti is perfect with morning coffee or a cup of hot tea. This recipes sounds really delicious. I can’t wait to try it.
Crystal McClean says
I can’t wait to try it with my mid-morning cup of tea 🙂 Just the thing to keep me going on tired days.
Scarlet says
Yum. I love the idea of adding lime. I have to try this recipe! I’m pinning it.
Crystal McClean says
It will surely wake up the taste buds and make them dance 🙂
C. Lee Reed says
It’s hard to find a lot of biscuits that use lime and I love it. These will be perfect with my morning tea or for a quick energy boost before the gym.
Crystal McClean says
You’re right, it’s not often I see lime used in baking, it’s a lovely twist!