Candy Cane Biscotti

Nothing says Christmas to me the way candy canes do. While we may be a little while away until Christmas, I couldn’t help but bring out another holiday recipe. I found this recipe back in August and have been ever so anxious to make it. Candy canes came into the grocery stores a few weeks ago and I just knew it was time to make these biscotti.

Here’s a little tip when making these biscotti; really crush your candy canes. You could say I got a bit impatient and left a lot of big candy cane pieces. Now I wish I’d been a bit more patient. Huge hunks of candy cane on biscotti aren’t exactly the most appetizing and easy to eat.

These biscotti would make a fantastic homemade Christmas gift, too. Place them in a mug (A Starbucks Christmas mug perhaps?), wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbon. Or give them alongside a bag of coffee beans such as Starbucks’ Christmas Blend. So many ways you can gift these am I’m sure your recipient would love them too.

Candy Cane Biscotti

Adapted from this recipe

Makes about 28-30

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, softened

• 3 eggs

• 2 ½ cups unbleached flour

• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder

• ¼ tsp. salt

• 2/3 cup finely crushed peppermint candy canes + about a ½ cup for sprinkling

• 1 ½ cups semi-sweet or white chocolate chips for drizzling (If you would prefer to dip your biscotti in the chocolate, you will need about a 12oz bag of chocolate chips.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined. Stir in the 2/3 cup of crushed candy canes.

Form the dough into 2 rectangles onto your prepared baking sheet. Each rectangle should be about a ½ inch thick.

Place dough into oven and bake for about 18-25 minutes. The dough should be firm to the touch and lightly golden brown. Once baked, remove from oven and cool biscotti for about 15 minutes before handling.

Slice biscotti into 28 – 30 vertical slices. Each rectangle should give you 14 – 15 slices. Return slices, slice side down, to the baking sheet. Bake for another 12 – 15 minutes.  They should be a bit more golden brown than before. Remove biscotti from oven and cool for at least 25 minutes before going onto the next step.

Chocolate Drizzle and Candy Cane sprinkle:

Pour chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds, remove from microwave and stir. Repeat this process until all of your chocolate chips have been melted. For half dipped biscotti, simply dip half of each biscotti into the melted chocolate. Shake of the excess chocolate and place onto your baking sheet. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

For biscotti drizzled in chocolate; pour the melted chocolate into a zip lock bag. Cut a small hole into one corner of the bag. Hold the bag in your hands and gently squeeze it over the biscotti. Sprinkle the chocolate drizzled biscotti with crushed candy canes.

It will take about 1 – 2 hours for the chocolate to completely set.

Spiced Latte Walnut Biscotti

Starbucks’ Cinnamon Spice Flavored VIA continues to inspire me. Taking into consideration my fondness for biscotti, it was only natural that I try to bring the Flavored VIA into a recipe. When I sat back and thought about fall, which flavors scream fall to me, I was drawn to nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. And thus this Spiced Latte Walnut Biscotti was born.

My first attempt at making this recipe was a complete fail. (Note: oats can’t be substituted for flour in biscotti.) Although my second time around, I’d call a success. Looking back at these, I feel that these would be wonderful dipped in melted white chocolate. Whether you decide to leave them in their naked glory or smother them in white chocolate, they taste great dipped into hot coffee.

Spiced Latte Walnut Biscotti

Makes 12

• ½ cup packed brown sugar

• 1 packet/stick Starbucks Cinnamon Spice Flavored VIA

• ¼ cup butter, softened

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 egg

• 1 ¾ cups unbleached flour

• ½ tsp. baking powder

• ¼ tsp. baking soda

• ½ tsp. cinnamon

• ¼ tsp. cloves

• ¼ tsp. nutmeg

• ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, Cinnamon Spice VIA, butter, vanilla and egg. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Stir thoroughly until all of the ingredients have been incorporated. Using an electric mixer will make this easier. Stir in the walnuts.

Dump your dough onto your prepared baking sheet. Form the dough into a rectangle that is about a ½ inch thick. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The biscotti should be firm to the touch and golden brown.

Remove biscotti from oven. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Using a sharp knife cut the biscotti into 12 slices. Place the biscotti slices, slice side down, back onto your baking sheet. Bake for another 10-15 minutes. They should be crispy and a bit browner than before. Let the biscotti cool about 15 minutes before consuming.