Mini Cranberry and Macadamia Nut Biscotti

This Mini Cranberry and Macadamia Nut Biscotti recipe has been in my "to make" files for a long time. I thought they'd be great for little holiday gifts. Or...just dig into them yourself (like I did).

You can use any dried fruit or nut that you wish. The cranberries I used were actually cherry cranberries - dried cranberries infused with cherry juice. I like those better. You can find them in the baking section of the store.

These two bite biscotti - or three bites if you have a tiny little mouth - are addictive!

There are very few ingredients but together, along with the second bake, they are a delicious little treat.

You pretty much throw everything into a food processor to form the dough. I liked that.  

The cranberries are finely chopped up, then the macadamia nuts are added and processed. Macadamia nuts are my favorite - buttery and crunchy. Be sure and buy a quality nut. It makes a big difference in these.

The glossy tops come from the egg yolk brushed on them before baking.

The lime zest comes through, but not too strongly, and adds a great flavor to the cookie. You can also substitute orange zest if that's what you have around.

Crunchy with dots of cranberry and chunks of macadamia nuts, these Mini Cranberry and Macadamia Nut Biscotti are so enjoyable!

Let them cool completely after the second bake. They're not as good when they're warm as when they cool off. Still, I dunked them in hot coffee for a wonderful breakfast treat.

Take a look at my Fresh Cranberry Bars and Cranberry Orange Nut Cookies. They're terrific and great holiday recipes!

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Mini Cranberry and Macadamia Nut Biscotti

Yield: 4-5 dozen

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Crunchy, tasty little biscotti filled with cranberry and macadamia nuts.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons lime zest (about 2 large limes)
• ¼ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• ¾ cup dried cranberries
• 3 eggs
• 1 ¼ macadamia nuts, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a cookie sheet or use a piece of parchment paper to line.
2. In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and zest. Pulse until the zest is fine and blended in. Add the butter and cranberries and pulse until cranberries are chopped and blended in.
3. In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the egg to be used later.
4. Add the rest of the eggs into the processor and pulse until dough is evenly moistened. Add the nuts and pulse a few times to distribute them throughout the dough. (The dough will be sticky.)
5. Place the dough on a well-floured surface and divide it into four portions. Shape each into rolls about 8-9 inches long. Place on the prepared cookie sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Press down lightly to flatten rolls just a bit, then brush the tops with the remaining tablespoon of egg.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on the cookie sheets for about 15 minutes. Cut the rolls into ½ inch thick slices, spread them out a bit and keep them upright on the sheet. Bake 15 minutes more or until crisp. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Use any dried berry or nut that you'd like. The cranberries and macadamias are great together, though.

If you don't have or can't get good, firm limes, you can substitute orange zest.

If you don't have a food processor, finely chop the dried berries with a sharp knife (they're sticky) and use a mixer for the rest of the recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 48 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 61Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 23mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g

Nutrition Values are Approximate