(20 crafty days of christmas) amaretto cherry biscotti

I’d like to welcome my bloggy friend and fellow Chiquita Mom, Natalie of Mommy of a Monster & Twins, to 20 Crafty Days of Christmas! I’m drooling over her Amaretto Cherry Biscotti recipe! I’ve never made biscotti before, I’ll have to give this recipe a try.

With the holidays coming up, I’m always looking for creative and thoughtful gifts to give to neighbors, friends, teachers, and co-workers. I love giving gifts that are homemade and easy to make. Some of my favorite gifts to give come right out of my kitchen; who doesn’t love getting treats to eat! This recipe for Amaretto Cherry Biscotti is not only easy to make, but it’s also relatively inexpensive. Give it as a gift this holiday season and then make it year round to enjoy with your morning coffee!
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup dried cherries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer.

Add eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, and Amaretto liqueur and mix well.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until just blended.

Fold in almonds and cherries.

Next, divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll each piece into a loaf about 12 inches long on a well- floured surface.

Place on a large baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for about 20- 25 minutes, until golden.

Remove from the oven and place each loaf on a cooling rack to cool for 15 minutes.

Place loaves on a cutting board. Use a bread knife to slice into 1/2-inch wide slices. Note: If you want your biscotti to look perfect, cut around the edges to make a perfect rectangle. I don’t do this because I want my biscotti to look homemade.

Place the slices in a single layer on baking sheet. Return to oven for about 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place cookies on a cooling rack.

Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

These cookies will freeze well in a Ziploc bag. You can also swap out the dried cherries for dried cranberries.

Hi All! I’m Natalie and I’m so excited to be sharing a favorite recipe here on See Vanessa Craft, especially since I don’t consider myself crafty at all! My personal blog is Mommy of a Monster and Twins where I write honestly about the good, bad, and ugly of parenting and share lots of recipes. I also author Have Wine, Will Drink, a site for women who love wine and want to learn more about it in an unintimidating way. In my free time, which I rarely have anymore, I read, cook, garden, work as a freelance writer and social media consultant, and drink wine…lots of wine….