Bready or Not Original: Cranberry Lemon Biscotti
This lemon-themed month needs some breakfast food. How about some Cranberry Lemon Biscotti?
The lemon here isn’t hardcore. Zest throughout the dough adds freshness, and the dried cranberries are soaked in the juice to rehydrate. This gives the cranberries an especially pleasant zing.
For years, I was intimidated by biscotti, but now I enjoy coming up with a couple new recipes a year. Really, the trickiest thing about this is how sticky the dough is when it’s time to shape it.
I like the addition of white chocolate drizzle to add a touch more sweetness, but that’s optional.
The end result is a biscotti with a bright, sunny flavor that complements plump, tart cranberries, all in crispy, bready form that’s especially good dunked in coffee or tea!
This recipe is midway through my April of lemon recipes!
Lemon Sour Cream Bundt Cake
Glazed Lemon Ginger Bars
Cranberry Lemon Biscotti [today]
Cream Cheese Stuffed Lemon Bundt Cake
Lemon Frangipane
Bready or Not Original: Cranberry Lemon Biscotti
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 4 ounces white chocolate optional, to drizzle on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Zest and juice lemon. Set aside zest, and soak cranberries in juice.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs with white sugar. Add oil, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and zest. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients.
- Drain lemon juice out of cranberries; discard juice. Fold cranberries into dough to equally distribute.
- Divide dough in half. Place each piece spaced out on parchment. Dough will be very sticky, so shape with plastic spatula or greased or floured hands into 1-inch high flat rectangular logs.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes. Use a long bread knife and slice down--don't saw--into long, even cookies. Space out cookies upright, if possible, or lay on sides.
- Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes; if cookies are laying on sides, flip them to other side halfway through. Biscotti should be golden and somewhat crisp.
- Let biscotti sit out for anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours so that they can cool off and dry out even more.
- If adding white chocolate on top, melt chocolate in microwave or on stovetop (keep in mind, white chocolate can burn fast!). Use a fork to drizzle chocolate, or dip an end of each biscotti into the chocolate. Let set again for an hour or so, then pack into sealed bags or plastic containers.
- Biscotti can keep in sealed containers for as long as a month.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: S’Mores Brownies
Create luscious S’Mores in brownie-bar form with my original recipe for S’Mores Brownies!
I had a jar of marshmallow fluff I wanted to use. I deliberated what to use it for and hit upon S’Mores Brownies, but to my surprise, I didn’t find an existing recipe that used jarred fluff. Time to make my own recipe!
Using regular marshmallows to bake is delicious and all, but you also end up with caramelized, hollow sections. I wanted marshmallows to stay soft and gooey alongside the chocolate crumb. By golly, my idea worked!
This is definitely a brownie for people who love chocolate. I loaded it with chocolate chips, inside and out. The graham cracker crumb and marshmallow complement it in a beautiful way.
This will look messy as a batter. Marshmallow fluff is not the easiest stuff to work with. It’s lumpy and sticky. The good news is, as the pan bakes, the contents will even out. The resulting marble effect make it look as delicious as it tastes.
Store these brownies in a sealed container for days–and they can be frozen for longer, too.
Bready or Not Original: S'Mores Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter half cube
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips divided
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 7 ounces marshmallow fluff one jar
- 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with heavy foil and apply butter or nonstick spray.
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat the butter and 1 cup of chocolate chips in brief bursts until fully melted and smooth; watch it carefully and stir well between each burst. Stir in the white sugar, followed by eggs, flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Pour half the chocolate batter into the ready pan and spread into an even layer. Add small dollops of the marshmallow fluff across the top; it will be gloppy and sticky, so don't worry about getting it even.
- Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over the fluff and batter. Drop dollops of the rest of the chocolate batter on top along with the remaining 1 cup chocolate chips. Even out a bit, then use a butter knife or narrow spatula to swirl the layers together for a marbled effect. It may be mountainous in some areas but it will even out as it bakes.
- Bake until the top is crinkled and edges are pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool at room temperature for an hour, then stash in the fridge for another few hours to completely cool.
- Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board to slice into bars. Store in a sealed container in fridge, waxed paper between stacked layers to prevent sticking. Keeps for up to three days, or freeze for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate Chip Espresso Shortbread
Basic Scottish shortbread is one of the awesomest things in the world. It’s also a blank canvas for variations beyond count. Chocolate chips and a jolt of espresso add extra oomph to this new spin!
Pride O’ Scotland Shortbread was one of the first recipes I considered ‘mine’ as a teenager. It became the one thing I made each year for our family’s Thanksgiving potluck.
Appropriately, it’s also something I made for my husband the very first day I met him when I was 18. (Yes, he was an almost total stranger. Yes, I welcomed him with shortbread. Because that’s what I do.)
I considered the recipe sacrosanct the past two decades… and then I got an idea. Chocolate. Espresso powder. It had to be good, right? Or would it be a crumbly mess?
Yes indeed, it turned out to be delicious. No, it remained as cohesive as ever. Yay!
Espresso powder is fantastic along with chocolate; I include it in most every brownie recipe. The coffee flavor doesn’t come in strong (I actually hate coffee), but it make the chocolate taste bolder and more nuanced.
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate Chip Espresso Shortbread
Equipment
- two basic 9-inch pie plates
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups white sugar
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened, 2 sticks
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place flour, sugar, espresso powder, and salt in mixing bowl; add butter, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix with fingers until dough holds together, then fold in the mini chocolate chips. Once chips are distributed, divide dough into two balls and press each ball into a pan. Flatten evenly with palms and prick surface all over with floured fork. Slash into wedges.
- Bake for 17 to 22 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven. Immediately cut again following slash marks and carefully run the blade around the edge of the crust to loosen the shortbread.
- Let shortbread cool. Cut again along slash marks and the crust, then remove wedges to eat. Shortbread keeps in sealed container for several days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Praline Bars
These delicious Hazelnut Praline Bars are a lot like praline candy, but it fantastic bar form.
The top of these bars caramelizes. These things are very sweet, with the nuts rendered softly crunchy. The combination of textures is just divine.
The slight drizzle of chocolate on top is the perfect accent, too. Funny how the tiniest bit of chocolate adds so much in terms of flavor.
A 6 ounce bag of hazelnuts will be the perfect amount for both the crust and nut layer, too.
Can you use other nuts? I haven’t tried it in this recipe, but why not? Praline candy traditionally uses pecans, after all. I bet using other nuts–or a combo–would be fine.
Hazelnuts are sure delicious and fun, though!
Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Praline Bars
Equipment
- 13x9 pan
- food processor
- small saucepan
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened, 1 1/2 sticks
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Nut Layer
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- 13 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
Topping
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9-inch pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- Place the 1/2 cup hazelnuts in a food processor. Process until finely ground.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the next two crust ingredients, the brown sugar and butter. Add the flour and ground hazelnuts. Press crust into pan; a piece of wax paper and a heavy glass makes it easy to form an evenly compressed layer. Bake for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, put the remaining hazelnuts in the food processor and give them a quick pulse, just to coarsely chop them.
- As soon as the crust comes out, sprinkle the hazelnuts over the top. In a small saucepan, warm the butter and brown sugar to boiling at medium heat. Boil for a minute. Pour over hazelnuts.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until edges are bubbling and center is set. Cool completely.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, zap the chocolate in 25 second bursts, stirring well between each pass, until it can be stirred smooth. Use a fork to drizzle the chocolate over the bars.
- Chill in fridge for 30 minutes, or until chocolate is set. Use the foil to lift contents onto a cutting board and slice into bars.
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature or in the fridge with waxed paper or parchment between the layers.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake
Chocolate and cherries team up to delicious results in this delicious Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake!
I first encountered this lovely combo in the Queen Anne Cordial Cherries my parents would buy around Christmas. The combo is pretty amazing in cake form, too.
You use both cherries and cherry juice in this recipe. That infuses the crumb with cherry flavor, even if your bite lacks cherry chunks.
Chocolate is swirled throughout. Make sure you don’t swirl it too much–you want distinct layers of chocolate, not only for the flavor, but the lovely appearance.
This is a special kind of bundt cake, perfect for a birthday, brunch, special dessert, breakfast, and–of course–Valentine’s Day.
Bake up this beautiful thing and indulge. Plus, it can always be sliced up and frozen for later!
Bready or Not: Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake
Equipment
- large bundt pan
Ingredients
- 13 1/2 ounces maraschino cherries with juice
- 3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
- 2 cups white sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream or plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Drain juice from cherries into another bowl; reserve 1/2 cup of juice. Remove stems from cherries and roughly chop up the fruit. Set aside.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Grease and flour a large bundt pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time. Pour in the cherry juice, water, and almond extract. Start adding the flour mix and the sour cream in small amounts, going back and forth until everything is just incorporated. Fold the cherries into the batter.
- In a microwave safe dish, heat the chocolate chips in short bursts until they can be stirred smooth.
- Spoon some cherry batter into the base of the bundt pan. Add dollops of chocolate, then more batter. Keep going back and forth until all of the batter and chocolate is in the pan. Drag a butter knife through--without touching the metal--to swirl everything together a bit more, then smooth the top.
- Bake for about 1 hour, until an inserted knife comes out clean. Set on a rack to cool for 20 minutes, then invert the cake and remove the pan so it can completely cool.
- Store covered at room temperature. Slices can also be frozen for later enjoyment.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Ultimate Chocolate Cookies
Ultimate Chocolate Cookies! Say that in a gravelly announcer-guy voice. ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE COOKIES!
These are loaded with chocolate–melted into the dough and with bonus chocolate chips, too! Oh yeah, and cocoa!
The addition of espresso powder (or instant coffee) amps up that chocolate flavor, too. If you don’t keep that around for your cookies and brownies, it’s a good habit to start.
I mean, amping up chocolate flavor is DEFINITELY a good thing.
You might even say it makes things… ultimate.
Modified from AllRecipes Magazine February/March 2015.
Bready or Not: Ultimate Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips 1 bag, divided
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder Dutch process or regular unsweetened, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant-coffee granules
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- On the stove top or in a microwave, melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, warming until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- In another bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
- In a big bowl, beat together the butter and two sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, scraping bowl to make sure everything is combined. Follow up with espresso powder and vanilla, then the melted chocolate. Stir in flour mixture. Fold in the remaining chocolate chips.
- Cover mixing bowl and let dough stand for about 30 minutes so that the chocolate can set.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Use a teaspoon scoop to place dough spaced out on parchment-covered cookie sheet or seasoned stoneware.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let set on stove about 10 minutes before moving cookies to a rack to completely cool.
- Store in sealed containers at room temperature. Cookies may crisp up more after 1 day, but keep quite well.
- OM NOM NOM!
