ChocoCran Biscotti

My husband and I eat pizza quite frequently.  I love making it at home because I think it tastes better than delivery from local pizza chains.  We love thin crust pizza.  Don’t get me wrong, we adore deep dish as well (Chicago Deep Dish!!!!) but it’s so much easier to make thin crust during the week for dinner.  I’ve made pizza dough from scratch (typically on the weekends) but after I’m home from work I want to assemble my pizza and put it in the oven ASAP.  To save time I use Martha White’s Thin & Crispy Pizza Crust Mix.  All you have to do is add warm water, oil.  Wait a few minutes and VOILA!  You have pizza dough!  I’ve tried a few instant mixes, but Martha White’s is super simple and tastes the best. 

You’re probably wondering why I’m talking about pizza dough when this post is for ChocoCran Biscotti, right?  Well, the Martha White brand has been around for over 100 years and became popular because they helped women bring convenience into the kitchen.  It just so happens that they recently featured a cooking contest on their website.  I’ve never entered a cooking contest so I wanted to give it a shot.  The challenge was to use any of their muffin mixes and turn them into something else besides muffins. Simple right?  Not quite. There were over 15 mixes to choose from.  Where to begin?

Choosing an idea was not the hard part, deciding what mix to use was.  Trust me, I went through many trial and errors in the kitchen.  It would be impossible for us to eat everything I baked so I began sneaking my creations into work and conveniently placing them near the coffee stations.   I say ‘sneak’ because I’m sure people began to wonder who the crazy person was that kept baking blueberry bread over and over.   I finally created 2 entries that I was proud of….Blueberries N’ Cream Bread and ChocoCran Biscotti.  

Plumping the dried cranberries

Form into logs and bake

Slice diagonally after finished baking

With the holidays quickly approaching I’ve had many requests to share my ChocoCran Biscotti recipe, so here it is!  What’s great is that it’s very easy to make (thanks Martha!) and it tastes amazing when dunked into a cup of hot coffee or tea!  And a special thanks to Sam Cusenza who was the winner of my naming contest.   I received a lot of great entries but ChocoCran Biscotti was by far the most popular!  Congratulations Sam!  You'll receive your very own personal batch of ChocoCran Biscotti this week.

ChocoCran Biscotti

Original recipe by Alissa Hebert

Servings: 22-24 slices

Prep Time:  10 mins.

Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes (cooling time included)

 

Ingredients:

• 2 (7.4 oz.) packages Martha White Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix
• 2/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Topping:

• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Cover a large baking sheet (16 x 14 inches) with parchment paper. 
2. Plump dried cranberries by placing in a small bowl and covering with hot water.  Soak for 5 minutes; drain.
3. Soften butter by placing in a small bowl and heating in the microwave for 35 seconds.  In a large bowl use an electric mixer to combine softened butter, eggs, flour, muffin mix, and cranberries.  
4.  Lightly flour countertop and dust hands with flour.  Place half of dough on counter and form a 10 x 3 inch log.  Place log on parchment lined baking sheet and slightly flatten. Repeat with remaining dough; space logs 2 to 3 inches apart.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on baking sheet for 1 hour.   After cooled, transfer biscotti to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to cut each log diagonally into 1/2 inch wide slices.
6. Return slices to baking sheet and lay flat on parchment paper.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, turn slices over, and bake for 10 minutes.  Allow biscotti to fully cool on baking sheet for 1 hour. 
7. Prepare topping by adding white chocolate chips to a small microwave safe bowl.  Heat in microwave, on medium-high, for 1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  If necessary, microwave for 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted.  Use a fork or spoon to drizzle topping over the biscotti.
8. This biscotti is best enjoyed when served with a cup of coffee or tea for dunking.  Enjoy!