Sour Cherry, Almond, Chocolate and Lemon Zest Biscotti

This is a new take on my classic biscotti recipe.  I still stand by the need for chocolate and nuts, but I’ve added the lemon zest to freshen it up a bit, and I happened to have a bunch of dried sour cherries that worked perfectly with this recipe.  One recipient of these thought these were a better fit with tea than coffee.  I usually eat them on their own, as they aren’t the typical hard-to-bite biscotti that needs to be dipped.

What you need:

1/2 cup butter

zest of 1/2 lemon

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups + 2 tablespoons white flour

1  1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup dried sour cherries, cut in half

What you do:

1. Toast almond slivers in a dry frying pan until slightly browned, then allow them to cool.  They are easy to burn, so watch carefully.

2.  Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers to release the oils in the lemon.

3. Cream the butter, then add the lemon-zesty sugar and beat well.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy, then beat in  the vanilla and almond extracts.

4. Combine dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.  Add chocolate, nuts and cherries and stir until just combined.

5. Divide the dough into two pieces.  With floured hands form into two logs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 325F for 25-30 minutes.

6. Slice the baked rolls diagonally and place cut-side down on a baking sheet.  Lower the oven to 300F and bake for 10-15 minutes, until slightly browned.  Turn over and bake for another 10-15, until that side is also slightly browned.

7. Place on cooling racks, then package in an airtight container.   They keep for quite a long time.