These Cranberry Orange Biscotti are delightfully crunchy and have dried cranberries and almonds in every bite. They’re dipped in white chocolate to take them over the top! They’re great for holiday gift giving and are perfect alongside your morning cup of tea or coffee.

Cranberry orange biscotti dipped in white chocolate.

Each year, I look forward to baking trays upon trays of cookies to create my Christmas cookie boxes. These Cranberry Orange Biscotti are a family favorite and almost always make their way into the cookie boxes (although some years I make a batch of gingerbread biscotti instead!).

If you’ve never made biscotti before, they’re crunchy Italian cookies that are baked twice to achieve their signature texture.

Each bite of these orange and cranberry biscotti is studded with dried cranberries and toasted almonds. For added sweetness and festive flavor, I also dipped the biscotti in white chocolate.

Just like chocolate chip cookies are best dunked in a cold glass of milk, these biscotti are best enjoyed with a steaming mug of tea or coffee.

Make a big batch of orange cranberry biscotti to give as gifts during the holidays! Or leave out a few biscotti for Santa to ensure you get what you want for Christmas this year 😉

Cranberry almond biscotti on parchment with mug of coffee.
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Why you’ll love this recipe

  • You can’t beat the festive flavors of cranberry, orange and white chocolate. These flavors make this biscotti recipe ideal for serving around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
  • This cookie recipe is very easy to make, and it’s very forgiving since biscotti are always baked twice for maximum crunchiness.
  • Biscotti last for weeks, making them ideal for holiday baking and giving as gifts.

Recipe ingredients

Making homemade biscotti with cranberries and almond requires a handful of basic ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. The ingredients can certainly be customized based on what you have on hand.

Cranberry orange biscotti recipe ingredients.
  • All purpose flour. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup for best results.
  • Baking powder. Provides leavening and prevents the biscotti from being dense.
  • Salt. Just a pinch enhances the cranberry-orange flavor.
  • Butter. Bring the butter to room temperature before beginning the recipe.
  • Granulated sugar. Just 3/4 cup sweetens the biscotti without making them too sweet.
  • Orange zest. Infuses the cookie dough with fragrant orange flavor.
  • Eggs. Use two large eggs.
  • Vanilla extract. Sub with almond extract for even more almond flavor.
  • Almonds. Roughly chop the almonds, then place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes to toast. Sub the almonds with pecans or omit them entirely to make the biscotti nut free.
  • Dried cranberries. Roughly chop the dried cranberries before mixing them into the cookie dough. Sub with your favorite dried fruit.
  • White chocolate. You may use chopped white chocolate bars, white chocolate chips, or white chocolate candy melts for dipping the biscotti. You can also opt to omit the white chocolate altogether.

See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.

How to make cranberry biscotti

Making biscotti from scratch is much easier than you may think, and it’s so forgiving because it’s twice baked. That’s what makes them extra crispy and perfect for dunking!

Pro tip: You don’t have to dip your biscotti in white chocolate, but I highly recommend it. The biscotti aren’t very sweet, so the white chocolate adds some sweetness and the flavor pairs perfectly with the cranberry orange flavor.

See the recipe card below for full instructions.

Prepare the biscotti

How to make cranberry biscotti.
  1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. In another bowl, cream together the softened butter, sugar, and orange zest, then beat in the eggs and vanilla.
  3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
  4. Fold in the cranberries and almonds, then knead the dough together to form a ball.
  5. Shape the dough into two logs.
  6. Bake the logs at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  
  7. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees. Slice the biscotti on the bias and place bake on the baking sheet.
  8. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.

Dip the biscotti in white chocolate

How to dip cranberry biscotti in white chocolate.
  1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave according to package instructions.
  2. Dip the biscotti in the white chocolate or drizzle it over the top, then place on the parchment lined baking sheets until set.
White chocolate cranberry orange biscotti with dried cranberries alongside.

Recipe FAQs

Can this recipe be made with different mix-ins?

Yes, you should be fine to use any combination of dried fruit and nuts. Just make sure your mix-ins are chopped into bite-sized pieces before adding them to the cookie dough.

What’s the trick to making biscotti?

You have to bake the cookie dough twice! The dough is first shaped into two logs and baked to create a crispy crust around the dough.

From there, the logs are sliced on the bias to form the individual cookies. They’re baked a second time to create crispy, crunchy biscotti.

How long do biscotti last?

The biscotti will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. This is what makes them so great for giving as gifts!

Can biscotti be frozen?

Yes, they can be sealed in an air-tight container or freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months.

Do not freeze the biscotti after they’ve been dipped in white chocolate. Instead, wait until after thawing the biscotti to dip them in white chocolate and serve.

Recipe notes

  • Pro tip: Prepare the biscotti up to a few days in advance or even freeze for up to 3 months prior to dipping them in white chocolate.
  • To toast almonds, place on a rimmed baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant.
  • Dipping the biscotti in white chocolate is optional but highly recommended as the flavor pairs perfectly with the cranberries and orange. 
  • Store biscotti in an air tight container for up to 3 weeks.
Biscotti with cranberries and almonds alongside a mug of coffee.

More cranberry recipes you’ll love

Did you try this recipe?  If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram

Cranberry orange biscotti dipped in white chocolate.

Cranberry Orange Biscotti

Servings: 38 biscotti
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Additional Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cranberry Orange Biscotti are delightfully crunchy and have dried cranberries and almonds in every bite. They're dipped in white chocolate to take them over the top! They're perfect for holiday baking and are great enjoyed alongside tea or coffee.
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Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1.5 tablespoons orange zest
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds see note 2
  • 3/4 cup coarsley chopped dried cranberries
  • 8 ounces white chocolate chopped, for dipping; see note 3

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line (2) large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.
    2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Place the butter, sugar, and orange zest in a large bowl. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed just until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.
    4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1.5 tablespoons orange zest, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Fold in the almonds and cranberries.
    3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds, 3/4 cup coarsley chopped dried cranberries
  • Knead the dough together with your hands while still in the bowl until it’s cohesive (it’s not sticky, so this doesn’t take long). Divide in two equal pieces and place on one of the prepared baking sheets. Form into (2) 12″ x 2″ logs and bake on the middle rack for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees.
  • Allow the dough to cool for 10 minutes, then place on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut slightly on the bias into 1/2″ thick slices and place cut side down on the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 275 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Cool completely on wire racks.
  • Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave according to package instructions. Dip the biscotti in the chocolate and place on the parchment lined baking sheets until set. Enjoy!
    8 ounces white chocolate

Notes

  1. Pro tip: Prepare the biscotti up to a few days in advance or even freeze for up to 3 months prior to dipping them in white chocolate.
  2. To toast almonds, place on a rimmed baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant.
  3. Dipping the biscotti in white chocolate is optional but highly recommended as the flavor pairs perfectly with the cranberries and orange. 
  4. Store biscotti in an air tight container for up to 3 weeks.

Nutrition

Serving: 1biscotti, Calories: 115kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 44mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 10g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Sweets
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Marcie
All recipes and images © Flavor the Moments.
Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!

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