Lemon Orange Biscotti

These twice baked citrus biscotti have just the right amount of crunch for dunking but are light and crisp enough to not need dunking. Perfect with tea or milk as an afternoon pick me up or even with your morning coffee ... breakfast cookie anyone?

Ingredients:

6 tbsps butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsps lemon zest

1 1/2 tsps orange zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tbsps lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsps orange juice

1 1/2 tsps baking powder

2 eggs

2 cups flour

Glaze:

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp orange juice

yellow and orange food colouring (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F

Cream the butter, sugar, salt, lemon and orange zest and vanilla together, then add the baking powder. Mix in the juices and eggs. It may appear lumpy and look curdled, but that's ok.

Add the flour and mix just to combine.

Place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and with dampened hands shape into a 13 X 3 X 3/4" log. Smooth the top and sides with wet hands.

Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes then remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Using a serrated knife, slice into 1/2" pieces and stand up on the sheet. Return them to the oven for 30-35 minutes.

Once baked and cooled completely mix up the glaze. If using colour, divide the icing into bowls and add your choice of colour. Fill a little ziplock bag, snip the corner off and drizzle icing over the top edge of the cookies. Let one colour set before adding another.

I had some leftover chocolate icing which was yummy with the citrus flavoured biscotti!

Makes 18 biscotti... now for that cup of coffee!

Store in a cookie tin.

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Anise, Orange and Cranberry Biscotti

With a hint of anise, these orange and cranberry biscotti hit the spot with a nice cuppa while card writing. Traditionally, biscotti are crunchy and require dipping to be enjoyed properly but these ones are a little more cookie-like.

Ingredients:

1 cup dry cranberries

3 tbsps fresh orange juice

1/2 cup melted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsps baking powder

2 eggs

zest of 1 orange

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsps anise seed

2/3 cup icing sugar

1 tbsp fresh orange juice

Start by plumping up the cranberries... pour boiling water over them in a bowl and let sit for 2 minutes, then drain well. In a large bowl mix the sugar, 3 tbsps orange juice, zest and butter until well combined. Then add the eggs, one at a time. Crush the anise seed (with mortar and pestle) and add it to the flour, baking powder and salt. Incorporate the dry into the wet ingredients. Add the cranberries then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

After that time take the dough and divide it in half. Form each half into a 2 x 8" flat log on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. After a few minutes slide the parchment onto a rack and cool the logs for 15 minutes.

Carefully move the logs to a cutting board, and with a serrated knife, slice into 1/2 - 3/4" biscotti.

Place them cut side down back on the parchment lined sheet and bake about 8 minutes, turn them over and bake another 8 minutes or until golden.

Cool completely before mixing the icing sugar with 1 tbsp orange juice to drizzle over the tops of the biscotti. Leave to set before storing in an air tight container.

Makes 22