Holiday Cookies Recipe

Make traditional red and green biscotti by using this easy holiday cookies recipe. Brighten your dessert tray with this holiday biscotti cookie favorite flavored with almond and cherries.

To make holiday cookies, you will need:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• 1 cup candied cherries, halved

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Grate ¼ cup cold butter into the bowl using a cheese grater. Note: To get the butter cold, place it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Use your fingers to combine the butter and dry ingredients to make the mixture coarse and crumbly.
3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix thoroughly until smooth. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until smooth and blended. Mix in cherries and almonds into the dough until it looks crumbly.
4. Divide the holiday biscotti cookie dough in half. Place the dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Shape each half of dough into a rectangle 10 inches long by 2 ½ inches wide. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire cooling rack for 20 minutes. Move the holiday biscotti cookie to a cutting board and cut on an angle into ¾ inch slices. Place the holiday biscotti cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Tips:

• For the second baking, the holiday biscotti cookies should be place with the sliced side down.
• After the first baking, use extreme care when moving the baked dough from the cookie sheet to the cutting board to avoid breaking the dough.