Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti

Going into an Italian store is always an adventure for me.  One of the many things that I am always fascinated by is the huge glass container filled with tall biscotti sitting upright in the jar.  They are typically large enough to feed a family!  As much as I like these huge cookies, they are just too big! I wanted a smaller biscotti that would be more suitable for a coffee gathering.  I adapted a recipe that uses a filling in the biscotti dough to make them more distinctive.   Biscotti are always a hit during the holiday season given their ease of storage and long shelf life, not to mention wonderful in texture and flavour.  

I had a little leftover cranberry sauce from my Dairy-Free White Chocolate Eggnog with Cranberry Coulis, so it was a great opportunity to utilise it as a filling in the biscotti.  These Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti are a tender, not hard biscotti and they are much smaller in size than traditional biscotti – you’re going to love them!  They also make excellent edible gifts.

Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti

CHEF TALK:  These Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti are a not-too-sweet cookie, with a pleasant tang from the cranberry filling.  The lemon zest adds brightness to the dough and pairs very well with the cranberry filling.  Serve with Dairy-Free White Chocolate Eggnog with Cranberry Coulis for a special treat.

This recipe is adaptable to a gluten-free and dairy-free version with substitutions listed in the ingredients below.  You can easily decorate the twice-baked biscotti with an icing glaze, if desired (mix together 1 cup icing sugar, 1 tablespoon soft butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract, pinch of salt and 1 – 2 tablespoons of milk).  Enjoy!

CHEF TIP:  I have provided some steps and photographs below to roll the filled biscotti.   I show you how to simplify the process by using a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper to help you roll the biscotti dough around the filling.

Thanks to Taste of Home for the inspiration behind this cookie.  

Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti

Yield:  3 dozen biscotti

INGREDIENTS:

Biscotti Dough:

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (305 g) or gluten-free flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (6 g)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter (113 g) or coconut butter (95 g), room temperature
• 2/3 cups (140 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Cranberry Filling: (See Step 7 below for method)

• 2/3 cup (100 g) dried cranberries 
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) cranberry sauce (or jam of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml) or ½ teaspoon almond extract 

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350^oF.   
2. Make the Biscotti Dough:  combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
3. In a mixer with a paddle or a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy.  
4. Add the eggs, vanilla and lemon zest.
5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until a smooth dough is formed.  Divide the dough in half (about 350 g each).  
6. On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out each piece of the dough to form a 12 x 8-inch rectangle.
7. Make the Cranberry Filling:  In a food processor, combine the dried cranberries, cranberry sauce and vanilla.  Process until you have a smooth paste.
8. Spread one-half of the cranberry filling (about 100 g) on the dough, leaving ½ inch free of filling along one long side of the dough furthest from you.
9. Roll up the dough starting on the long side of the rectangle nearest to you, using the parchment paper to help you, as shown in the photograph.  Place the biscotti log so that the seam is underneath when the biscotti log is placed on the parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Repeat with the other half of the dough.
10. The two biscotti logs should be about 4 inches apart on the baking sheet.  Bake them for 25 minutes or until they are light golden and firm.  
11. Cool the biscotti logs on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cutting surface.  CHEF TIP:  Cutting the biscotti logs while they are still warm makes it easier to get clean slices without breakage. 
12. For the Biscotti Double Baking:  Cut the biscotti logs into ½ inch slices using a serrated knife.  Place each slice upright on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes or until the cookies feel dry and have turned golden brown.  Cool the cookies before storing them in an airtight container.  

Storage:  The cookies will keep in an airtight container for several weeks at room temperature, or for longer storage, the cookies freeze very well.

Here is the step-by-step in photographs:

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my Urb’n’Spice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

• Creaming
• Favourite Kitchen Tools:  Spatula
• Oven Accuracy – Internal Thermometer
• Vanilla Extract
  __________

You Might Also Enjoy these Urb’n’Spice recipes:

Dairy Free White Chocolate Eggnog with Cranberry Swirl

Christmas Morning Recipe Roundup

The Un-Christmas Day Feast

A Christmas-y Appetizer – Chicken, Millet and Spinach Appetizers (gluten-free)

Christmas Morning Coffeecake – Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffeecake

If you try my recipe for Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti, please leave me a comment below with your feedback. Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Did you Make my Recipe? 

Tag me @urbnspice on Instagram and hashtag #urbnspice