There’s nothing more satisfying to me than having a great cup of coffee while surrounded in great conversation with people you love. Some of the greatest moments in my life were spent at The Raw Deal Cafe, in Menomonie, WI. While I was attending school, I worked there as a barista. I loved it. Not only did I get to experience great ingredients and great food, but I discovered the importance of great conversation in my life. As time went on working there, I grew closer to my co-workers and the owners of the Raw Deal. I will always consider that time a special part of my life.
I still order coffee from them to this day. I love their tea and coffee..but I was missing something. Biscotti. It was one of my favorite staples at Raw Deal. There’s nothing better than dipping chocolate-coated biscotti into a great cup of coffee.
I decided to make almond-cranberry biscotti. The recipe I found called for vanilla, which I substituted with almond extract. I also decided to add dried cranberries to the recipe since almond and cranberries compliment each other well.
Almond Biscotti
Adapted from All Recipes
Servings 42 (made about 28 cookies for me)
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided (I didn’t use all the sugar)
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon anise or vanilla extract (I used almond extract)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I added an extra 1/4 cup)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Dash salt
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 2 teaspoons milk
*I added 1/4 cup of dried cranberries to the recipe
*Melted semi-sweet chocolate to dip the ends in.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 cup of sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in anise or vanilla (almond extract). Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture. Stir in almonds and cranberries. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease foil. Divide dough in half; spread into two 12-in x 3-in. rectangles on foil. Brush with milk and sprinkle with remaining sugar (I didn’t use the full 1/4 remaining cup). Bake at 375˚ F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 300˚ F. Lift rectangles with foil onto wire rack; cool for 15 minutes. Place on a cutting board; slice diagonally 1/2 inch thick. Place slices with cut side down on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake 10 minutes more. Turn oven off, leaving cookies in oven with door ajar to cool.
Once the cookies were cool, I melted some chocolate in a double boiler. I dipped some of the cookies into the chocolate and let them cool on the foil. Store in an airtight container.
- Sliced Almonds
- Biscotti Dough
- Sugared Biscotti
- Baked Biscotti-First Time
- Sliced Biscotti
- Baked Biscotti-Second Time
- Assorted Biscotti
- Plain Biscotti










