Chocolate Biscotti wih Cranberries

The other day I went to my friend Sue Trowbridge's home for a wonderful afternoon. She had bid on an auction item: a reading by a well known San Francisco Bay Area actor, and she was finally collecting. Sue provided various sweets, tea and champagne. My kind of repast. On her tea menu were Chocolate Biscotti. I had two chocolate biscotti recipes on DyingforChocolate awhile ago, one based on Dorie Greenspan's double chocolate biscotti, but this recipe had the added texture and tanginess of dried cranberries. I asked her about the recipe. The source was Parade Magazine: Bake Your own Gifts (December 13) by Dorie Greenspan, so I shouldn't have been surprised.

Sue commented,"I might try it sometime with dried cherries instead of cranberries. Also, it was a LOT of work to blend the dry ingredients into the egg/sugar mixture... I had to get Joe to help because my arm was getting tired! I bet it would be easier if one has a stand mixer that could handle stiff doughs. I just have a little hand mixer that is fine for cake batters & whipped cream, but not so good for anything thicker."

A word to the wise then, there's nothing like a KitchenAid mixer! I love my dark blue KitchenAid. It matches my dark blue O'Keefe Merritt stove that has a small but powerful gas oven. My other two ovens are electric: one convection and one conventional. There's nothing like gas for baking cakes and biscotti!

Chocolate Biscotti

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp (3 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Sift together dry ingredients. Beat butter and sugar together until very smooth, then beat in the eggs. Mix in dry ingredients until blended. Fold in cranberries and chips.
2. Divide dough; put pieces on opposite sides of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape each into a 12-inch-long, 1/2-inch-thick log. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes; cool 20 minutes.
3. Slice into 1/2-inch-thick cookies. Stand them up on the baking sheet; bake for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.