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Currant Walnut Biscotti for #CreativeCookieExchange

December 15, 2015 By Renee 14 Comments

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Currant Walnut Biscotti is a crunchy, slightly sweet treat loaded with dried currants and walnuts. It is fantasic with coffee or tea.

Quiet has taken on a whole new level. I’m still adjusting to life without dogs. It’s interesting as to how one can get so used to certain noises. And then how strange it is when those noises are gone. It doesn’t help that I’m a creature of habit too. Yet change can be a good thing. Only thing to do is embrace it and see what happens. Meanwhile I can make familiar noises in the kitchen. Baking Currant Walnut Biscotti helped add a little comfort in more ways than one.

Baking is quite therapeutic. At least it is for me. The simple tasks of stirring and mixing are centering. Baking also demands attention and keeps my mind occupied. I know what happens when an ingredient is left out. I’ve caught my oven on fire because of not paying attention (forgot eggs and batter boiled out of pan and flamed up while burning on the bottom of the oven).

Currant Walnut Biscotti is a crunchy, slightly sweet treat loaded with dried currants and walnuts. It is fantasic with coffee or tea.

Biscotti was the mission at hand. It was announced as the theme for this month’s Creative Cookie Exchange. Of course, the big decision was flavors. Then minor one of finishing with dipping, drizzling, or leaving them plain. Obviously I went with plain. I figured it would make it easier for packaging or transporting in case they were used as homemade gifts.

Family is why I chose currants and walnuts. I thought of my aunt and uncle in Germany. It was a little over a year ago since my mom and I went to see them. I remembered my aunt giving my uncle a bag of walnuts from a tree in her yard. Then I thought of the currants my uncle has in his garden. So I put those flavors together and made Currant Walnut Biscotti.

Currant Walnut Biscotti | Magnolia Days

The recipe is an adaption to one I’ve used before. I took the base from the Blueberry Pecan Biscotti I baked earlier this year. A simple change of fruit, nut, and spice is all it took. As long as you have a good foundation, there are many add-in possibilities.

Do you enjoy biscotti? Do you dunk it in coffee or tea or prefer it as-is? Scroll down to find a list of what the talented bakers of the Creative Cookie Exchange baked for the biscotti theme. I spy a lot of festive ones for the holiday season. They sure would make wonderful treats to bake and share with family and friends.

Currant Walnut Biscotti | Magnolia Days
5 from 1 vote
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Currant Walnut Biscotti

Currant Walnut Biscotti is a crunchy, slightly sweet treat loaded with dried currants and walnuts. It is fantastic with coffee or tea.
Course Snack
Cuisine French
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 40 to 50
Author Renee Dobbs

Ingredients

  • 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup dried currants

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet (12- X 17-inches) with parchment or non-stick liner.
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. Cream butter, shortening, and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  4. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add walnuts and currants and mix until distributed throughout the dough.
  5. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a log 11 1/2 inches long.
  6. Transfer logs to baking sheet with 3 inches between them. Pat the logs into rectangles, 12 inches long, 2 1/2-inches wide and 7/8-inch thick.
  7. Bake logs for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to brown.
  8. Remove logs from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes.
  9. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Line another baking sheet (12- X 17-inches) with parchment or non-stick liner.
  10. Gently transfer a log to a cutting surface. Use a serrated knife in a slow, gentle sawing motion to cut the log into about 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal (my slices were slighty wider than 1/2-inch).
  11. Carefully tranfer the slices, cut side up, to the baking sheet. Place slices 1/4-inch apart. Repeat with remaining 2 logs.
  12. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly turn slices over.
  13. Return biscotti to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until they are very dry and lightly brown.
  14. Remove biscotti from the oven and cool completely. Store in a sealed container.

Recipe Notes

Currant Walnut Biscotti is a crunchy, slightly sweet treat loaded with dried currants and walnuts. It is fantastic with coffee or tea.

The Creative Cookie Exchange theme this month is Biscotti (or mandelbrot or any other twice baked cookie by any other name). They are the perfect holiday tin cookies! They last forever, and there are so many ways to make them festive. So we’ve got you covered–sweet, savory, low fat, loaded with decadence, you name it, we’ve got it! Happy Holidays!

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

  • Almond Lemon Biscotti by Basic N Delicious
  • Banana Walnut Biscotti by Upstate Ramblings
  • Chocolate Almond Biscotti by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
  • Chocolate Toffee Biscotti by Live Bake Love
  • Currant Walnut Biscotti by Magnolia Days
  • Dark Chocolate and Pistachio Biscotti by Flours and Frostings
  • Gingerbread Biscotti by Food Lust People Love
  • Gluten Free Chocolate Biscotti by What Smells So Good?
  • Holiday Biscotti Bar by The Spiced Life
  • Honey Beescotti by Oven Delights
  • Mocha Biscotti by A Baker’s House
  • Orange Pistachio Biscotti by 2 Cookin’ Mamas
  • Parmesan Black Pepper Biscotti by A Shaggy Dough Story
  • Peppermint Kahlua Chocolate-Dipped Biscotti by All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
  • White Chocolate Glazed Gingerbread Biscotti by Christmas Tree Lane

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Filed Under: Cookies/Bars/Squares Tagged With: biscotti, currant, recipe, walnut

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Comments

  1. Stacy says

    December 15, 2015 at 6:38 am

    5 stars
    I completely get it, Renee. I got distracted when making my biscotti and almost, almost! forgot to add the baking powder to the dry ingredients. Nothing like baking to make one have to concentrate! What a waste of time and ingredients that batch would have been. I love that you used your family for inspiration for the flavors and I know I would love your biscotti with walnuts and currants. They are beautiful!

    Reply
  2. Holly says

    December 15, 2015 at 10:44 am

    I love how you’ve baked your family memories right into these beautiful biscotti. I know the noises around your house must feel empty right now without your beloved dogs there with you. My heart goes out to you.

    Reply
  3. Medeja says

    December 15, 2015 at 10:48 am

    Lovely combination! With tea or coffee would be just perfect 🙂

    Reply
  4. Faye says

    December 15, 2015 at 3:08 pm

    5 stars
    Very classic! I love that you added cardamom.

    Reply
  5. akshatha says

    December 15, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    what interesting flavours. The biscotti look great . And I find baking calming too ..

    Reply
  6. Anabel says

    December 16, 2015 at 12:15 am

    As much as I bake you think I would be skilled enough to avoid disasters! Nope! I still have one every now and then! I never learn!
    Happy Holidays!

    Reply
  7. Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories says

    December 16, 2015 at 1:55 am

    What a year you have had my friend. Such a sweet post. These look wonderful. Hugs.

    Reply
  8. Linda @ 2 Cookin' Mamas says

    December 16, 2015 at 2:49 pm

    These sound great Renee! I haven’t cooked much with currants but they sound perfect for these. I like my biscotti with a dip in chocolate just because I prefer eating them as is with coffee on the side but I just might change my mind with these as they are perfect for dipping.

    Reply
  9. Amy says

    December 16, 2015 at 4:35 pm

    I love biscotti, this will be a new flavor for us.

    Reply
  10. Felice says

    December 20, 2015 at 1:22 pm

    I love the thought that went into the flavors of your biscotti. Your post is also perfect timing as I found a bag of currants in my pantry – not sure why they were there – so now I have the perfect use for them. As always you photos are warm and inviting, and I love that coffee cup.

    Reply

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