A classic twice baked cookie, this chocolate chunk biscotti is studded with dried sour cherries and flavoured with cardamom for a special holiday treat. Get the coffee on!
Biscotti cookies are a Christmas classic, and these chocolate chunk biscotti definitely fit the bill. This twice baked cookie is a perfect afternoon treat with a cup of coffee, and also makes a wonderful gift.
This version features dried sour cherries, dark chocolate, and a hint of warming cardamom. The combination makes for a slight flavour twist that’s still very holiday appropriate. There is some patience required in cooling the cookies fully before the second bake, however, they’re more than worth it.
If you’d like to get some of your holiday baking in early, biscotti also freezes fabulously! If you’re baking ahead for the holidays you should also check out these ginger molasses spice cookies or these homemade mincemeat cookies as they both freeze well too.
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💖 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ Biscotti freezes well and lasts a long time.
✔️ The cookies are only lightly sweetened.
✔️ They taste even better dunked in coffee or cappuccino.
📋 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Cardamom: we use ground green cardamom in this recipe.
- Dried Cherries: available at most well-stocked grocery stores or bulk stores.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Flour: Feel free to use all white flour and leave out the whole wheat. The wholegrain flour adds a slight nutty flavour that we really like. You can also try whole spelt or whole wheat pastry flour in its place for the same complexity.
- Dried Cherries: any dried fruit can be used in place of the cherries. Raisins, chopped dates, dried figs, or currants would all be great.
- Cardamom: cinnamon, nutmeg, or a blend like apple pie spice or chai spice are good substitutes for cardamom.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
👩🍳 Method
STEP 1: mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix again.
STEP 2: add the eggs one a time, beating on low between each addition, until combined.
STEP 3: add the dried cherries and chocolate, and mix until a ball of dough forms.
STEP 4: form the dough into two logs and place them onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake them for about 25 minutes and then let them cool completely on a rack.
STEP 5: slice the cooled biscotti into diagonal slices with a sharp serrated knife. Bake the biscotti a second time for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden.
💡 Top Tips
- Dip the ends of the finished cookies in dark or white chocolate, or both.
- You can slice the cookies straight across rather than diagonal if you want.
- For best results, always slice biscotti with a serrated knife and a back and forth gentle sawing motion.
📝 Recipe Notes
- The biscotti will spread a bit during the first bake. If you’re concerned about this, bake the loaves on two trays.
- The cookies can be frozen in a well sealed container after they’re sliced, before the second bake. Keep them in the freezer to bake as needed! Frozen biscotti need about five minutes longer if baking from frozen, or, you can thaw them in the refrigerator first.
- Keep chocolate chunk biscotti in an airtight container or large zipper-top bag on the counter for up to two weeks.
❓Recipe FAQ
Biscotti is a general Italian term for crunchy twice-baked cookies. Cantucci are a kind of biscotti specific to Prato, a small town in Tuscany.
Biscotti dough is shaped into a loaf, baked, sliced, and baked again. Most moisture in the cookies evaporates during the second bake, giving these Italian cookies their signature crunch. Instead of eating alone, try dipping biscotti in coffee or cappuccino. It’s a wonderful mid-afternoon pick me up!
The Italian word biscotti translates to “twice cooked” in English. This is because the dough is baked in loaf form, sliced, and baked again until dry and crunchy.
Recipe
Chocolate Chunk Biscotti With Dried Cherries
Description
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Hand mixer
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour, or use more all-purpose
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup dried sour cherries, roughly chopped
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt with an electric mixer. Alternatively, use a standing mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add the butter to the bowl and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low between each addition, until fully combined.
- Mix in the cherries and chocolate, beating until a ball of dough forms.
- Split the dough into equal halves. Use your hands to shape two 2×12 inch (5×30 cm) logs on the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches (5 cm) between them.
- Bake the biscotti for 25-30 minutes, or until they're just firm to the touch and lightly golden. Cool for 10 minutes on the sheet, then place the logs onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once fully cool, slice into ¾ inch (2 cm) slices and place the cookies back onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until golden all over. Cool fully before storing in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze up to 3 months.
Notes
- The biscotti will spread a bit during the first bake. If you’re concerned about this, bake the loaves on two trays.
- The cookies can be frozen in a well sealed container after they’re sliced, before the second bake. Keep them in the freezer to bake as needed! Frozen biscotti need about five minutes longer if baking from frozen, or, you can thaw them in the refrigerator first.
- Keep chocolate chunk biscotti in an airtight container or large zipper-top bag on the counter for up to two weeks.
valentina - sweet kabocha says
I have never thought to use black cardamom in a sweet recipe! It seems to be a great idea ^_^
Kelly Brisson // the gouda life says
It’s lovely if you want to impart a smoky flavour into your sweets! I can’t wait to experiment more with it in sweet applications.
cynthia says
So, so beautiful! I love cardamom in baking — combining it with dark chocolate and cherry sounds wonderful.
Kelly Brisson // the gouda life says
Thank you Cynthia! Would love to hear what sweet recipes you use black cardamom in – I’m in full on experimentation mode now.
Rebecca@Figs and Pigs says
Great idea these look amazing and I love that last photo of the chocolate and cardamon. I Dont use black cardamon much must experiment.
Kelly Brisson // the gouda life says
Definitely worth experimenting a bit, Rebecca! Thanks for the love.
Amanda @ Cookie Named Desire says
This sounds amazing! You are so right, I associate black cardamom with savory dishes, but I also enjoy amplifying the cardamom in my sweet chai pastries and sweets and this is certainly a recipe I would love to have with my morning tea!
Kelly Brisson // the gouda life says
Thank you Amanda! They are so delicious with black teas – especially chai! <3
kristie {birch and wild} says
That last photo of the cardamom spilling out of the jar is killer. So beautiful. Black cardamom is my favorite. My husband can’t have cinnamon, so I often add cardamom to desserts in it’s place. I love the exotic taste is adds, and it always reminds me of the spicy/sweet cups of chai I bought on the streets of India.
I can’t imagine a lovelier combination than cherry, black cardamom and dark chocolate :) These looks lovely.
Kelly Brisson // the gouda life says
Thank you so much for the comment, Kristie! I’m so happy you love black cardamom as much as I do! Would love to hear what else you use it for. <3