Cherry and Walnut Biscotti

Most everyone makes New Year's resolutions and I am no (well, maybe a little) exception! My plan for sticking with resolutions is to make lots of them! That way by the end of the year I can say I stuck with my resolutions (omitting the fact that I had so many, some were bound to stick!). So I have the typical ones--eat healthy, exercise more, etc. Then I have the not so traditional ones like make biscotti, master puff pastry (okay... I know I will never MASTER puff pastry, just make something... anything that turns out!!!), and make a recipe that uses yeast! (another stupid ingredient that fails me!) So here's to 2010!!!

Who would have thought that exercising would be the easy resolution?!?

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup light olive oil
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
  
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts nuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
   
2. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in dried cherries and nuts by hand.
3. Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 30 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees.
5. Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 minutes, or until dry; cool.
6. Drizzle with white chocolate.

These turned out delicious! I did use Mexican Vanilla, (which a friend gave me for Christmas) which may have added to the flavor of this cookie.

MY TIP: The base of this biscotti was very flavorful. Any combination of dried fruit and nut would work well with this: raisins/almond, cranberry/pistachio, etc.