Cherry Republic Biscotti

I first made these granola-studded biscotti when I was working on my book “Ciao Biscotti.” I had been to Michigan with my family (an annual summer trip when my kids were growing up) and brought back a bag of granola from one of our favorite places.

Cherry Republic, in Glen Arbor, is more than a shop; it's more like a...tiny republic. In the years since we first started going it has expanded to include a winery and a cafe/restaurant. The small compound is all about paying tribute to the sour cherry (aka tart cherry, aka pie cherry). The shop’s helves are stocked with neatly tied bags of dried cherries and chocolate-covered dried cherries (dark, milk, white), jars of cherry preserves (cherry-berry, cherry-strawberry, cherry-pepper, cherry butter), plus cherry salsa, cherry BBQ sauce and more. At the cafe you can treat yourself to a cherry coke, cherry iced tea or cherry lemonade, as well as cherry hamburgers, cherry hot dogs, cherry ice cream and cherry pie. And at the winery next door you can sip a glass of cherry wine.

For these cookies I used the Cherry Republic Ambassador Mix, which combines dried cherries and cranberries, pistachios, and macadamia nuts. You can find it online, or feel free to substitute your favorite granola or fruit and nut snack mix or just jumble together 1/2 cup nuts and 1/2 cup dried cherries and cranberries.

CHERRY REPUBLIC BISCOTTI
Makes 36 to 40 biscotti

Ingredients
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Zest of 1 orange, plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup (5 ounces) Cherry Republic Ambassador Mix (see headnote) or a mix of nuts and dried fruit
2 eggs plus 1 yolk (reserve the extra egg white for brushing on top of the dough)

Instructions
1. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low until combined. If any of the nuts are whole (such as macadamias), separate them from the rest of the mix and cut them in half. Add the mixed nuts and fruit to the flour mixture and mix briefly on low until combined. Add the eggs and egg yolk and the orange juice and mix on low or medium-low until the dough just comes together.

2. Dump the dough onto a clean work surface and pat it into a thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight. (At this point you can freeze the dough for up to 2 weeks; be sure to defrost it thoroughly before forming the biscotti logs.)

3. Heat the oven to 350° F. Lightly coat a large rimmed baking sheet with oil.

4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a clean work surface. Cut the disk in half. Roll one half into a log about 12 inches long. Pat the log down gently to flatten the top until it is about 2 inches wide. Place the log on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll and shape the remaining log and set it on the sheet, taking care to keep the two logs at least 3 inches apart. Lightly beat the reserved egg white and brush it over the tops of the two logs.

5. Bake the logs for 25 minutes or until they are lightly golden and set (if you press your finger lightly on the surface of a log it should spring back). Remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 325. Let the logs cool 5 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, loosen the logs from the baking sheet and gently transfer them to a cooling rack. Cool for 15 minutes.

6. Place one log on a cutting board and with a sharp, serrated knife, cut it on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices (18 to 20 slices, including ends). Cut the second log in the same way. Arrange the slices on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake for another 10 minutes, until they are crisp and golden. Transfer the slices to the cooling rack and let them cool to room temperature.

7. Store the biscotti in a cookie tin with a tight-fitting lid for up to 10 days.