This year is the first year that I will have a home for all of my Christmas recipes. It’s so exciting having my own blog now!

It’s a controversial subject. To dunk a biscuit or not? I suppose it depends whose company your in but with biscotti, I will dunking is the only way to go.

These twice-baked, oblong-shaped “biccies” are dry and crunchy – perfect for soaking up tea, coffee, hot chocolate or, traditionally, a sweet wine.

Many recipes call for the inclusion of almonds but I wanted to make these biscotti as festive as possible.

The desiccated coconut reminds me of soft, delicate snowflakes. The red, shiny cherries remind of the wonderful colours on so many Christmas trees. Mix and match with ingredients as you please!

Hope you enjoy! Amy x

Ingredients
200g plain flour, 1 tsp reserved for dusting
½ tsp baking powder
4 tbsp caster sugar
100g glace cherries, halved
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
2 medium eggs, plus 1 yolk
½ tsp vanilla extract
Salt

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl and stir in the caster sugar, cherries and coconut.

In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs and egg yolk with the vanilla extract. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and stir in the egg mixture to make a soft dough. Knead briefly on a lightly floured work surface until smooth.

Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into an 18cm long sausage. Lay them 10cm apart on the prepared baking tray and flatten slightly with your hand. Bake for 25 minutes until lightly golden and a skewer, inserted into the centre, comes away clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C. Using a serrated knife, cut each log slightly on the diagonal into 12 x 1cm-thick slices. Place side-by-side, cut-face down, on the baking tray and bake for another 20 minutes, turning them halfway, until they feel slightly firm and dry when pressed.

Transfer to a rack and leave them to go cool – they will get harder as they go cold. Store in an airtight tin for the festive season. They’ll seem very hard but that’s make them ideal for dipping into tea, coffee or even a little tippl
Leftovers Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.