1 cup pecans, lightly toasted
1 cup dried cranberries
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon orange extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
6 (1-ounce) squares white chocolate, melted
1. Toast the pecans by placing them on a lightly greased baking sheet and into a 350° F. oven for about 15 minutes. Stir the pecans at the end of each 5 minutes of baking time. Take from oven and set aside to cool.
2. Place the cranberries in a bowl with hot water to cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, orange peel, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, vanilla, orange extract, and salt. Blend. Add the flour, pecans, and drained cranberries and stir into a stiff dough. Turn out onto a heavily floured surface and knead until smooth, counting your kneading turns. Knead about 20 turns. Add more flour if needed to reduce stickiness.
4. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a 2-inch-diameter log with a slight hump going down the middle. (These actually look a little like mini bread loaves.) Put them on a large cookie sheet greased lightly with cooking spray and bake them at 350° F. for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Let cool for 10 minutes. (Make sure you cool them for the full 10 minutes or they won’t cut well!)
5. With a spatula, carefully transfer the logs to a cutting surface. Using a serrated knife, cut them on the diagonal into ½-inch-thick slices. Return the slices, cut side down, to the baking sheet. Bake until brown at 350° F. about 20 minutes more. Cool on wire racks. When cool, melt white chocolate slowly in a heavy pan and dip one whole side of each biscotti in the chocolate, scraping off the excess as you remove each from the pan. Return the biscotti to wire racks and let them stand until chocolate is hardened. Makes 16 to 24.