Raspberry Cheesecake Biscotti

Maybe this is Mandelbrot, maybe it is biscotti. It contains cheese and oil (symbolic Chanukah foods). It tastes like cheesecake in a crisp cookie stick.

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen, depending on size

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Layer

• 1 cup cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Biscotti Dough

• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butte
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon oil or 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 1 cup ground almonds (optional)
• 3 cups, or more, all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup raspberry jam

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Double up large cookie sheets (stack one inside the other). Line top cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cream Cheese Layer

1. In a food processor, blend the ingredients to make a thick, smooth batter. Set aside.
2. Do not clean food processor bowl.

Biscotti Dough

1. Add oil and butter, sugar, eggs and extracts and blend well.
2. Add almonds, flour, salt and baking powder and blend to make a thick batter. If batter is soft (it needs to be stiff) add more flour, a half cup at a time (you should not need more than 1 extra cup).
3. Spread out batter on cookie sheet. Make a trough with your fingers, and pour in cream cheese mixture.
4. Top with raspberry jam. Mush together by dragging some cookie batter over and around the other ingredients. Try your best to contain the wet stuff on top of the batter.
5. Bake dough loaf until set and dry to the touch, 45 to 55 minutes.
6. Cool loaf for about 20 minutes and then cut into (about one inch wide).
7. Return to cookie sheet and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
8. Bake cookies again to dry and crisp, 12 to 18 minutes.

Attribution

Kosher Cuisine with Marcy Goldman