Cinnamon Red Hot Biscotti Cookies are a wonderfully crunchy cookie for snacking and dunking! Crushed Red Hots candy are the special ingredient that turns the dough pink and adds cinnamon flavor. These spiced biscotti are particularly scrumptious with a cup of tea!
Why you'll love this recipe
In general, I’m not much of a candy eater. I like candy, I just don’t crave it and I rarely have any candy other than chocolate in our house.
When I was growing up, my maternal grandmother always had candy in a divided glass box which she kept on her living room coffee table. I have that box now and keep sea shells in it!
But when my grandmother owned the box, it was filled with coffee hard candies in cellophane wrappers, black licorice, and nonpareils chocolates. As a child, I found the candy out of that glass box to be particularly delicious, and black licorice remains a favorite flavor.
Now when I buy candy, it’s because I am going to bake with it! Most often I use chocolate candy. I’ve made all kinds of things with chocolate, from Kiss Cookies to Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.
Cinnamon Red Hot Biscotti Cookies uses Red Hots candy for color and flavor. The pink and red are great Valentine colors (Christmas,too!), but once you take a crunchy bite of these biscotti, you won’t want to wait for holidays to make them!
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Combine the ingredients to create the dough. On the prepared baking sheet, shape the dough into two smooth 9”x 2”logs, about ¾" thick.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool on the pan about 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature.
- With a serrated knife, cut the log crosswise into ½” - ¾” slices.
- Stand the biscotti on the prepared baking sheet, each cookie slightly separated. Return the baking sheet to the oven, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until dry and beginning to turn golden around the edges.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 weeks.
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Tip and variations
Biscotti look impressive, but are actually very simple to make. The finished cookies can be decorated or enjoyed without further embellishment.
- These biscotti have a sweet cinnamon flavor. If you want more hot and spicy cinnamon flavor, add one or two drops of cinnamon oil to the dough.
- Be sure to use a serrated knife to cut the biscotti logs into slices. The serrated knife helps to keep the dough from crumbling.
- The baked biscotti cookies can be dipped in white chocolate instead of spreading the chocolate on top. Dip the tip, the bottom, or the top of the biscotti, then add sprinkles.
- White chocolate is delicious with the cinnamon flavored biscotti, but is not recommended if these biscotti will be shipped in hot weather. The pink speckled cookies are eye catching even without the added chocolate and sprinkles.
Frequently asked questions
Red Hots candy are small, round, red candies with a hot cinnamon flavor. The generic name for Red Hots is cinnamon imperials.
Cinnamaldehyde oil, a chemical found in cinnamon bark, gives Red Hots candy their spicy cinnamon flavor.
Red Hots can be pulsed in a blender or small food processor. Just a few pulses turns the candies into mostly powder.
The candy can also be crushed by hand. Place the Red Hots in a zip lock bags and use a rolling pin to crush the candy until coarsely ground.
More biscotti recipes
Biscotti are not only delicious, but they are one of the best cookies for mailing in care packages. They are sturdy and many varieties stay fresh for weeks! Nibbled on their own or dunked in your beverage of choice, there is a flavor for everyone!
Chocolate Espresso Biscotti are rich chocolate cookies with bold espresso flavor and crunch!
You will love this Chocolate Chip Biscotti recipe for crunchy biscotti with chocolate chips on the inside and coated in chocolate on the outside.
Coconut White Chocolate Biscotti are a with crunchy vanilla cookie with shredded coconut and creamy white chocolate.
Lemon Biscotti is the perfect teatime treat. Enjoy these lemon cookie with hot or iced tea!
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Cinnamon Red Hot Biscotti Cookies
Ingredients
COOKIES:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup crushed Red Hots cinnamon candies
FOR DECORATING:
- Sprinkles
- ⅓ cup white chocolate melting discs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and baking powder.
- Beat in the eggs. The batter may look slightly curdled.
- Mix in the flour until combined.
- Add ½ cup of the crushed Red Hots. (Red Hots can be pulsed in a food processor or blender until coarsely ground) Stir just until the dough is pink and speckled with candy pieces.
- Scrape the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Shape the dough into two smooth 9”x 2”logs, about ¾" thick.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool on the pan about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the oven to 325°F.
- With a serrated knife, cut the log crosswise into ½” - ¾” slices.
- Stand the biscotti on the prepared baking sheet, each cookie slightly separated. Return the baking sheet to the oven, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until dry and beginning to turn golden around the edges.
- Remove the biscotti from the oven, and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
TO DECORATE:
- In a small bowl, melt white chocolate discs in the microwave at 50% power for about 1 minute, until completely melted and smooth.
- Line up the completely cooled biscotti on a wax paper lined baking pan to catch drips and sprinkles.
- With a butter knife or offset spatula, spread white chocolate on the top of a biscotti. Add sprinkles immediately. Continue until all the biscotti are decorated. The tray can be refrigerated for about 10 minutes to speed up the firming of the chocolate.
- Be sure the chocolate is completely firm before storing.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 weeks.
Notes
- These biscotti have a sweet cinnamon flavor. If you want more hot and spicy cinnamon flavor, add one or two drops of cinnamon oil to the dough.
- Be sure to use a serrated knife to cut the biscotti logs into slices. The serrated knife helps to keep the dough from crumbling.
- The baked biscotti cookies can be dipped in white chocolate instead of spreading the chocolate on top. Dip the tip, the bottom, or the top of the biscotti, then add sprinkles.
- White chocolate is delicious with the cinnamon flavored biscotti, but is not recommended if these biscotti will be shipped in hot weather. The pink speckled cookies are eye catching even without the added chocolate and sprinkles.
Sue B
Although I have made many different biscotti recipes and given them as gifts, I have had more people tell me that this is their favorite than any other recipe I have tried.
There is the added mystery of the recipient trying to decide what has given the biscotti the color and the flavor.
Note to Cheryl--I always pulverize mine into a powder and I think it makes the perfect color/texture.
So glad to have found this recipe!
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Sue. I'm so happy to hear that you and others have enjoyed these biscotti so much! I love biscotti and, like you, give them as gifts often. Biscotti make such a great gifting and care package cookie! I had never tried pulverizing candy to use as an ingredient before making these cookies and I'm SO glad I did. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to leave your comment and star rating!
Cheryl
Red Hots do not just "crush" in the food processor or blender, in my trying. They either turn to dust or nothing at all.. Even with pulsing.... They are too hard and break through the plastic bag if you try to "beat" the into submission..... Trying to figure out how to save the biscotti and not waste it.... heavy sign....
Wendy Sondov
I'm sorry to hear that you are having trouble with the red hots. A few short pulses in the food processor, as indicated in the recipe, is all I ever need to break down the candy. If you don't use the pulse feature, the processor will turn the candy into powder. However, the powder can also be used to provide both color and flavor to the biscotti. Variations in candy brands and freshness effects the hardness of the candies.
Suzy
I made these and doubled the recipe. They are terrific! BTW, red hot candies do not crush using a plastic bag and rolling pin! Hammer maybe? I used a mini food processor and that worked. Great with coffee and hot chocolate. Thanks!
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Suzy. I'm so glad you enjoyed these biscotti! I prefer using my mini food processor to crush the candy. I agree, you get a more consistent result. I did find that the different brands of red hots were different consistencies. Some were like little rocks and others much softer.
saltandserenity
Wendy, In Canada we have cinnamon heart candies. I wonder if these "Red Hots" arte the same? Cinnamon hearts are very strongly flavoured cinnamon candies and way to pretty to crush!! Love this idea for the biscotti. They are just so pretty to look at. Loving the composition oif the first photo.
Babychaser
These look really good! I pinned them for later!
Blessings,
Babychaser
The Monday Box
Thanks! I appreciate your pinning and hope you enjoy the biscotti !