Christmas

Day 11: Saffron Biscotti

Today is Day 11 of 25 Creative Days of Christmas and it’s finally my turn to share a Christmas recipe. In Sweden, Christmas and saffron go hand-in-hand. We start munching on saffron treats at the beginning of December and saffron buns are an especially big part of our Lucia celebrations on December 13th. I think these biscotti are the perfect little saffron treat for the holiday season.

I like to keep a big glass jar of biscotti in my kitchen all through December. They’re perfect to bring out when you have unexpected visitors, and I like to fill a cellophane bag or a little takeout box with biscotti and tie a red ribbon around it for hostess gifts. Little A’s birthday is December 12th, and I always make sure to send home our party guests with a bag of biscotti after the celebrations.

Biscotti means “twice baked” and that’s exactly how these are made. Click past the break for the recipe.

Saffron Biscotti

  • 100 gr butter
  • 1 gr saffron (usually sold in 0.5 gr packets)
  • 50 gr almonds
  • 2 eggs
  • 150 ml sugar
  • 500 ml flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 100 ml raisins
  1. Pre-heat oven to 200°c. Melt the butter, mix in the saffron and let cool. If the saffron isn’t powdered (if it’s still in strings), pulverize it in a pestle and mortar with a sugar cube. Chop the almonds coarsely.
  2. Mix the flour, baking powder and raisins.
  3. Whip the eggs and sugar fluffy. Add the butter and saffron mixture and the almonds. And then add the flour mixture a little at a time until you have a dough.
  4. Roll the dough into three lengths, roughly as long as your cookie sheet. Put the rolls on a parchment lined cookie sheet and flatten them a little. Bake them in the middle of the oven for around 10 minutes. If you want your biscotti a little bigger, make the rolls shorter (and fatter) – as wide as the cookie sheet instead of as long.
  5. Immediately slice the lengths at a bit of an angle. Then lay the biscotti on the sheet and bake with the cut side up at 175°c for ca 5-6 minutes. Turn them all over and bake them again on the other cut side for another ca 5-6 minutes. 
  6. Turn off the oven and let the biscotti dry out a little more in the oven – with a wooden spoon in the opening. Store the biscotti in an airtight container.

Yesterday Lina by the Bay showed us how to put together lovely green Christmas arrangements for the home and tomorrow is Djura Bok & Pappersverkstad‘s turn to share a project. Make sure to follow The Creative Collective on Facebook so you don’t miss a thing!

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  2. Love the recipe! Love the wrappings. Love the china!Thanks so much for sharing, Mina. I can’t wait to try the recipe.

  4. wow, i had no idea saffron played such a big role in Swedish Christmases. You guys forgot to inform me on that part during Vancouver years. lol.
    But it’s interesting that it is also used in holiday fare in Indian cuisine, as you know, and also in Moroccan cuisine. i wonder what the historical linkages are….

    • Don’t you remember the saffron buns with raisins at Lucia? There are a few of those spice links that are strong in all those cultures.. We also use a lot of cardamom (year round) – which is also big in India and the middle east and northern Africa, but not terribly common in many other food cultures?

      • no. i guess my memory is failing me ha ha. i do remember the lovely tree you guys would have, the unique decorations made of straw and red ribbons, the Santa Lucia event itself, the crown we’d then play with afterwards…and i remember your Dad letting us paint the marzipan logs with chocolate….
        God Jul, Mina! (and family)

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