A recipe for cranberry, oat and white chocolate biscuits published by Yotam Ottolenghi in Sweet had sounded a great Christmas treat but one I never got round to making. The cranberries were bought and their use by date was nigh, so time to do something, I had to compromise on the original recipe but the result was excellent. I then had a moment of inspiration and with the same mixture made biscotti. Read on!

150g whole almonds, skin on
150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
75g ground almonds (YO uses wholemeal flour)
150g jumbo rolled oats
¼ tsp salt
225g unsalted butter at room temperature
100g caster sugar (preferably golden caster sugar)
Finely grated zest of an orange (unwaxed)
125g dried cranberries, chopped in half
25ml orange juice

Oven at 180°C

Soak the cranberries in the orange juice and lightly roast the almonds on a baking tray in the oven for 10-15 minutes. When the almonds are cool enough to handle cut them into three or four slices.

Line two baking trays with baking parchment and turn the temperature of the oven up to 190°C.

Cream together the butter, sugar and orange zest until light. Mix in the almonds, ground almonds (or wholemeal flour), oats and salt. Add the cranberries and gently blend these in.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead it into a ball. Sprinkle on more flour if the mixture gets sticky.

Either roll out the dough to just over 0.5cm thick and, using a 7cm cookie cutter, make about 30 rounds. Place these on the baking trays. Alternatively, with your hands, make the dough into generous walnut sized rounds and place these on the baking trays and then press down their centres.

Bake for about 18 minutes or until the biscuits are lightly browned.

Ottolenghi’s biscuits had a white chocolate coating but I think mine are nice just as they are.

These biscuits will keep in an airtight container for up to a week but, should they become soft, can be revived by being put into a warm oven for a minute or two.