Raspberry Cheesecake Biscotti

Source: Kosher Cuisine with Marcy Goldman

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.

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 butter or oil
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

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

In a food processor, blend the cream cheese layer ingredients to make a thick, smooth batter. Set aside. Do not clean food processor bowl. Add oil and butter, sugar, eggs, and extracts and blend well.

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).

Spread out batter on baking sheet. Make a trough with your fingers, and pour in cream cheese mixture. 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.

Bake dough loaf until set and dry to the touch, 45-55 minutes.

Cool loaf about 20 minutes and then cut into (about one inch wide). Return to baking sheet and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Bake cookies again to dry and crisp, 12-18 minutes.

Makes 2 - 3 dozen, depending on size.