Holiday Treat: Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti

Biscotti. If the word makes you think of a crack your teeth hard cookie, then you’ve had bad biscotti. The slim, chunky cookie is a twice-baked confection that is usually eaten with tea or coffee, which is why they should be firm enough to dunk in your drink without melting, but never so hard as to echo in your head when bitten into.

One of my favorite holiday recipes is the Cranberry- Pistachio Biscotti from the Williams-Sonoma baking cookbook. Truthfully you can make these year round, but the red of the cranberry and green of the pistachios make it look so festive. I often make large batches and package them for gift baskets and hostess gifts. Wherever I take them, people will hunt me down and say, “You made these?! They are sooooo good.”

Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti 

Ingredients:

2 cups AP Flour                          2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp baking powder           3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt                                  1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

1 1/2 tsp orange zest                  1 tsp each of vanilla and almond extract

1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios and 1/2 cup dried cranberries

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

By hand or with a mixer beat the eggs and sugar together for 3 minutes. Beat in the butter, orange zest and extracts until blended. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add this to the wet ingredients a third at a time until combined. Add the pistachios and cranberries at the end.

Scoop half of the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and form a long log shape. I find it easier if I dampen my hands first to prevent the dough from sticking to my hands. Scoop the other half onto the baking sheet and form a second log, leaving a three-inch gap between the two. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

 

Take the sheet out of the oven and lower the temperature to 300 degrees. Let the logs cool for about 10 minutes then carefully transfer them to a cutting board. Cut each log at a slight diagonal in 1/2 inch slices. Arrange the slices back on the baking sheet on their sides. Bake them again for about 17-22 minutes.

 

Happy Holidays and Enjoy!