Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Biscotti are such lovely little crunchy cookies that can easily be turned into an elegant homemade gift. For the person who enjoys  'not so sweet' desserts, these are be the perfect treat for them. Biscotti can be left plain, but are most commonly found chock full of dried fruits or nuts.

 
Cranberries & pistachios are the perfect green and red representation for the holiday season in a dessert. To dress these cookies up even more, you can dip them in white and dark chocolate and coat them in red & green sanding sugar.



Holiday Biscotti
(adapted from Giada de Laurentiis)
*I doubled this recipe
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp grated orange zest [she uses lemon, but orange & cranberry are great together]
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries
- 12 oz white/dark chocolate for dipping
- sprinkles/sanding sugar for decorating

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.

Cream the butter and sugar with the zest and the vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, & salt in a seperate bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time to the butter/sugar

Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until the flour disappears.

By hand, fold in the fruit and nuts.

Form the dough into a log, 13 inches long by 3 inches wide. Bake for 40 minutes.

Cool for 30 minutes. Cut into 1/2 inch slices on the bias. Lay flat and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden and dried out.

Cool completely. Dip into melted chocolate and decorate as you wish!

Enjoy!