Last year, the Boston Globe highlighted 10 cookies from area bakeries called Holiday Cookie Extravaganza. I have highlighted a few recipes from this article and decided to try the Cranberry Orange Pistachio Biscotti as my festive holiday cookie.
I love biscotti!
A few years ago, my Christmas Cookie list was filled with biscotti. As we get past the holiday season, I will begin to pull out some of those favorites...maybe as a withdrawal to all of this sugar...ho! ho! ho!
Eunice Feller, owner of Bread & Chocolate Bakery Cafe, had this to say about the cookies, " she likes to have these cookies on the holiday dessert table for her husband’s large Italian family. The biscotti are packed with dried cranberries and pistachios, and a drizzle of melted chocolate sweetens each bite."
She describes very well the deliciousness of these cookies. They are buttery and sweet, but the cranberries, orange and pistachios give it a wonderful fruit and nut flavor. The chocolate compliments the cookie but never overpowers the other ingredients.
Enjoy this biscotti after you have celebrated your holiday meal or maybe you can enjoy it as a wonderful breakfast treat as you unwind from a crazy holiday season.
Ingredients:
5 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
4 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of 2 medium oranges
1½ cups dried cranberries
1½ cups shelled, unsalted pistachios
Icing
8 ounces good-quality white (or dark) chocolate
Preparation:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture until the dough comes together. Mix in the cranberries and pistachios. Divide the dough in half.
Shape each half into a 13-inch-by-3½-inch rectangular loaf (about 1 inch thick). Place the loaves on the prepared sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between them. Bake in the middle position for 30 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through baking. The loaves should be lightly golden and give slightly in the middle when gently pressed. Remove the loaves from the oven and cool on the pan for 30 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and move oven racks to top and lower-middle positions. Carefully transfer the loaves to a large cutting board. Using a long serrated knife in a long sawing motion, cut the loaves into slices ½ to ¾ inch thick. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and place the biscotti cut-side down on them.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, or until the biscotti are firm and lightly golden. (When you rotate the sheets, check the bottom sides of the biscotti; if they are browning, turn over to the other cut side.) Remove the biscotti from the oven and cool completely on the pan.
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring frequently. Drizzle or spread it over the tops of the biscotti. Place the biscotti on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax paper, to let the chocolate dry. Store the biscotti in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
This makes about 40 biscotti.
