Cranberry & Pistachio Biscotti

 

Despite what your mother told you, cookies are perfect for breakfast. Some of us wake up without feeling hunger (definitely not me), but I know you're out there. For those of you who don't and are told to eat breakfast because it starts your day off right, then this is your go-to. Yes biscotti is a cookie, but its less sweet and goes perfectly with a glass of milk, or a cup of hot tea in the morning or at night. 

The word biscotti, means twice baked in Italian. In this recipe you bake the cookie once, remove from the oven and slice diagonally, placing back in the oven to cook for the remaining time, allowing the biscotti to reach a crunchy and soft consistency. If you never have tried homemade biscotti, it is an experience, quite different from buying them at Starbucks or the market. These are anything but hard on your teeth, and the flavor increases every day.

 

You can make all types of biscotti, but I chose to use cranberry and pistachio. It was so wonderful. Seeing as how two of my friends, Diane Kay (Stepmom) and Susan Monus, the woman I work for in Malibu had their birthdays recently, I decided to make biscotti because their shelf life is much longer than any other baked good. You can freeze them so they will last even longer too! How great is that? Always having a small snack to go along with your tea! 

My kitchen looked like a complete mess afterward because I doubled the recipe thinking there wouldn't be enough, but oh crap, I now am left with 3 huge ziplock baggies filled with biscotti just sitting here waiting to be eaten. If you ever are having a party, this is a great way to make a lot in one session.

 In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar. Then combine the dry ingredients before adding the pistachios and cranberries.

 

What I did notice is the pistachio are much stronger in flavor than the cranberries, so if you are in it for the cranberries mostly, I would highly recommend adding more. For me, the proportions were perfect, but I probably would add a little more pistachio and cranberry so that there is more in every bite.

 

Just a note, the dough is extremely sticky, so don't be shy when flouring your surface. Mix one egg in a bowl to coat the dough when formed into a log. (shown below).

 Before going into the oven (above) and first time removed from the oven shown below.

 At this point, your kitchen will smell like you are in Tartine Bakery, which is located in the Mission District in San Francisco. That's a good thing if you've never been there and don't know what I am talking about. I had one of the most delicious meals I have ever eaten recently. My mom and I shared a vegetable croque monsieur and a lovely quiche. Go there if you are in San Fran. You can smell it from a few blocks away and everyone leaves happy with a smile on their face. I'm killing myself for not taking any pictures...oh well.

 After removing, cut the biscotti diagonally. Do not cut immediately after taking out of the oven, wait around 15-20 minutes so that it won't crumble and fall apart. Don't wait too long or else it will harden and it won't slice easily, leaving you with a messy kitchen and not so pretty biscotti.

 On a wire rack, place the biscotti on the side they were cut to prep for their second baking round. You can see the lovely pistachio and cranberries throughout. At this point, the outsides are hardening, but the inside is soft. If you like doughy centers, you technically don't have to bake again, although it wouldn't reaaallly be biscotti. Who care though right?!

And there it is, after baked a second time, the outsides are even more golden and the inside is crispier than before, yet softer than market bought biscotti. Like other recipes, I'm sure everyone is sad when the last bite is taken and you are longing for more. Nope, not in this case. Like I said, 3 bags of biscotti left (I doubled the recipe for birthday presents). I will have these in the freezer for quite some time. Who wants to come over for a tea party?

Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti
originally from Marth Stewart

Ingredients:
 1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup boiling water
3 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar, plus more for sprinkling
3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces)salted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 357 degrees. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place cranberries in a small bowl; add boiling water. Let stand until plump, about 15 minutes. Drain, and set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, and mic on low speed until combined. Mix in cranberries and pistachios.

3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each piece into a 16 by 2 inch log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly. Brush beaten egg over surface of the dough logs, and sprinkle generously with sugar.

4. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until logs are slightly firm to touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer logs on parchment paper to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

5. Place logs on cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2 inch-thick slices. Place a wire rach on a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange slices, cut sides down, on rack. Bake until firm to touch, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven; let biscotti cool completely on rack. Biscotti can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Freeze if you want to keep them longer.