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Recipe: Christmas Biscotti
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Red cranberries and green pistachios make this crispy cookie festive. This one doesn't include butter or oil, which gives it a macaroon-like consistency. "These are the closest to biscotti that I've purchased while in Florence, Italy," writes Anne Marcucci, who advises using floured hands instead of a mixer to combine the ingredients.
- 1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 1/4 pound)
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup salted shelled natural pistachios
- 1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water to make egg wash
Soak cranberries in boiling hot water to cover in a small bowl until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain, then pat dry with paper towels.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a large baking sheet, knocking off excess flour.
Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, and salt in a large bowl until combined well (if using an electric mixer use moderate speed). Add eggs and vanilla and beat just until a dough forms. Add cranberries and pistachios (if using a mixer, use low speed).
Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and knead several times. Using floured hands, form dough into a large ball, then quarter. Form each quarter into a log, about 8-by-2 inches, and flatten each log slightly. Place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart and brush logs with egg wash.
Bake in middle of oven until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet on a rack for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut side down, in one layer on a baking sheet (don't worry if they touch each other). Bake in middle of oven, turning once, until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes total. Biscotti keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 weeks.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
-- Anne Marcucci, Moon
First Published December 4, 2008 12:00 am
