Cranberry & Pistachio Biscotti

Hi guys!

I love Christmas, not necessarily the gift hunting before and the stress, but standing in the kitchen, baking and making the whole house smell like a giant cookie. I also love the colors, the green and red and gold. So I got very excited when I came upon this recipe from Cynthia Barcomi for Cranberry & Pistachio Biscotti. They look like jewels themselves with the cranberries almost sparkling like rubies and the pistachios emerald-green. Here's the recipe:

350g (2 1/3 cup; 12.3 oz) plain flour
200g (1 cup; 7 oz) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
125g (4.4 oz) dried cranberries
100g (3.5 oz) pistachios, chopped
zest and juice of 1 orange

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Line a baking tin with paper. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and vanilla extract in a bowl. 

2) Beat in the eggs with a wooden spoon or kitchen machine until everything is mixed well. Fold in the cranberries, pistachios, orange zest and juice. 

3) Divide the dough in two. Put both halves on the baking sheet and form each half into a long rectangle of about 22x6cm (8.5x2.3inch). 

4) Bake in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes. Take the tin out of the oven and let the rectangles cool on the tin for about 20 minutes. 

5) Lay each rectangle on a cutting board and cut it into about 1-1,5cm (about 0.5 inch) wide slices. Spread the slices, cut side up, on the baking tin. 

6) At 170°C (338°F), bake for 7 minutes. Turn the biscotti and bake for another 6-8 minutes until they are golden brown. Let them cool on a cooling rack. 

Yield: about 35 biscotti
Active preparation time: 30 minutes
Total preparation time: 90 minutes
© Copyright: Cynthia Barcomi, "I love Baking", p. 134.

Here's how mine look:

These biscotti are everything but average. The cranberries add fruity sweetness, the orange a little acidity and the pistachios serve as little crunchy surprises. I especially love the colour these biscotti end up having. They almost shine in a saturated golden tone with deep red and green sparkling in between. 

Have fun trying and enjoy a relaxed christmas time!