Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Still fresh on our second day of holiday baking and blogging, our intrepid bakers bring you the next offerings in our quest to bake 12 cookies from the 2008 Bon Appétit Holiday Cookie-a-Day collection! (Don’t worry – I won’t be this pithy by Day 12. Or even Day 6.) Again, out of the 31 cookies in the collection, we were each free to choose any 12 recipes to bake and blog about, in any order we choose.

Day 2 of the 12 Days of Cookies begins with a cuppa and these

Holiday Biscotti with Cranberries and Pistachios

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon whole aniseed
• 1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
• 3/4 cup shelled natural unsalted pistachios
• 6 ounces imported white chocolate, chopped

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend well. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in lemon peel, vanilla, and aniseed. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in cranberries and pistachios (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gather dough together; divide in half. Roll each half into 15-inch-long log (about 1 1/4 inches wide). Carefully transfer logs to 1 prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.

Bake logs until almost firm to touch but still pale, about 28 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Carefully transfer logs still on parchment to cutting board. Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into generous 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place slices, 1 cut side down, on remaining 2 prepared sheets. Bake until firm and pale golden, about 9 minutes per side. Transfer cookies to racks and cool.

Line another baking sheet with waxed paper. Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water just until smooth. Remove from over water. Dip 1 end of each cookie into melted chocolate, tilting pan if necessary; shake off excess chocolate. Place cookies on prepared sheet. Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)

Okay. Did I say Yum? No? YUM! It’s been many years since I last made biscotti, and I’ve forgotten how ridiculously easy they are to make. These are delicious! And easy! And they look so freaking elegant, your friends will be impressed! You have to make them! All year-round, not just for the holidays! Seriously!

Notes:

These are really minor points and strictly a matter of personal preference. First, I can’t stand anise in any of its forms. I also don’t like fennel or anything that even remotely tastes like black licorice. Including black licorice. That’s just me. So I replaced the anise seed with a teaspoon of ground cardamom. I think next time I make these – and there will definitely be a next time – I will probably use a teaspoon of almond extract.

Again, this is a really soft dough. I’m resigned to the fact that all of the doughs coming from this Bon Appétit recipe series will be very very soft. But I’m ready for ’em, now.

Also? I couldn’t find any “imported” white chocolate, not that I looked that hard, so I used good old Baker’s. Kind of snooty to make that distinction, if you ask me. But truth be told, these are so good, you don’t need the white chocolate at all, and I only dipped half of them. These are wonderfully flavorful and dunkable, stark naked.

Did I say Yum?

Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes (honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks
Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity
Michelle of Big Black Dog
RJ of Flamingo Musings (hey! that’s me!)
Sandy of At the Baker’s Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project