Recipe- Crispy And Crunchy Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

The Holiday season is here which actually means the cookie season is here ?? It’s all about cookies, everywhere and anywhere! While I love baking everything & anything, cookies are one of my favorites to bake and that’s why this time of the year excites me all the more. There are so many cookie recipes to make/try that my head is literally spinning with what to bake and what not to bake. Why can’t I bake everything?

While I love all kinds of cookies, crispy and crunchy cookies are my favorites. As an Indian, my mind is programmed to like crispy cookies since that was all we grew up eating! Now of course I like soft and chewy cookies as well but I treat them more as desserts. Cookie for me is one that I can dip in my chai and that cookie has to be crispy just like these Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti.

Other than the fact that biscotti are delicious, they are also very easy to make. I never use my stand mixer for making them, all I need is a simple whisk and a bowl. For making these biscotti you first melt the unsalted butter and let it cool down to room temperature. You then mix it with sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Finally you add in the flour and dried cranberries and toasted chopped pistachios to form a dough. I just used my hands to bring it all together as a dough.

Once the dough is done, divide it into 4 equal parts. I used my kitchen scale to make sure all 4 parts were equal in weight. You then roll each part into a 12 inch long log. Press it slightly so that it’s around 2 inch thick.

Ingredients

2.5 cups all purpose flour
1.25 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs at room temperature
5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup dried cranberries
¾ cup roasted pistachios roughly chopped

Method

* Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

* In a bowl whisk together all purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

* Melt the butter in the microwave. Set aside and let it cool down to room temperature.

* In a bowl whisk together melted cooled butter and sugar.
* Mix till well combined.

* Add in the eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix till smooth.

* Add in the flour mix in parts mixing after each addition.

* Fold in the dried cranberries and toasted chopped pistachios and mix to form a dough.

* Divide dough into 4 equal parts.

* Take 1 part of the dough and placed it on your working surface which has been lightly floured.

* Knead a little till it's all smooth.

* Roll in into a log 12 inches long.

* Transfer it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
* Press the log slightly so that it's around 2 inches wide.

* Repeat the same with the remaining 3 portions of the dough.

* Bake the logs at 350 F degrees for 28-30 minutes.

* Take them out at let them cool down for around 20 minutes.

* In the meanwhile reduce the oven temperature to 325 F degrees.

* Once the logs have cooled down use a sharp serrated knife, to cut the log diagonally into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices.

* Arrange all the slices in the tray and bake at 325 F degrees for 8 minutes.

* Take out the tray and flip the slices and bake for another 8 minutes on the opposite side.

* Transfer biscotti on a wire rack to cool completely.

* Store in an airtight container.