It wouldn’t be the holidays without cookies, cookies, and more cookies! These festive, chewy biscotti, with their jewel like seasonal colors, are not only delicious, but are a lovely addition to the holiday table.
This recipe I adapted from the December 2003 issue of Bon Appetit. I made several changes to the original recipe. I substituted dried cherries for half of the dried cranberries. I used the white chocolate chips from Trader Joe’s instead of the more expensive imported chocolate (Perugina or Lindt) called for. If you have the time to locate the finer chocolate, and don’t mind spending a little more, by all means do. I also used the dry roasted unsalted pistachios instead of the natural unsalted. Either would work, but I like the flavor of the dry roasted.
The recipe below can easily be doubled if you want to make a larger quantity.
Holiday Biscotti With Cranberries, Dried Cherries, And Pistachios (adapted from BonAppetit, December, 2003)
(makes about 3 and ½ dozen)
2 and ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 and ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspooon whole aniseed
1 /2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
½ cup dried cherries
¾ cup shelled natural or dry roasted unsalted pistachios
6 ounces imported white chocolate, chopped or white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325 degrees 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 mix 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, dried cherries, and pistachios (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gather dough together.
Divide dough into halves, or quarters if you have doubled the recipe.
Roll each piece into a 15-inch long log (about 1 and ¼ inches wide.) Carefully transfer logs to a prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.
Bake logs until almost firm to the 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 ½-inch-thick slices. Place slices, 1 cut side down, on prepared sheets.
Bake until firm and golden, about 9 minutes per side. Transfer cookies to racks to 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.
Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)