Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

My family LOVES biscotti.  It just seems to disappear.  I tried this version from one of my cookbooks and they tasted AMAZING.  My son took one to school today and said all the kids tried to take it from him. 

 

This recipe came from Martha Stewart's Cookies book.  I love this book.  It has lots of recipes and a picture of each cookie so that you can actually see what you are making!  It didn't take long at all to make.  I think once you make biscotti once, you don't mind doing it again once you see how delicious homemade turns out.  I will never buy store bought again.  I haven't in ages.  Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for baking sheet

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup shelled pistachios (4 1/2 oz)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.  In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium until light and fluffy.  Add eggs; beat on low speed until well combined, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary.  Add flour mixture; beat to form stiff dough.  Beat in pistachios and chocolate chips until just combined.

Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet; form into a slightly flattened log, about 14 by 4 inches.  Bake until slightly firm, about 25 minutes.  Cool about 5 minutes.  Reduce oven to 300 degrees.

On a cutting board, using a sharp, serrated knife, cut biscotti diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices.  Arrange cut sides down on baking sheet; bake until crisp but still slightly soft in the center, about 8 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to one week.

Golden Raisin and Pistachio Biscotti

Biscotti...

The thing about biscotti is once you have the basic dough, you can put anything you want into them!  I usually make cranberry and pistachio biscotti since my husband loves pistachios and we always have them in the pantry.  We almost always have cranberries too, but not today.  I looked and found goldin raisins.  So there you have it. 

I put the ingredients into my kitchen aid mixer and put the dough onto parchement paper in two logs flattened out with my hands.

 

Then you brush them with egg wash and sprinkle generously with sugar.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Here is what a finished loaf looks like.  Now you cut them into 1/2 inch pieces and lay flat to cook a second time.

Bake until golden brown and you have a delicous snack that will last up to 6 weeks in an airtight container.  Mine never last that long between my husband, the kids and I eating them!  You can also dip these in white or regular chocolate for an added sweetness!  It's yummy.

The recipe that I use is from Martha Stewart's Homebaking Handbook (AKA my bible....lol). 

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
from Martha Stewart's home baking handbook

Ingredients
1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup boiling water

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place cranberries in a small bowl; add boiling water. Let stand until plump, about 15 minutes. Drain, and set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined. Mix in cranberries and pistachios.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each piece into a 16-by-2-inch log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly. Brush beaten egg over surface of the dough logs, and sprinkle generously with sugar.

Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until logs are slightly firm to touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer logs on parchment paper to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Place logs on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place a wire rack on a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange slices, cut sides down, on rack. Bake until firm to touch, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven; let biscotti cool completely on rack. Biscotti can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.