Day 7: Holiday Biscotti

The 12 days of Christmas Baking On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me these wonderful holiday biscotti!

These biscotti are filled with pistachios and dried cranberries and dipped in white chocolate. They are very simple to make and the flavor combinations are very good! You get some crunch and salty-ness from the pistachios and some sweetness from the chewy dried cranberries.

What's so nice about biscotti is that they last forever! You can keep them sealed tightly in a container and sneak one out whenever you'd like. These biscotti would be great if you like mailing family and friends treats during the holidays!

Here is the recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.

Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped 2/3 cup dried cranberries 12 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish

Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries. Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely. Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes. The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.

Oh, and please people, when you're ordering biscotti at a cafe or anywhere, please say "biscotto" if you're just ordering one! Biscotti is plural and should only be used when you want more than one! =)