During the holiday season, I feel especially lucky to be Italian-American for two reasons, and both involve food. Reason #1: The Italian Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes, where you can expect to spend a minimum of five hours at the dinner table. Reason #2: These biscotti.
Biscotti — the twice-baked Italian cookies with an audible crunch — are a little different than your average Christmas cookie, but just as delicious. This recipe is a favorite of mine because it has you make one dough, split it in half, then add flavorings to create two distinct types of biscotti.
With a little effort, you’ve got two festive biscotti flavors that look great on a holiday cookie platter and are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of hot chocolate.
Basic Biscotti Dough
- Prep Time:20
- Cook Time:45
- Total Time:1 hour 5 minutes
- Servings:36 servings
- Advanced
- 3 cup flour, plus some for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar, plus some for sprinkling
- 4 eggs (3 for the biscotti, plus 1 for brushing on top)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
Ingredients
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 375°F.
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Step 2
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
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Step 3
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl. It should resemble wet sand, but it’s OK if it’s a little clumpy.
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Step 4
Crack in 3 of the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
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Step 5
Add vanilla and beat until incorporated.
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Step 6
Add half of the flour mixture and mix it in on low speed.
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Step 7
Add the rest of the flour and mix until a sticky dough forms.
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Step 8
Remove half of the dough and place it in another bowl.
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Step 9
Add in flavorings as directed in the recipes below.
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Step 10
Shape biscotti dough into a 14-by-2 inch log on a floured surface. Flatten slightly and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
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Step 11
Beat the remaining egg and brush on top of dough logs.
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Step 12
Sprinkle with approximately 2 teaspoons sugar.
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Step 13
Bake for 25 minutes, rotating halfway through.
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Step 14
Remove from oven and let biscotti cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
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Step 15
Slice biscotti into 1-inch slices with a serrated knife.
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Step 16
Arrange biscotti on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
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Step 17
Let cool.
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Step 18
Store biscotti in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti
- Prep Time:20 minutes
- Cook Time:45 minutes
- Total Time:1 hour 5 minutes
- Servings:18 servings
- Advanced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1/2 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- 2 oz white chocolate
Ingredients
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Step 1
Pour hot water over dried cranberries. Let sit for 10 minutes. Drain excess water.
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Step 2
Add cranberries and pistachios to biscotti dough. Mix.
#SpoonTip: “Chop” pistachios by placing them in a Ziploc bag and crushing with a rolling pin or other heavy object.
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Step 3
See basic biscotti dough step 10 for instructions on shaping and baking.
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Step 4
Microwave white chocolate for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for another 10 seconds and stir until smooth.
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Step 5
Spoon white chocolate into Ziploc bag. Snip a corner with scissors to create a makeshift pastry bag.
#SpoonTip: Place the bag in a tall cup to make adding the chocolate easier.
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Step 6
Squeeze bag to drizzle white chocolate on biscotti.
Almond Biscotti
- Prep Time:20 minutes
- Cook Time:45 minutes
- Total Time:1 hour 5 minutes
- Servings:18 servings
- Advanced
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 teaspoon amaretto liqueur (optional)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 oz dark chocolate
Ingredients
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Step 1
Add almonds, almond extract, amaretto liqueur (if using), and flour to biscotti dough. Mix.
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Step 2
See basic biscotti dough step 10 for instructions on shaping and baking.
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Step 3
Decorate with melted dark chocolate. See Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti recipe step 4 for details.