Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

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School is out! And that means one thing - it's Christmas cookie time! I love holiday baking and now that I am free for 2 weeks it is time to fire up the oven and get the cookie party started! This year is bittersweet to me because it is my last official "Christmas break". I think I may cry a small tear. I know, most people don't get a Christmas break until they're 28 but when you're in school for forever you have to find small victories once in a while! So I'm going to revel in this last official break and enjoy every minute of it. 

I've made a few batches of cookies this weekend and the first one I want to share is this cranberry pistachio biscotti. If you take a look around my blog you might notice that I have quite a few biscotti recipes, I just love the stuff. It's so easy and delicious, and something a little different from the norm. The instant I saw this festive biscotti pop up I knew it was on the list for 2015. I wasn't disappointed, and I don't think you will be either. So grab you own mixer and start baking!

This was a new recipe for me, which always makes me just a little bit nervous. You never quite know how much biscotti is going to spread. But there was no need to worry here, the cookies baked up beautifully. My only disappointment was not having quite enough pistachios to fold in. I threw in what I had and just made the best of it, but if you can, try to get the entire 3/4 cup mixed in. It just adds even more to the festiveness of this deliciously crunchy cookie. 

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients

  • 2 and 1/4 cups (280g) all-purpose flour 
  • 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable or olive oil 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup (75g) pistachios
  • 3/4 cup (120g) dried cranberries
  • Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Add in the cold butter and mix until mixture is crumbly. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla together. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and mix until everything is just barely moistened. Fold in the pistachios and dried cranberries.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and with floured hands, knead lightly until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, about 8-10 times. If it's uncontrollably sticky, knead 1-2 more Tablespoon(s) of flour into the dough. With floured hands, divide the dough in two and place each half onto a baking sheet. Shape each half into an 8-9 inch long roll, patting down until each is about 1/2 inch thick. 

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top and sides of each biscotti slab with egg wash.

Bake in batches (or together) for 25-26 minutes, or until the top and sides of the biscotti slabs are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. 

Once the slabs are cool enough to handle, cut each into 1 inch thick slices. Set slices cut sides upright, ¼ inch apart, on the baking sheets. Return to the oven to continue baking for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once while baking. The cookies may be slightly soft in the centers with harder edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. As the biscotti cools, it becomes crunchy.