Holiday Biscotti

It's that time of the year!! There is no escaping the Christmas Cookie Infestation! I love biscotti any time of year, but here is a fun and festive one.

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour *
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 C (one stick) butter, room temperature**
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1.4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios
2/3 cup dried cranberries

decoration:
12 oz white chocolate

Biscotti on the left, Peanut Butter Cookies on the right!

Red and Green sugar crystals

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Mix the sugar, butter, lemon zest and salt in a large bowl with a mixer. Add eggs, one at a time. Blend in dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in pistachios and cranberries.

Form the dough into a log about 3 inches wide and 13 inches long- it should be about an inch thick. Bake until light golden brown, about 30 minutes. If in doubt- go shy on the time. Over baking at this point makes for crumbly biscotti later.  Let cool for 30 minutes.

Slice biscotti with a sharp knife into pieces about 1/2 in thick. Place slices on baking sheet and bake until toasted pale golden, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack.

When biscotti is cool, they can be drizzled with melted white chocolate (according to package directions) and sprinkled with colored sugar.

Biscotti will last about 4 days in an airtight container, or 3 weeks wrapped in foil, and frozen in a resealable plastic bag.

* Consider using half whole wheat pastry flour, and/or subbing almond meal as directed by the package. I did both of these things and they turned out great!

** Try using pureed prunes for up to half of the fat in any baking dish. I used 2T this time, and it worked great!