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10/5/09

How To Make Biscotti at Home

I wrote this recipe post originally for Robyn Webb's You Can Eat That Blog, but wanted to share it with you as well. Enjoy!

How many of you have purchased already baked biscotti at your local grocery stores and specialty coffee houses? Did you know that biscotti (twice baked cookies) are actually very easy to make at home? The added bonus of making biscotti at home is that you are not only saving money, but you can also control what ingredients end up in the final product. Robyn gave me a basic recipe for biscotti, which I adapted to include crystallized ginger, pistachio nuts and orange zest.

Crystallized Ginger & Pistachio Biscotti (Cantuccini)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups pistachio nuts, shelled, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
zest of one orange
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

2. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and orange zest and stir well to mix. Stir in the nuts and crystallized ginger.

3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and the vanilla extract. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until a stiff dough is formed.

4. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll each half into a cylinder, just a bit shorter than the baking sheet. Place the dough onto the baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Press down gently with the palm of your hand to flatten the logs.

5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until they feel firm to the touch. Place on a rack and let cool.

6. Once the logs have cooled, slice each log into diagonally cut pieces about 1/3 inch thick.



7. Arrange the cantuccini cookies on prepared pans, cut side down. Bake the cookies for about 15-25 minutes until well toasted. Cool completely.


Variations: Don't think you'll like crystallized ginger? No problem! You can leave it out and add finely chopped dried apricots instead. Feel free to also use any kind of nut you prefer. For example, you can make biscotti with almonds and cinnamon, or hazelnuts and cocoa powder. My other favorite combination is orange zest and cranberries.

Have you made biscotti? If so, what add-ons did you use?

13 comments:

Mary Bergfeld said...

I adore all forms of ginger and can just imagine how wonderful it must taste with pistachios and orange zest. I also have a weakness for good biscotti. Your recipe has just moved very close to the top of my must-try list. Have a great day.

Angie's Recipes said...

Oh man...these pistachio biscotti look fabulous, gotta try the recipe!!

Angie's Recipes

Sasha said...

Biscotti are awesome. Good job!

I made biscotti once, using Giada's recipe, and it was easy. It was a bit lengthy though so I grew impatient...

: ]

Simones Kitchen said...

I love biscotti!! (we always call them cantuccini here..) I didn't know it would be so easy to make. For some reason I always figured it would be difficult to achieve the right level of crunchiness... Gotta try this!

gaga said...

Wow, those turned out perfectly! I've only made it once and really enjoyed it. I think it's time I tried it again!

Leslie said...

oh nice!!! I am loving the flavors you incorporated!

Johnna Knows Good Food: Yum Yum, Gimme Some! said...

Love it!

Anonymous said...

I adore both crystallized ginger and pistachios so this biscotti would be my favorite for sure!

lisaiscooking said...

I love making biscotti, and this looks like a delicious recipe! Orange zest and pistachios sound great.

Shelby said...

I love biscotti and am always in search of different recipes I haven't tried. These look delish!

Juliana said...

Biscotti with crystallized ginger? I know as a matter of fact that I will love it...actually a got a pack at Trader Joes a week ago and was wondering what to do with it... they look delicious!

Delicious Dishings said...

Wow - those look so good! I didn't think I would like crystallized ginger before I tried it, but it's really good, especially dipped in chocolate. :)

I made biscotti a long time ago... I think one was chocolate and one may have had hazelnuts in it... but I can't remember!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Great photo journaling! It helped as I was making my pumpkin biscotti.