Pistachio And Cranberry Biscotti

Pistachio and Cranberry Biscotti

These green and red studded biscotti are a holiday tradition at my house. They go great with a cup of coffee in the morning.

Ingredients:

2¼ cups all purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon whole aniseed
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
¾ cup shelled natural unsalted pistachios

Directions
Preheat oven to 325° F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Cream together butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
Mix in lemon peel, vanilla and aniseed. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in cranberries and pistachios (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gather dough together; divide in half. Roll each half into 10-inch-long log and flatten to about 3 inches wide. Carefully transfer logs to one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.

Bake logs until almost firm to touch but still pale, about 28 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Carefully transfer logs still on parchment to cutting board. Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices. Place slices, 1 cut side down, on remaining 2 prepared sheets. 

Bake until firm and pale golden, about 12 to 15 minutes per side. Transfer cookies to racks and cool. Makes about 30 biscotti.