Cherry Pistachio Biscotti

Just about every month we have a family dinner and celebrate everyone's birthday that falls in that month. A while back it happened to be my mom's birthday and we decided to have an Italian-themed meal. I put it together with my sister and it was lots of fun and a big hit! We had spaghetti and meatballs, Zuppa Toscana, garlic bread, yummy salad and for dessert my sister got some spumoni ice cream and I made these biscotti.

Biscotti are fun to make and you can create so many flavor combinations, probably as endlessly as cookie combinations. For this biscotti, I really wanted it to just "scream" Italian and I thought pistachios and dried cherries were perfect, especially since they are two of the flavors in traditional spumoni. The biscotti turned out wonderfully! The saltiness of the pistachios worked great with the sweetness of the dried cherries. It was also a great dipper for our ice cream.


Cherry Pistachio Biscotti
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup dried cherries


In a small bowl, beat sugar and oil until blended. Beat in eggs, then almond and vanilla extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture and mix well (dough will be stiff). Stir in pistachios and cherries.

Divide dough in half. With floured hands, shape each half into a 12-in. x 2-in. rectangle on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until set.

Place pan on wire rack. When cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 3/4-in. slices. Place cut side down on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until firm. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen.

SOURCE: Adapted from Taste of Home

Linked to...
Mangia Mondays @ Delightfully Dowling

Romano-Black Pepper Biscotti

1 1/2 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns or peppercorn blend
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp.) cold, unsalted butter, cut into half inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

Pulse peppercorns in grinder until coarsely ground. In a food processor or large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups cheese, and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper. Pulse in the butter with a food processor or, if you’re using a bowl with a pastry blender or your fingertips, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 3 eggs with milk and add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into thirds. Using well-floured hands, form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log, about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high (or to the size you want). Transfer logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging logs about 3 inches apart.

Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper. Bake until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Transfer a log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes.

Makes about 16 slices of biscotti

SOURCE:elly says opa!

Chocoholic Mint Truffle Kissed Biscotti

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
10-oz. bag Hershey's Mint Truffle Kisses, unwrapped and halved

1 cup white chocolate chips
Sprinkles, if desired

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

In a stand or electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined, scraping sided to incorporate all ingredients. Place flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add to wet ingredients following with the chocolate chips and kisses. Mix on low until just combined.

Divide the dough into two equal halves and form into two 10-inch logs on the prepared baking sheets, at least 4 inches apart. The logs should be about 10 inches long by 4 inches wide (they will spread during baking), and about 1 1/2 – 2 inches deep. Bake for about 30 minutes, then allow to cool for 10 minutes. Using a long serrated knife slice each log into 3/4-inch to 1-inch pieces on the diagonal. Separate on the baking sheet so that the sides are not touching. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Melt chocolate over a double broiler or carefully melt in microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth and melted. Dip tips or drizzle chocolate over entire surface of biscotti and then add sprinkles, if desired. Let chocolate harden on wax paper then enjoy with your favorite cup of hot chocolate!!

Approximately 16 slices of biscotti

SOURCE:Picky Palate

Gingerbread Biscotti

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 bag Hershey’s cinnamon chips
1/4 cup molasses
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate, for dipping

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

Combine flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices and cinnamon chips in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed just to combine. In a small bowl, combine eggs with molasses and stir well. With the mixer on low speed, pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Dough will be slightly crumbly.

Divide the dough into two equal halves and form into two 10-inch logs on the prepared baking sheets. The logs should be about 10 inches long by 4 inches wide (they will spread during baking), and about 1 1/2 – 2 inches deep. Bake for about 30 minutes, then allow to cool for 10 minutes. Using a long serrated knife slice each log into 3/4-inch to 1-inch pieces on the diagonal. Separate on the baking sheet so that the sides are not touching. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Place chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a double boiler and melt until smooth. Dip half of each biscotti into the chocolate, shake gently to remove excess, and place on wax paper to set.

SOURCE:Annie's Eats

Orange Cranberry Biscotti with White Chocolate Chips and Orange Glaze

These are my new go-to holiday treat, they are wonderful! I seriously could not stop eating these biscotti. I absolutely loved them and was so exited when I finally got to make them. They are perfect for treat bags or goodie trays because they keep well.

Orange Cranberry Biscotti w/ White Chocolate Chips and Orange Glaze
for the biscotti:
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. orange zest
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

for the glaze:
3-4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl; stir together with a fork and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries with a rubber spatula.

Divide the dough in half. Working with one portion of dough, shape into a 12" x 3" log on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough so that the logs are laying parallel and spaced apart on the baking sheet. Bake until the logs are golden brown, 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 25 minutes, maintaining the oven temperature in the meantime.

Carefully transfer the logs to a work surface and remove the parchment paper from the pan (if you are using it). Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into ½-inch slices on the diagonal. Lie the slices on one of their cut sides back on the baking sheet. Return to the oven and bake for 12 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool almost completely. Drizzle glaze over each biscotto, spreading it if desired, then finish cooling completely. Store in an airtight container.

SOURCE:Adapted from Annie's Eats.

Linked to...
Recipe Swap Thursady @ Prairie Story
Potluck Sunday @ Mommy's Kitchen
This Week's Cravings @ Mom's Crazy Cooking
Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms