DIY Biscotti.

WRITTEN and EATEN by Yili Wang

If you love coffee or nuts, you will love these biscottis. This recipe is adapted from Giada’s Holiday Biscotti recipe. I like to credit myself for taking these biscottis to the next level though. I add an insane amount of nuts, including walnuts, almonds, pecans, brazil nuts (whatever you prefer) in addition to the REQUIRED pistachios and dried cranberries. The lemon zest gives these biscottis an extra kick and really balances out the buttery taste because I’m not a big fan of the latter. I have made them with the chocolate dip but prefer them without. I also bake them for a slightly shorter period of time, just a bit harder than a typical cookie. This way, I can enjoy them without the usual java dunk. Be warned that you should cut them while warm and the more nuts you include the more difficult it is to cut without the pieces crumbling on you. But really, that means the more pieces to snack on. They also make impressive gifts as they look gorgeous.

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Holiday Biscotti

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries
• 12 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped
• Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.

Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.

Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.

The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.

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Yili Wang is a Guest Star/ Guest Writer for Good Food Toronto. She is a Dental student from UBC who grew up and lived in Toronto before moving to Vancouver. Her love of food goes beyond eating good food as she spends lots of free time learning and improving her culinary skills.