Christmas biscotti

Christmas is only 2 days away. Are you ready? Or did you suddenly discover that someone important was left off your list? If so, I have a great idea for you: make some Christmas biscotti! You can wrap some up in a bag, tie with a ribbon, pair it with a container of good coffee and you’ll have a gift that will be well-appreciated.

The last several years, we’ve given our niece and husband a big box with all that was mentioned.  We open gifts on Christmas Eve and by the time Christmas Day is over, the box is empty!  They request the same each year 🙂

Biscotti is a word that derives from an old Latin term meaning “twice-baked”.  To make biscotti, you make the cookie dough, form into a log, let rest for 5 minutes, then slice into sections and then bake again until golden brown and crisp.

They really aren’t much more work than regular cookies, but our friends and family go nuts over these!

Speaking of nuts, you can make this with any type of nuts and/or dried fruit.  My latest favorite is pistachio craisin (dried cranberries).  We’ve also made cherry pecan which is good.  You could use walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts – with raisins, dried orange peel, or currants.  You could probably add chocolate chips also – white or dark, but we haven’t tried that.

Once they have baked twice and cooled, we have sometimes decorated them a bit more by drizzling with melted chocolate – or dipping one end in melted chocolate.   It’s fun to think up flavor combinations!

What flavors would be your favorite?

Print Recipe

Christmas biscotti

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup pistachios
• 3/4 cup craisins dried cranberries
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla; mix until creamed. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dough until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the nuts and dried fruit until evenly distributed.
• Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Roll each half into a log, each 12 inches long by 1-inch high. Place the logs on an un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly brown. Let the logs cool for 5 minutes and then place on a cutting board. Slice each log on a diagonal into 12 1-inch thick pieces. Put the cookies back on the cookie sheet and bake 5 minutes. Turn the cookies over and bake the other side for another 5 minutes.
• Store cookies in an airtight container.