Pistachio Raisin Biscotti Recipes

PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Lay the pistachios on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes or until the nuts are lightly toasted. Remove from the oven.
• In an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. With the mixer running, 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 pistachios 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 ungreased 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.

CRAISIN PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs.
• 2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and orange zest and gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
• 3. Line a baking sheet with Parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick spray (Important!) Divide dough in half and form two logs, about 2" x 12". Dough will be very sticky so have a small bowl of water to wet your hands for easier handling of the dough.
• 4. Bake for 18 minutes or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, cover with dish towel and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees F.
• 5. Using a bread knife or serrated blade carefully cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices.
• 6. Place cookies cut side down back on parchment and bake for 10 minutes. Turn over and bake 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to completely cool.
• 7. NOTES: Store in airtight container up to 2 weeks. If desired melt a good quality baking white chocolate and dip either the bottoms or half of each biscotti, or drizzle with melted dark chocolate. Set on waxed paper to dry.
• 8. To make traditional Almond Biscotti, use 1 cup un-toasted almonds, whole or roughly chopped. Use 2 tsp Almond Extract and 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract. Add 1/4 tsp ground mace or nutmeg. Everything else is the same.

GLUTEN-FREE RAISIN PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Place the raisins in a bowl and cover with warm water (or see variation below). Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain and set the raisins on paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a medium bowl, mix together the millet flour or cornmeal, cornstarch, almond flour, baking powder and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater with a rubber spatula and add the eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract. Beat together for 1 to 2 minutes, until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater. Add the flour mixture and beat at low speed until well blended. Add the pistachios and raisins and beat at low speed until mixed evenly through the dough.
• Divide the dough and shape into 2 wide, flat logs, about 10 inches long by 3 inches wide by 3/4 inch high. Make sure they are at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake 50 minutes, until dry, beginning to crack in the middle, and firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes or longer.
• Place the logs on a cutting board and carefully cut into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place on two parchment-covered baking sheets and bake one sheet at a time in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes. Turn over and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the slices are dry and lightly browned.

PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter and sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer (or use a large bowl and hand-held electric beaters). Cream butter and sugar at high speed until pale, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Beat in lemon zest and almond and vanilla extracts.
• In a separate medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. At low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture. As dough is coming together, add the pistachios and mix until incorporated. You will have a soft, sticky dough.
• Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. With floured hands, shape each piece into a log about 12 inches long. Place logs well apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Logs will spread as they bake.)
• Bake logs for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm and lightly browned all over. Remove and cool logs on a rack until cool enough to handle. (Don't rush this step or you risk crumbling when slicing.) Using a serrated knife, carefully cut into slices, crosswise or at a diagonal. Thicker 1/2-inch slices are easier to cut; thinner slices are a bit more elegant.
• Place slices in one layer on baking sheet and return to the oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes (less for thinner slices). Flip each slice and bake again for another 5 minutes. Let cool completely, until biscotti are crisp and dry, before transferring to a tin.

PISTACHIO-RAISIN BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, pistachios, raisins, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla; add to flour mixture, and mix until combined (dough will be stiff; use hands if necessary to incorporate flour). Divide dough in half.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll each dough half into a 12-inch log; transfer logs to a baking sheet, and gently press to a 7/8-inch thickness. Bake until risen and firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet, about 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. On a cutting board, use a serrated knife to slice logs into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Lay slices in a single layer on baking sheet; bake until dry and just starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.