Holiday Biscotti

Do you know that I love hot chocolate? And do you know that I love having a delicious piece of biscotti to dip into my hot chocolate? So much so that my dad, who also loves biscotti and buys a big box of it occasionally, always sends me home with a few pieces when I visit. It is great. And what a great treat to deliver to your friends: a beautiful bag filled with gourmet hot chocolate, biscotti, and in my case some chocolate dipped pretzel sticks* as well.

So here is a delicious recipe I found from Giada De Laurentils with nuts, dried cranberries (I used cherry flavored craisins), and white chocolate...it even looks festive. You could also try making some chocolate biscotti and adding it to your treat bag. Take these to your friends and I guarantee they will love them!

*As a side note: I also dipped pretzel sticks in milk chocolate and then drizzled some white chocolate over the tops to add to my treat bags. Super easy; super tasty.

Holiday Biscotti
Recipe from Giada De Laurentils
Picture s by Caroline

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 (I used sliced almonds instead)

2/3 cup dried cranberries

12 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped

Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 20 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.
5. 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.
6. As you dip the biscotti into the melted chocolate, you can also dip them into crushed pistachios if you like.
7. The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in re-sealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.