It’s back!

Once again, myself and several other intrepid bakers (check out the links at the bottom of the post)  are taking on two weeks of grueling cookie madness.  For the next 12 days, I will be posting one cookie recipe inspired by Bon Appetit’s month-long list of cookie recipes.

With last year’s “We Bake Gourmet,” I felt compelled to stick to the letter of the recipes – seeing if the selections from 1940 or 1950 would hold up to present-day taste standards.  But after a year of baking, I’m more confident than I was, and am taking some liberties and adapting the recipes to my own tastes and pantry.

To start off – Chocolate-Dipped Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti.

These are marvelously elegant cookies – baked in logs, looking almost like a dense bread, but with that perfect balance of cake and cookie texture.   Though the original recipe called for dried raspberries and white chocolate, I nixed them both in favor of some dried cranberries we had left over from thanksgiving and a bunch of dark chocolate.

I’m planning on making these again as Christmas gifts, in a pretty bag alongside a bag of nice dark coffee beans.

Chocolate-Dipped Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti

makes about 3 dozen

ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shelled, raw unsalted pistachios
1 cup dried cranberries
8 ounces semisweet chocolate

equipment:
parchment paper, serrated knife

how to:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment.  Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs, oil, and extract until blended.  In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then mix with the wet ingredients.  Using a large spatula, fold in the nuts and cranberries.

One heaping tablespoon at a time, build a log of dough on the baking sheet, about 3 inches wide, 1 inch deep, and 12 inches long.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  The logs can be lumpy, but make sure the balls are squished together.

Bake logs until lightly browned and firm, about 30 minutes.  Cool for 30 minutes, then slice crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Lay the biscotti on the baking sheet trying to keep the pieces upright (this will keep one side from browning too much) and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Line another baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat in 20 second increments until it starts to melt.  Stir to make the chocolate dip-able, and dip one side or one end of the biscotti into the chocolate.  set onto the lined baking sheet to cool until the chocolate is set.

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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes
Courtney of Coco Cooks
Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity
Michelle of Big Black Dogs
Renee of Flamingo Musings
Sandy of At the Baker’s Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project