Make Ahead

Brown Berry Pistachio Biscotti

by:
December  9, 2013
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Brown Berry Pistachio Biscotti
  • Makes about 50 small biscotti
Author Notes

These cookies, which are a twist on the classic Italian Cantucci recipe, might have a long ingredient list, but it's all stuff you probably have on hand if you're not a fan on white flour (I used up the last bits of leftover flours sitting in my pantry), but they are super easy to make (put-everything-in-a-blender-and-blitz, anyone?) and they are perfect dipped in anything. In fact, these are meant to be dipped in something, as they are quite dry. Their lack of fat is compensated by the presence of the baking powder, which will make them crunchy but not hard. —Valentina Solfrini

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the Cookies
  • 7 ounces (200 grams) Spelt Flour
  • 7 ounces (200 grams) Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1.7 ounces (50 grams) Oat or Rye Flour
  • 1.7 ounces (50 grams) Chestnut Flour
  • 4 Eggs, 3 whole and one separated
  • 0.5 ounces (15 grams) baking powder
  • 7 ounces Brown Sugar, plus more for sprinkling
  • 3 tablespoons (loaded) Honey or Agave or Maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon Anise Liquor, like Anisette, Varnelli or Sambuca
  • 1 tablespoon Rum or other sweet booze you like
  • 3.5 ounces Mixed Pistachios and Hazelnuts
  • 1 or 1/2 teaspoons Cookie spice mix
  • 1 Splash of vanilla
  • For the Boozy Fruit
  • 1/2 cup Mixed dried Cranberries, Goji and Raisins
  • 1/2 cup Warm water
  • 1 tablespoon Anise liquor (see above)
  • 1 tablespoon Rum, or other liquor you used for the dough.
Directions
  1. Soak the fruit at least an hour before you start baking, so that they have time to absorb the flavor of the liquor. Preheat the oven to 190 C? (375 F?).
  2. Separate one egg and reserve the yolk. Add everything but the nuts and fruit to a food processor and roughly mix until combined. You should end up with a very sticky dough, difficult o manage but not liquid or overly loose. Should it be too hard, add a splash more liquor. Add the nuts and fruit, which should be squeezed of eccess liquid, and mix well again.
  3. Line a baking tray with paper, and divide the dough into 5 parts, which you’ll shape into long and narrow strips (about 1? to 1.5?) with very well floured hands. Consider that these strips will spread out, so make sure there is some space in between. Brush them well with the yolk, and sprinkle granulated sugar on top.
  4. Turn the oven temperature down to 180 C? (355 F?) and bake your little logs until brown. It could take 20 or 25 minutes – start keeping an eye on them around the 15 minutes mark. When ou take them out of the oven they will be nice and colored, but softer than you’d expect them to be and will have probably cracked slightly on top.
  5. This step is crucial: slice them straight away! Using a serrated knife, slice them diagonally into half inch slices. Put them back onto the tray, turn off the oven and leave them in until completely cool. After 10 minutes or so, you can leave the door of the oven slightly ajar. Make sure they are completely cooled before serving.
  6. These little guys keep for a long while, but keep them tightly sealed, possibly in a cookie tin box, or they might lose crispness. Enjoy, dipped in dessert wine, coffee or whatever you like best!
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Valentina Solfrini
24 Year old Italian web dev, Graphic and UI designer who, like many designers, got seduced by food photography. I talk to way too many random people when in New York and to way too many random animals when I'm in the Italian countryside. I run hortuscuisine.com, a blog about Italian, natural vegetarian cooking.

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1 Review

cucina D.
cucina D. December 29, 2013
these look amazing, valentina :) thank you for the recipe and gorgeous photo. buon natale!