Posted by Kerry Saretsky, December 23, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Our holiday cookie onslaught continues with a recipe excerpted with permission of the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.
- makes 16 to 18 biscotti -
Ingredients
1 recipe Essential Biscotti (American-Style, recipe follows)
2 drops strong cherry flavor, to taste (optional)
1 cup (4 ounces) chopped pistachios
1 cup (4 ounces) sweet or sour dried cherries
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) a large (18 x 13-inch) baking sheet.
3. Prepare the biscotti dough of your choice, substituting the cherry flavor for the vanilla, if desired. Stir in the pistachios and cherries.
4. Shape and bake the biscotti as directed in the recipe you've chosen. If the cherries are very fresh and moist, the biscotti may be fairly soft at the end of the baking time. For crunchier biscotti, bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, December 5, 2008 at 3:45 PM
With all the cups of cider, hot cocoa, and peppermint tea this time of year, it's important to have dunking devices. Biscotti is the usual go-to, and this one actually won't break your teeth. According to the people of King Arthur Flour—who called this one of their favorite cookie recipes—it's an American-style biscotti, so it's lighter and more tender than Italian counterparts.
Labeling biscotti as a "Serious Cookie" might have turned some heads, but given the lighter texture (from all the extra butter) and leavening, it's cookier than your average stick-shaped biscuit. I like the combo of salty pistachios and tangy dried cherries too. The recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion: The Essential Cookie Cookbook.
Continue reading »
Posted by Lucy Baker, October 30, 2008 at 1:00 PM
In the headnote accompanying this recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti, excerpted here from The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread, author Amy Sherber states that "if you pick just one recipe to try" from the 70 included in the cookbook, "this is it!" As a self-proclaimed biscotti fanatic, I couldn't resist such an enthusiastic endorsement. So last night, I rolled up my sleeves and baked a batch.
Less than 24 hours later, I've already eaten seven. Seven biscotti. I can't walk by the Tupperware container they're in without sneaking another one. And since they're crunchy little numbers, trying to break one in half doesn't work. (In my mind, eating half a cookie doesn't really count as eating a cookie.)
The finished biscotti are quite crisp and incredibly chocolaty, thanks to a dash of instant espresso powder and a pinch of cinnamon, each of which serves to heighten the flavors. Chocolate chips melt into the dough as the cookies bake, leaving behind what Amy calls "little pockets of soft chocolate" that perfectly compliment the toasted hazelnuts.
These cookies are absolutely perfect for dunking in coffee, tea, milk, wine, Grand Marnier, or whatever else you have on hand. They would also make an ideal holiday gift, as they keep for up to six weeks when sealed in an airtight container.
Continue reading »
Posted by Lucy Baker, August 25, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Biscotti are one of my favorite kinds of cookie to bake. First, the results are a bit more impressive-looking than drop varieties. Second, they last forever (well, up to two weeks) when wrapped tightly. Third, and most importantly, it’s perfectly acceptable to eat them for breakfast.
While today's Cook the Book recipe for chocolate-nut biscotti sounds simple, in fact it is anything but ordinary. Chocolate Epiphany author François Payard adds orange zest, aniseed, pistachios, and hazelnuts to create a truly unique cookie. Enjoy them with strong espresso, tea, or dessert wine such as Vin Santo.
Continue reading »
Posted by Lucy Baker, February 9, 2008 at 2:00 PM
I love chocolate. But when it comes to Valentine's Day it can be a bit of a cliché: the Whitman's Samplers with their impossible-to-decipher filling maps; the miniature heart-shape drugstore candy bars; the Hershey's Kisses, once simply silver, suddenly dressed in every shade of pink and red.
This year, why not make your honey swoon by baking her (or him) a special treat made with that other creamy, sweet, incredibly rich and decadent substance—peanut butter?
Continue reading »
