Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [373]
Scrape down and remove the beaters. Work the toasted pine nuts into the batter with a wooden spoon.
Lightly dust a clean, dry work surface with flour, then turn the dough out onto it. Knead until smooth and the pine nuts are evenly distributed, about 2 minutes. Divide the dough in half and roll each half under your palms into a 12-inch-long log.
Place each log on a separate baking sheet and bake in the top and bottom thirds of the oven for 10 minutes. Reverse the sheets top to bottom and continue baking until firm, lightly browned, and a little puffed, about 15 more minutes.
Remove the sheets from the oven and cool the logs on them for 30 minutes. (Maintain the oven’s temperature.)
Transfer the logs to your work surface and use a serrated knife to slice them into ½-inch-thick pieces, cutting on the diagonal to get long, oblong biscotti. Place these cut side down on the baking sheets.
Return them to the oven to bake for 5 minutes. Remove them from the oven, flip all the cookies over to the other cut side, reverse the sheets top to bottom, and continue baking until dry and crunchy, about 5 more minutes.
To cool: Leave the biscotti on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To store: Once cooled, they can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Chocolate Cranberry Almond Biscotti
Forget the wine and dunk these in coffee. They pack well and can be sent over the miles for the holidays. Makes about 24 cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
1 cup sugar
½ cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten in a small bowl, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup whole almonds, roughly chopped
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; stir in the eggs and vanilla with a wooden spoon, then stir in the dried cranberries and almonds.
Dust a clean, dry work surface with flour; turn the dough out onto it and knead a few turns until fairly smooth.
Divide the dough in half; roll each half into 8-inch-long logs. Place these 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet and bake until dry to the touch and a little puffed, about 25 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to a wire rack and cool the logs on the baking sheet at least 30 minutes.
Transfer the logs to your work surface and use a serrated knife to cut them into 3/4-inch cookies, slicing on the diagonal to create long, oblong biscotti.
Place these cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Turn all the cookies over so the other cut side is now down against the sheet and continue baking until crisp and lightly browned, about another 7 minutes.
To cool: Leave the biscotti on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To store: They can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Variations: Substitute any dried berry (blackberries, raspberries) for the cranberries. Chop any larger pieces of dried fruit so the bits are more even in the batter.
For a heartier almond taste, add ¼ teaspoon almond extract with the vanilla.
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Filled Cookies
Like little layer cakes, these too are showstoppers. Admittedly, they involve a little work, but the payoffs are filled, sweet, dense, chewy wonders. They are also the easiest to customize since you can switch out one filling for another in some cases, or simply change the jam used for one you prefer.