Biscotti with Dried Cranberries, Pistachios, and Almonds

By toobze

Italy's most famous cookies are biscotti, whose name translates as" twice baked. “The cookie dough is shaped into logs and baked until light golden the first time. Then the logs are cut into slices, which are returned to the oven and baked until crisp and golden. The following biscotti, dotted with crimson-hued dried cranberries and flavored with orange.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups dried cranberries or cherries
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, diced (1 stick)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• 4 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Preparation

Step 1

1. Arrange a rack at center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place the cranberries or cherries in a small bowl. Heat orange juice in a small saucepan until warm; pour over cherries and let stand until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well, pressing cranberries to remove excess liquid. Discard juice; set cranberries aside.

3. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter in a large mixing bowl 30 seconds or until smooth. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs and orange zest. Beat in the flour. Remove from mixer and stir in the cranberries, almonds, pistachios, and ginger with a wooden spoon.

4. Divide the dough into three portions. With lightly floured hands, shape each portion into a 9x2-inch log; place logs "3 inches apart on a large ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 25 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Set pan with biscotti on a wire rack to cool 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 'degrees F.

5. With a serrated knife, cut each roll diagonally into 112-inch thick slices. Place slices upright on cookie sheet, leaving 1/2 inch between them. Bake until biscotti are crisp and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool Store up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. (The biscotti can also be frozen for 2 months in a freezer
container.)