Day 1, 2014: Naughty Biscotti

 Naughty Biscotti

These cookies were baked by Sue Mosher from Outreach Services.

A lower calorie alternative that still tastes good and looks pretty on a plate for your guests. Great to dunk in a cup of tea.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder                                        

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 egg white

2 tbsp. butter, softened

1 1/2 tbsp. grated lemon zest

1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together both sugars, eggs, egg white, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla on medium speed of electric mixer. Stir in flour mixture using wooden spoon, just until well blended. Dough will be thick. Add cranberries and pistachios and mix well.

Divide dough in half. On prepared cookie sheet, using lightly floured or greased hands, shape each half into an 8 x 3 x 3/4 inch loaf, placing loaves 3 inches apart.

Bake on middle oven rack for 20 minutes. Remove loaves from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 275°F. Transfer loaves to a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, cut each loaf crosswise on a diagonal into 9 slices. (You’ll have some scraps from the end pieces, so go ahead and eat them. Everyone knows that scraps have zero calories.)

Place slices, cut-side down, on same cookie sheet. Return to oven and bake for 8 minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake 9 more minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Biscotti will harden as they cool.

Makes 18 biscotti.

Baker’s Notes: You can make these ahead and store them in a resealable plastic bag in your freezer for up to a month. I use parchment paper instead of cooking spray on my cookie sheets.

From: Eat,Shrink & Be Merry! By Janet & Greta Podleski

Funky Factoid (from Janet & Greta):  Biscotti, twice-baked Italian biscuits (cookies) served in hip coffeehouses, were part of Christopher Columbus’s food supply on his long voyages because of their mold-resistant properties. In fact, biscotti have a shelf life of 1492 years (give or take)!