Let's face it-when it comes to holiday food, baked goods take center stage. Traditional gingerbread cut-outs and decorated sugar cookies usually reign supreme, however with their festive hues of red, green and white, these biscotti will be a welcome addition to any cookie tray. Leave some out for Santa with a pot of coffee for dunking; when you have to stay awake and travel the world all night, milk just isn't going to cut it.
Ingredients:
1?4 cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
3?4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1?2 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
1 3?4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3?4 cup dried cranberries
3?4 cup white chocolate chips
3?4 cup shelled pistachios
(salted or unsalted)
Steps:
Preheat oven to 300°F.
In a large bowl, mix olive oil and sugar until well blended. Then add vanilla and almond extracts. Beat in the eggs using an electric mixer.
Combine flour and baking powder (and a pinch of salt if using unsalted pistachios). Add to wet ingredients and mix until well blended.
Make sure cranberries, white chocolate and pistachios are very finely chopped. Stir into dough.
Divide dough in half. Shape dough into two logs on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Dough will be sticky; wet hands for easier handling.
Bake logs for 35 minutes or just until starting to turn very light brown. Remove from oven. When cool enough to handle (don't wait longer than 10 minutes) cut logs into 2cm thick slices.
Turn oven temperature down to 275°F. Lay slices on their sides on parchment-paper lined baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies appear dry.
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