Cranstachio Biscotti

So my sister Katie and I apparently have an obsession with biscotti.  We had recently taken a trip to OKC with our Husbands and delighted ourselves in a little treat at Coco Flow down in Brick Town.  It is an adorable sweet shop full of delectable treats and most of all coffee!!!  Katie and I both got the same vanilla latte and a piece of biscotti.  You can not beat something as simple as those two together.   If you have not had biscotti it is crunchy and not too sweet with just pure unadulterated goodness.  Unless you opt for it covered in chocolate in which case I am not against either.  Do not let the word biscotti scare you.  In the old latin terms I believe it just means twice baked.  Nothing intimidating about that at all.  In other words if it sounds good to you get off your butt and get into the kitchen and start baking.  Just as Katie and I did.  It is obviously fall so the two flavors that we were wanting was cranberries and pistachios.  I like making this mix as well during christmas because of the green an red!     

Cranstachio Biscotti

Before you begin you can de-shell your pistachios.  You can get either salted or unsalted whatever you prefer.  I find that the sweet and salty complement each other very well.  Once you have all the shells off, chop coarsely and set aside.

Start off by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.  Add to a bowl your extra light olive oil (if you use just extra virgin you will have a very heavy oil taste) with your granulated sugar.  You can just whisk this by hand until completely combined.  

This step is optional but I love to add 1/4 cup of almond paste to my biscotti.  When it bakes you have bits of it through out the biscotti and it is kinda like getting a surprise of extra flavor!  Almond paste is just what it is a paste.  You will need to cut it into the oil and sugar mixture.

Once it resembles something kinda like this you are good to move onto the next step.

Whisk in your 4 eggs one at a time.  Then add your vanilla and almond extracts.  Mix well.

In another bowl add your dry ingredients of flour, salt and baking powder.  Whisk to mix together, then add to your egg mixture.  I mix all mine by hand just to ensure I do not over mix.  I find it makes things too tough.

Once you have almost mixed in the flour completely add in 3/4 of your craisins and 3/4 of your pistachios to the mixture.  Place on a prepared baking sheet (I use bakers joy) and using your hands mold into a rectangle.  You may want to run your hands under some water before doing so because this is a sticky batter. 

Once you have the rectangle all shaped up you can sprinkle on the rest of your craisins and pistachios.  Lightly press them in to the dough.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the loaf has begun to turn golden brown.  Pull from oven and let cool.  Slice the biscotti from side to side and separate.  You want enough space between the pieces so they can brown on all sides and release as much moisture as possible.  Once they are cut place back into the oven at 300 degrees for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the biscotti is completely dry.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.  Biscotti should be solid with a crunch. 

Once the biscotti is cooled you can eat immediately or you can add one more touch.... Chocolate.  White chocolate to be exact.  Most places just dunk one end into a mountain of chocolate and its usually to overwhelming in my opinion to finish.  I just melt some white chocolate in the microwave at 50% and then I drizzle on the biscotti.  Adds just enough sweetness to this already perfect treat.

Biscotti

1/2 cup extra light olive oil

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cups almond paste

4 eggs

1 TB vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

3 1/2 cup AP flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

5 oz craisins

10 oz bag of shelled pistachios