March 11: Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

INT. COFFEE SHOP - SUNDAY AFTERNOON

A busy but quiet cafe. Modern but homey.

Couples and individuals sit at tables, talking to themselves or reading a newspaper. MUSIC plays quietly in the background, contributing to the relaxing atmosphere.

YVONNE orders a latte and biscotti from the BARISTA and takes a seat near the window to enjoy her coffee in the sunshine.

She raises the biscotti to her mouth slowly, brushing the long, silky hair away from her face. (heh)

She takes a bite, and we see her face contort with pain.

YVONNE
(pain and surprise)
Mother of...!?

YVONNE clutches her jaw in anguish and throws the biscotti on the floor.

YVONNE
There’s got to be a better way!

Scene ends.

---

Is this scene familiar to you? That's because commercial biscotti is the suck. However, don't fret! One little step will prevent your biscotti from being the brick-like tooth breakers we've come to know and dislike.

To people who believe that biscotti are that hard because you're supposed to dip it in your coffee, I say pish-tosh! All cookies should be able to deliciously stand alone. There, I said it.

I was first introducted to Cranberry Pistachio biscotti in my Professional Baking class, and it was love at first bite. Rather than digging out my 300-page workbook and finding the bar cookie section, though, I decided to use the Joy of Baking recipe. What can I say, I'm a lazy baker sometimes...but not so lazy that I'd make shaker muffins. *shudder*

Imagine ten times the biscotti in a pretty glass jar. You can have your very own cafe at home!

So what's the secret to making "fluffy" biscotti that retain their dryness and long shelf-life but don't wreck your chompers? You MUST aerate your eggs for A FULL 5 MINUTES. Don't make me keep you after class on this one, kids.

Whipping your eggs with the sugar does 2 very important things for the texture of your biscotti:

• It allows the granulated sugar to dissolve into the water content of your eggs, preventing any grittiness.
• It incorporates the correct amount of air into your batter which will result in a lighter product that has a much more enjoyable mouth-feel than, say, gnawing on cement. These are the anti-brick, if you will.
  

If you like your teeth, you'll make your own biscotti. Besides...they're incredibly easy to make so there's really no excuse. Plus, they TOTALLY keep for like, EVAR! OMG!

This recipe is an excellent year-round choice, however because of the red and green of the cranberries and pistachios, they are a lovely cookie for Christmas cookie-giving.

Final Grade: A+. I'm in mad love with these biscotti and you can be too. Sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge and I will personally deliver these cookies to you. Heck, if you donate a lot, I'll even bring the coffee.

Speaking of ordering cookies, I've put a link at the top of the page for the March Cookie Schedule so that you can see what's coming up. I originally wanted each day to be a surprise, but since people are ordering they want to know what's on the docket so here you go!

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti recipe. You can change the kind of nuts, fruit or extract to suit your tastes (and sense of adventure) because biscotti dough is very forgiving. Have fun!