Now that we’ve hit December, I think we can officially proclaim it COOKIE SEASON!!! Hooray!! And first up in the hit parade are these wonderful and very seasonal Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti!

I love, love, LOVE biscotti (yup, it’s going to be a day of emphatic capitals). They’re so crunchy and dunkable and you can vary them in so many ways. I’ve already shared quite a few versions here on the site like Jenny’s Lemon Cherry Biscotti, Lemon Walnut Biscotti, Double Chocolate-Almond Biscotti, Easy Lemon-Almond Biscotti, and Cherry Almond Oatmeal Biscotti and they’d all be welcome additions to any holiday cookie platter, but these Cranberry Pistachio ones with their red and green highlights seem particularly perfect right now!

They’re crisp and sweet, but not overly so and have just the right balance of cranberry and pistachios allowing the cookie part to shine through.

And while they do have to get baked twice (as all biscotti are) they come together fairly easily without a whole lot of fuss.

I promise you’re going to LOVE ‘em (there I go with the capitals again) and so will anyone lucky enough to get these as a gift!

Stay tuned….more cookies to come!

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Makes about 3 dozen

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Bake Time: About 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ cups (about ¼ pound) dried cranberries

• 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

• 1 cup sugar

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 3 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup shelled raw pistachio nuts

• 1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of water for an egg wash

The Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Place the cranberries in a small bowl and cover them with hot water. Let soak for 5 minutes. Then drain and pat them dry with paper towels. Set aside.

2. Place the flour, sugar, baking soda and powder and salt in the large bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed to combine. Add the eggs and the vanilla and beat until a dough forms. Then stir in the cranberries and pistachios.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board or clean counter and knead it a few times, then cut it in half. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Flour your hands and form each piece of dough into a flattish log about 13 inches long and 2 inches wide onto the baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Brush the logs with the egg wash.

4. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and transfer the sheet to a wire rack to let cool for 10 minutes. Now carefully transfer the logs one at a time to a cutting board and cut the logs into ¾-inch thick slices on the diagonal. Return the cookies to the baking sheet, cut side down and place the baking sheet back into the oven. Let bake for about 10 minutes, then turn cookies over and bake again for another 10 minutes or so until biscotti are golden brown. Let biscotti cool on a wire rack and then store in an airtight container at room temperature. If you hide these, they can last at least a week, even more!

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from an old issue of Gourmet Magazine.