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Chocolate-Dipped Pistachio-Orange Biscotti

BIscotti
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From Stonewall Kitchen Favorites by Jim Stott, Jonathan King, and Kathy Gunst

Makes about 3 dozen biscotti

2 cups raw shelled pistachios, toasted

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus more for dusting

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 packed teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 cup orange juice, preferably fresh

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet (about 55 percent cacao) chocolate chips

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Finely chop half the pistachios and combine in a small bowl with the remaining whole nuts. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until blended. Add the butter and blend into dry ingredients using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Mix the eggs, vanilla, zest and juice in a separate bowl until well blended. Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just blended. Fold in the chopped and whole pistachios and the chocolate chips.

Generously flour a clean working area. Using floured hands, divide the dough into two equal portions. Form each piece into a flat log roughly 12-by-8 inches long and 1-inch high, adding additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter.

Carefully place the logs 2 to 3 inches apart on the parchment-covered baking sheet.

Bake the logs for 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch and just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 300, and let the biscotti cool for about 10 minutes.

Transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a sharp, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut logs on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch-wide pieces.

Place the biscotti cut side up on one or two cookie sheets. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the biscotti once halfway through baking. The biscotti should be firm to the touch and golden brown on both sides. Remove from the baking sheet and cool completely on wire racks.

While the biscotti are cooling, melt the chocolate in the microwave, in a double boiler or in a pot over very low heat. When almost all of the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes.

Dip one end of the cookie, or one flat side of each biscotti, into the chocolate. Hold vertically to let excess chocolate drip off. Place the biscotti chocolate-side up on wax paper to cool until the chocolate hardens, 3 to 4 hours.

The biscotti will keep for several days in a cool, dark, well-sealed tin or in a plastic bag.

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