Italian Biscotti Al La Syd

Sydney Mike's Note:

The original of this recipe was from Pat Aldighieri & printed in our local newspaper, but I've increased the amount of nuts & cranberries, baked them less to give them a slightly softer texture & serve them as a regular cookie. However, if you want them really crisp, CAREFULLY bake them another 10-15 minutes. My daughter can't leave them alone [as long as they don't have the nuts!] & friends are always asking for the recipe! Your imagination is the only thing limiting the number of variations to this recipe!

• Total Time: 2 hrs 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 130

• 1 lb unsalted butter , softened
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 8 eggs , room temperature
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (1 ounce) bottle anise
• 1 cup slivered almond
• 8 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups dried cranberries
• 2 cups pistachio nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl mix the first 7 ingredients until well blended.
3. Stir in the flour one cup at a time.
4. When smooth, mix in cranberries & pistachios.
5. Pat the dough into a smooth round dome in the mixing bowl, then cut it into quarter sections. Slowly shape each section, patting & rolling it carefully, first into a log, & then into a seamless loaf about 13" long & 4" wide. Place two of the loaves on a 15"x10" baking sheet.
6. Bake loaves for 45 minutes, checking them every 15 minutes to see if the dough is spreading out & becoming too flat. If it is, reshape the loaf with a spatula.
7. Remove loaves from the oven & allow them to cool. When cool, cut each loaf into 1" slices & then cut those slices in half. Place the slices back on the baking sheet, STANDING UP & SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER, then bake them for another 10 minutes or so.
8. Remove cookies from the oven & cool them completely before storing them in an air tight container.

Reviews

[smellyvegetarian]

Wowee, I can make delicious biscotti! Who knew?!? As soon as I smelled the anise in the batter I knew I was in for a treat. I unfortunately didn't use the slivered almonds (accidentally bought whole and didn't have time to chop them), but I don't think the recipe suffered for it. For some reason my batter REALLY spread out in the first 15 minutes, and while I was able to mush it back in the edges got a little brown. I think my butter might have been a bit too soft...but no matter! These taste and look fantastic, they have won the approval of my self-proclaimed biscotti-hating DH, and are now tucked in the freezer for adding to cookie gift baskets. Thanks for posting a keeper, Syd! Made for Healthy Choices ABC--because cookies are healthy for the soul ;)!

[Katzen]

Holy cow! These are SO DELICIOUS! It is going to be VERY difficult to make any other cookies again! These are so perfect and so much better than any other biscotti I've ever had! PIsmo had an excellent suggestion about shaping the dough with a greased spatula - I found the dough sticky, too, and this tip was a real help! I used anise as per the recipe and am glad I did - it was delicious! I also made half a batch, but am sorry that I didn't make the whole batch - they're so good! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe, Syd! Made for Think Pink, Fall 2009.

[gailanng]

I can't keep it secret. Word has it around my house that this biscotti is the best! A delicious recipe with a fine crumb and chock-filled with cranberries and nuts. Made for Everyday Is a Holiday.