Biscotti are crunchy little italian cookies that are meant to be served alongside a morning cup of coffee or afternoon tea. They are baked twice (more about that later), which gives them their uniquely crisp texture.
Biscotti are traditional flavored with almonds, but today I am using pistachios and I think you are going to love what these salty little nuts add to this classic.
Let’s get started…
Begin by using an electric hand mixer to cream 8 tablespoons of room temperature butter with 2/3 cup of granulated sugar in a large bowl until it is nice and fluffy.
Add 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice, 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest and a teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and creamy.
Sift 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the bowl and use a silicone spatula to mix until the dry ingredients are just combined.
Gently fold in 3/4 cup of chopped pistachios and 3/4 cup of finely chopped white chocolate into the dough until it is evenly distributed.
Transfer the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly dampen your hands with water and use them to gently press the dough out into a large rectangle that is evenly thick throughout. The dough should be about an inch thick and not too thin toward the edges.
You want everything to bake evenly, so do your best to keep the dough evenly thick.
Transfer the dough into a 350 degree oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the dough has puffed up and feels dry on the top and lightly set.
Transfer the baking dish onto a heat proof surface and use the parchment paper to carefully slide the dough onto a cutting board.
Immediately use a very sharp or serrated knife to slice the entire rectangle into long inch wide slices. Be careful around the edges to avoid a lot of crumbling. I find that keeping the knife parallel to the dough helps keep the slices clean, where as slicing into the dough at too much of an angle can crush the ends.
Cut each long slice in half and lay each portion on its side back on the baking sheet. Return the cookies to a 350 degree oven and bake for about 10 minutes on each side (20 minutes total).
Note: Baking the biscotti for 10 minutes on each side will result in a fairly crisp texture, but this time is adjustable depending on how chewy or crunchy you prefer your cookies to be. Baking them for 7-8 minutes on each side will keep them a little more chewy, but keeping them in the oven for 12 minutes will dry the biscotti out nicely resulting in a super crisp texture.
Once the biscotti have been baked twice, transfer them onto a cooling rack and we are going to dress them up a little!
In a small dish, whisk a cup of confectioners sugar with enough freshly squeezed orange juice to create a drizzle-able texture. This usually takes about a tablespoon of juice, but I usually just cut a small orange or clementine in half and squeeze a little in, whisk to combine and add more as necessary. Its a pretty simple glaze! If you add too much orange juice, just add a little more confectioners sugar to thicken it back up a bit.
Now that your glaze is ready to go, finely chopped a few pistachios and a little extra white chocolate for some beautiful, colorful garnish.
Dip the top of each biscotti into the orange glaze and immediately sprinkle some pistachios and white chocolate over the top. Return your dressed up biscotti to the cooling rack to give the glaze a chance to set. This glaze sets up nicely within about 15 minutes and then you can stack the biscotti if necessary.
Note: If your house is too warm, your glaze may be slow to set, so you can always chill the cookies for a few minutes until the glaze has fully set.
The only thing left to do is brew a nice pot of coffee and make some of your favorite tea and get dunking!
When it comes to the combination of fresh oranges, salty pistachios and sweet white chocolate on a crunchy cookie, I must say that I will definitely be using this trio again soon. They all work so perfectly together! The tangy, salty and sweet notes creates beautifully balanced cookies with wonderful flavors that you will love.
Store your beautiful biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature close by your coffee maker, so you can grab one as soon as you need one. These orange, pistachio and white chocolate biscotti are such a bright, cheerful way to start your day or wake up a sleepy afternoon.
Buon appetito!
Orange, Pistachio & White Chocolate Biscotti
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 3/4 cup of pistachios, chopped
- 3/4 cup of white chocolate, chopped
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup of confectioners sugar, sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
Garnishes
- 2 tablespoons of pistachios, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of white chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Use an electric hand mixer to cream 8 tablespoons of room temperature butter with 2/3 cup of granulated sugar in a large bowl
- Add 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice, 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest and a teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy
- Sift 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the bowl and use a silicone spatula to mix until the ingredients are just combined
- Gently fold 3/4 cup of chopped pistachios and 3/4 cup of chopped white chocolate into the dough until evenly distributed
- Transfer the dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and use lightly dampened hands to form the dough into a large rectangle that is about an inch thick evenly throughout (see photos above)
- Bake the dough in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the dough is puffed, feels dry and lightly set throughout
- Transfer the baking sheet onto a heat proof surface and use the parchment paper to carefully slide the dough onto a cutting board (leave the oven at 350 degrees)
- Use a sharp knife or serrated knife to cut the dough into even 1 inch thick slices and then cut each slice in half (see photos above)
- Transfer the portions onto a baking sheet on one side and return the cookies to a 350 degree oven
- Bake the biscotti for about 10 minutes per side (20 minutes total) and then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool
- To garnish, whisk 1 cup of sifted confectioners sugar with about a tablespoon of freshly squeezed orange juice to form a drizzle-able consistency. Dip the tops of each cooled biscotti into the orange glaze and sprinkle with finely chopped pistachios and white chocolate. Return the garnished biscotti onto the cooling rack to allow the glaze some time to set
- Enjoy with coffee or tea
- Store biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature
