Cinnamon Pistachio Biscotti

My husband and I often pick up special ingredients at the store when we see them. Then we have to figure out what to make with those ingredients. Sometimes it isn’t too difficult, but for this particular ingredient, we had to think a little more. We had bought cinnamon pistachios, which naturally goes into any number of recipes, but we wanted to make a couple different things with the pistachios.

We both looked online and found a few recipes, including this recipe for biscotti. I will say that biscotti can be awfully dry, so I don’t usually bake mine quite as long as the recipe states. For this recipe, I used cinnamon pistachios in place of the cinnamon and plain pistachios. I still added some ginger, because I love ginger, but it’s up to you. I left out the cloves; that seemed like too much. Don’t skip the cinnamon chips. They really do add a lot!

Since I want to make multiple recipes with the cinnamon pistachios, I ended up making half of the recipe of biscotti, instead of the full recipe that I have here. Biscotti is quite forgiving, and you can mix it up somewhat depending on what you like or don’t like. I really liked the flavor of this biscotti, which is different for me! The cinnamon pistachios are excellent, and I am glad that I have more to use in another recipe!

Cinnamon Pistachio Biscotti
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1/3 cup cinnamon chips

4 ounces white chocolate
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, then mix in the vanilla. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Once the dough is almost together, stir in the pistachios and cinnamon chips.

Divide the dough into two halves, shaping each half into a log about 12 inches long and about 3 inches wide. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until firm and lightly browned. Allow to cool 15 minutes.

Slice each dough log cross-wise into ¾” thick slices. Place the slices flat on the baking sheet.

Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven; the cookies will firm up as they cool

Melt about 4 ounces of white chocolate with 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled biscotti. Allow the white chocolate to set before serving the biscotti.

Recipe from Italian Food Forever