Cranberry Pistachio Treats (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Biscotti Base

01 - 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened salted butter, left out till room temp
02 - 1 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar, split up
03 - 2 big eggs
04 - 1 teaspoon vanilla flavor
05 - 2 1/2 cups regular flour + 1 tablespoon, used separately
06 - 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
07 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

→ Mix-ins

08 - 1/2 cup peeled pistachios
09 - 1 1/4 cup raw cranberries

→ White Chocolate Drizzle

10 - 3 ounces white chocolate chunks (like Ghirardelli brand)

# Instructions:

01 - Set your oven rack right in the middle and warm it to 350°F. Cover your cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Toss the cranberries in your food processor with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon flour. Pulse until they're chunky but not mushy. Put them in a small bowl. Now give the pistachios a few quick pulses too until they're roughly chopped. Set them aside.
02 - Grab your electric mixer with the paddle bit. Beat the butter with the leftover cup of sugar until it's fluffy and pale, about 2-3 minutes. Drop in eggs one by one, making sure each one blends in before adding another. Stir in the vanilla. Then dump in the remaining flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix it slowly until everything's combined, for about a minute.
03 - Gently stir in your cranberry mix and chopped pistachios until just blended - the dough will feel really sticky. Dust your hands with flour and coat the outside of the dough too. Move the dough to your cookie sheet and shape it into a flat, long loaf - try for something around 14 inches long, 3 inches wide, and about an inch tall.
04 - Bake your loaf for 35 minutes until it looks slightly golden and feels firm when you touch it. Take it out and let it cool on the sheet for around 10 minutes (keep the oven on). You want it cool enough to slice but still warm inside.
05 - With a good bread knife, slice the loaf at an angle making pieces about 3/4 inch thick. Lay the slices flat on the cookie sheet and bake another 15 minutes, flipping them halfway. They're ready when they start turning golden and feel dry and hard. If you want extra crunchy cookies, you can go another 5 minutes, but keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Cool them completely on a wire rack when done.
06 - After the cookies are totally cool, melt your white chocolate in a microwave-safe dish. Heat it in 15-second bursts, stirring between each, until it's smooth (usually takes 30-45 seconds total). For a casual look, drip the chocolate over the cookies with a spoon. Want it fancy? Put the melted chocolate in a sandwich bag, snip a tiny hole in one corner, and squeeze it over the cookies. Let the chocolate harden before serving or packing away.
07 - These cookies taste amazing with coffee, tea, or warm milk for dunking. The combo of crunchy, slightly sweet cookies with tangy cranberries, crunchy pistachios, and sweet white chocolate makes them perfect for holiday parties or homemade presents.

# Notes:

01 - The name "biscotti" literally means baked twice in Italian - that's why we cook them first as a loaf, then cut and bake the slices again to make them super crunchy.
02 - If you want really hard cookies perfect for dunking, go for the full 20 minutes on the second bake, but keep watching them so they don't get too dark.
03 - They'll stay fresh in a sealed container at room temp for up to 2 weeks, which makes them great for giving as gifts during the holidays.

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