Lemon Pistachio Biscotti

Now that I've made an apple tart, I thought I would try my hand at something else that scares me - a twice baked dessert. I was flipping through my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and found a recipe for Lemon Pistachio biscotti and decided to try it. I wish I wasn't so afraid of baking in the past, because they came out great.

Lemon Pistachio Biscotti
from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, Bridal Edition

Ingredients:



1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel (I didn't have a lemon to zest for this, so I added a couple squirts of lemon juice to the batter instead)
1-1/4 cups pistachio nuts


Directions:
Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour and lemon peel. Stir in pistachio nuts.



Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Shape each portion into an 8-inch roll. Place rolls at least 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets; flatten slightly until about 2-1/2 inches wide.



Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and tops are cracked (loaves will spread slightly). Cool on cookie sheet for 30 minutes.

Use a serrated knife to cut each roll diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in a 325 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Turn slices over and bake for 8 to 10 minutes more or until dry and crisp (do not overbake). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.



Servings: about 36 cookies

Review:
Since it's only me and the husband around our apartment during the week, I halved the recipe, so I only got about 15 cookies out of it. My only complaint was that the dough was a little hard to work with, so I chilled it for a half hour to firm it up. The cookies are really good and I'm glad I gave this recipe a try. There are some different variations in the book that I'd like to try, including double chocolate biscotti.