Over the past few months, I’ve downloaded a number of beautiful cooking and recipe related iPad apps including Mario Batali Cooks, Gourmet Live, Food Network In the Kitchen, Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, MasterChef Academy and two Photo Cookbooks. I finally decided this week to start putting these apps to good use beginning with this Tart Cherry and Pine Nut Biscotti, an adaptation of a recipe found in The Photo Cookbook – Baking. Dried tart cherries and toasted pine nuts are mixed into a spiced dough, then baked twice till golden brown and crunchy. I was very pleased with the end result because the biscotti were a bit softer than the usual tooth breaking variety, yet still had a satisfying crunch. Continue reading for the recipe.
Tart Cherry and Pine Nut Biscotti
Ingredients
- Scant ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- Scant ½ cup dried tart cherries
- Scant ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F . Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Line one baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and set aside.
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Place light brown sugar and egg into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until thick and pale brown (this took me 5 minutes with my stand mixer on medium speed).*
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Sift the flour, baking powder and allspice into the sugar and egg mixture. Using a wooden spoon (or silicon spatula), fold until dry ingredients are incorporated (but do not overmix!). Stir in the tart cherries and toasted pine nuts and mix gently until combined.
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Turn dough out onto your lined baking sheet and form into a long log (11 - 12 inches long). If you find the dough is sticking, lightly flour your hands and continue forming. Press the log down gently to flatten it just a bit.
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Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the log from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle (about 4 minutes). Transfer the log to a cutting board and cut on a bias into ½-inch thick slices. Place slices back onto the lined baking sheet and baked for an additional 10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove biscotti from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Recipe Notes
*You could also use a hand mixer or whisk. If you do, the process could take longer than 5 minutes.
Felice says
That sounds like a great combination of flavors for
biscotti.
Anda @ Cinna-moonBeams says
Sound delicious, and the photos are simply
beautiful!
Melissa says
this sounds like a great combo for biscotti. I wonder what
it would be like with a little bit of glaze on it. Yum!
Veronica Gantley says
The biscotti looks delish! I have never made it like that.
I will have to try it! Veronica
Kate @ Diethood.com says
I would love to have that biscotti with my coffee! Especially if it’s not a tooth breaking biscotti! 🙂 Thank you for sharing this recipe – I’m printing it!
Amanda @ bakingwithoutabox says
Amazing use of those apps! This looks so good. I just love biscotti.
Becky says
I love biscotti, but have never made them, but I’m going to try these. I’ll probably use walnuts instead of the pine nuts. I’m so jealous of your gorgeous pictures.
Happy New Year!
Brandon Matzek says
@Melissa I was considering dipping these in dark chocolate. I’m sure it would be delicious.
@Kate For chewier biscotti, simply take them out of the oven sooner during the second bake. For crunchier biscotti, leave them in longer during the second bake!
@Becky Toasted walnuts or almonds would be good substitutions. Thanks and happy New Year to you too!
Shree says
oh boy! lovve cherry biscotti. Great choices and really good pictures btw.
Sandra says
Great photos and recipe.
Claudia says
I cannot pretend that I know how to use an app and don’t have appropriate phone – but I do love a good biscotti and these are perfect. The combination of tart cherry and pine nut definitely entices. Happy 2011! May it bring you all good things.
Hester aka The Chefdoc says
Ooh, I love the tart cherry part. I never seem to be able to find them 🙁 Where do you get yours? And I love that they are softer! Makes dunking an unnecessary act 🙂
Medifast Coupon says
Beautiful biscotti, the pine nuts would add a nice flavour against the tart cherry. Great recipe.
Joy says
That looks so good. I love the use of pine nuts.
ann says
In my opinion I really liked the cookies very much the crop is very rich and beautiful recipe.
ann.
Brandon Matzek says
@Hester They usually have tart cherries at Trader Joe’s!
Caroline says
These look great! Just one question – are you missing an ingredient? I am trying to make them right now, and they are not staying together…I think you need butter or oil…
Brandon Matzek says
No butter or oil needed. The egg should be enough to bind everything. Is your dough too crumbly?