Hi I'm Heather Freeman from The Lovely Cupboard blog, contributing here at Made By Girl! I'm one of the Food Contributors & was wondering if you all needed something to kick off your holiday baking? How about key lime biscotti with white chocolate drizzle?
If you've never attempted but always enjoyed the crunch of this Italian cookie, December is a great month to give it a try! Unlike souffles or macaroons that can be a bit "moody", you'll find biscotti turns out predictably well each time if the recipe is adhered to.
I've made several versions of biscotti, but this was my first time using key limes. Citrus & white chocolate always work well together, but I thought the green color made it especially festive.
Here's what you'll need to pick up at the store:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rough chop the shelled pistachios.
2. In a large bowl combine 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, a pinch of salt, and 2/3 cup chopped of nuts. Stir to combine.
3. In another bowl, add 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, 3 tablespoons of key lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of key lime zest. Whisk together.**Optional** You could add a drop or two of green food coloring here to add hint of green.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl and mix using a rubber spatula. A rough dough will begin to form.
5. Transfer dough to a work surface and knead a few times until the dough begins to form together.
6. Split the dough into two sections. Form each section into a "log" that is about 1 inch high and 3 inches wide.
7. Transfer the logs onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Flatten slightly once on the sheet.
8. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack for 20 minutes.
9. Using a bread knife or other serrated knife, cut the logs at an angle into bars about 1/2 inch thick. (Be careful here; some might crumble if you cut them too thin or too quickly.)
10. Lay cookies back on the cookie sheet on one side. Bake an additional 15 minutes.
11. Turn cookies to their other side and bake 10 more minutes.
12. Allow to cool on wax paper at room temp.
13. Once cool, melt white chocolate in a double broiler or on low heat in the microwave.
14. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Allow drizzle to harden before serving.
These cookies store great in an air tight container for at least a week, if not longer. You could keep them all to yourself and enjoy with your morning coffee...
Or you could dress up some wax paper as wrapping and share. Enjoy!
-Heather
