Lemon Pistachio and White Chocolate Biscotti for #ChristmasWeek #CakeBossBaking

Welcome to Day #6 of Christmas Week, a multi-blogger event co-hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Jen from Juanita’s Cocina! Each day we will be celebrating the holidays with a different set of Christmas-themed treats, as well as a fabulous Christmas giveaway. We hope you enjoy this fabulous event. Tune in each day starting today, Monday, December 9th and ending Saturday, December 14th.

As I walked into the kitchen this morning and picked up a homemade lemon pistachio biscotti, sipping my freshly French pressed Kona coffee, I looked at this gorgeous breakfast view and knew I had to capture it on camera. It was so delightful. The sun usually peaks in my kitchen at about 9am and is almost too harsh to look at. But at 7am, it’s beautiful. It’s an acquired beauty. It takes a moment to drown out the leaf blowers and early morning lawn mowers, but once you do, there is a peaceful calm. My kitchen looks as though dawn is about to set and is slightly grey. You smell the brew of coffee at 7am on the dot and there are always sweet baked treats lined on the counter-tops. I wanted to capture this moment today..sipping my coffee..in my favorite mug and savoring the simple daybreak.

Biscotti has been the cookie of the year..for me. Last year it was my cherry-pistachio rugelach, this year..it’s biscotti! And a delicious one at that. I love mixing flavors and textures when I’m baking and I am obsessed with anything lemon and lemon zest, So today we have a gorgeous cookie with bright lemon zest and juice and small chunks of pistachios swimming throughout the dough. I then topped it with white chocolate, which was actually more difficult than I imagined. After 2 attempts, 1 bag of really good quality chocolate and 1 burning incident (ya.don’t ask) and many ‘help me’ questions..I found the secret to melting white chocolate!

White chocolate is much different than melting other chocolate because it has a much lower boiling point and can burn very quickly. The trick is to use a double boiler, which is when you have a pot of simmering water and a bowl that can fit snugly on top. The bottom of the bowl should not be touching the water, but instead the simmering water should ever so slightly and slowly heat the bowl, in which you have your white chocolate in. As your bowl is slowly heating up, you then use your spatula to slowly and constantly stir the chocolate, so that the hotter chocolate will touch the cooler and melt together.

  Well, after many failed attempts, that did not exactly happen as I hoped. So the secret….coconut oil! Iv’e heard you can also use shortening, which I didn’t have on hand, but coconut oil worked perfectly! Coconut oil is a solid fat and melts beautifully when heated, which is exactly what I wanted with the white chocoalte..it just needed a little kick start to help it out. So with 1 bag of white chocolate, add about 2 good sized tablespoons of coconut oil. Allow to melt together slowly and in about 5-8 minutes..you will have glistening, gorgeous and even more delicious melted white chocolate!

Method:

1)  In a large bowl, add the sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

2) Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer is fine), mix together the butter, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until everything is incorporated and mixed well.  Next, add 1 egg at a time until mixed together thoroughly.

3) On low speed, add your flour mixture in 3 additions. When you are at your last addition to add flour, put the pistachios in with the flour and coat together so the pistachios are covered with flour. This helps them mix evenly so the nuts don’t sink to the bottom of the batter. Mix everything until just mixed through.

4) Place dough on lightly floured surface. It will be VERY sticking. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup additional flour and coat on all side so it does not feel sticking anymore. Cut dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

 5) When dough is ready, bring it back to your lightly floured work surface. At this point you can either take each half and cut into thirds for mini biscotti or cut in half.

6) Take each piece of dough and gently roll it into a long log, about 9-10 inches long. Place it on a non-stick baking sheet. If you are doing mini biscotti, you can fit 3 logs on your baking sheet. If you’re making larger biscotti, only place 2 because they spread a bit.

7) Bake logs at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.

8) When done, allow to cool enough to handle and then use a serrated knife to cut the biscotti on a very sharp angle. Place cookies cut side up back on the baking sheet and allow to continue baking for another 15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.

9) When done, allow the cookies to cool on a wired rack and make the melted white chocolate.

10) To make the melted white chocolate, get a double boiler ready by bringing a small pot of water to a simmer. Place a glass bowl on top of the top and make sure that the bottom of the bowl is NOT touching the water.

11) Add the white chocolate chips and coconut oil and slowly stir, allowing both the oil and chocolate to melt. Continuing this until the chocolate is fully melted.

12) Then, use a spoon and drizzle the chocolate over the biscotti. Or you can dip half the biscotti into the white chocolate. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet or wire rack until chocolate solidifies on the cookie.

Print

Lemon Pistachio and White Chocolate Biscotti

Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups plain flour sifted
• 1/2 tsp baking soda sifted
• 1/2 tsp baking powder sifted
• Pinch of salt
• 8 Tb 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tb lemon zest
• 2 Tb lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup unsalted shelled pistachios roughly chopped

White Chocolate

• 1 11 oz bag white chocolate chips
• 2 Tb coconut oil

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add the sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.
2. Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer is fine), mix together the butter, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until everything is incorporated and mixed well. Next, add 1 egg at a time until mixed together thoroughly.
3. On low speed, add your flour mixture in 3 additions. When you are at your last addition to add flour, put the pistachios in with the flour and coat together so the pistachios are covered with flour. This helps them mix evenly so the nuts don't sink to the bottom of the batter. Mix everything until just mixed through.
4. Place dough on lightly floured surface. It will be VERY sticking. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup additional flour and coat on all side so it does not feel sticking anymore. Cut dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
5. When dough is ready, bring it back to your lightly floured work surface. At this point you can either take each half and cut into thirds for mini biscotti or cut in half.
6. Take each piece of dough and gently roll it into a long log, about 9-10 inches long. Place it on a non-stick baking sheet. If you are doing mini biscotti, you can fit 3 logs on your baking sheet. If you're making larger biscotti, only place 2 because they spread a bit.
7. Bake logs at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.
8. When done, allow to cool enough to handle and then use a serrated knife to cut the biscotti on a very sharp angle. Place cookies cut side up back on the baking sheet and allow to continue baking for another 15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.
9. When done, allow the cookies to cool on a wired rack and make the melted white chocolate.
10. To make the melted white chocolate, get a double boiler ready by bringing a small pot of water to a simmer. Place a glass bowl on top of the top and make sure that the bottom of the bowl is NOT touching the water.
11. Add the white chocolate chips and coconut oil and slowly stir, allowing both the oil and chocolate to melt. Continuing this until the chocolate is fully melted.
12. Then, use a spoon and drizzle the chocolate over the biscotti. Or you can dip half the biscotti into the white chocolate. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet or wire rack until chocolate solidifies on the cookie.

Visit all the other Christmas Week Peeps for more Holiday Baking Goodness:

• How To Make Perfect Gingerbread People by Cravings of a Lunatic

• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Cobbler by Juanita’s Cocina

• S’mores Fudge by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

• Cherry Noir Noel by Noshing With The Nolands

• Japanese Blondies by Ninja Baking

• Peanut Brittle by Food Lust People Love

• Elf Nibbles by Dizzy Busy and Hungry

• Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookies with Salted Caramel by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen

• Gingerbread Men Cookies by Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

• Mint Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookie Bars by Mom’s Test Kitchen

• Penuche by Cooking In Stilettos

• Triple Orange Biscotti by Liv Life

• Homemade Caramels by Jen’s Favorite Cookies

• Kerstol (Dutch Christmas Bread) by The Dutch Baker’s Daughter

• Dark Chocolate Orange Ricotta Tart with Honey Almond Crust by Cupcakes & Kale Chips

• Tropical Toffee Brittle by Home Cooking Memories

• Chocolate Raspberry Linzer Cookies by Pineapple and Coconut
• Lemon-Pistachio and White Chocolate Biscotti by The Little Ferraro Kitchen

Giveaway!!

Today’s #ChristmasWeek giveaway comes courtesy of Cake Boss Baking. Cake Boss Baking is the new branded bake ware from Buddy Valastro, the talented chef and baker behind the TLC TV show, “Cake Boss”. Cake Boss Baking features a full line of cake pans, decorating tools, dessert plates and more, with product for all levels of expertise.

Cake Boss Baking is offering one #ChristmasWeek reader the opportunity to win a prize package full of baking tools and essentials {ARV: $260}, including:

• 1 Basics 6 Cup Mini Loaf Pan
• 1 Deluxe 11×17 Cookie Pan with Drop Zones
• 1 Professional 3-Piece Cake Stacking Set – Round
• 1 Novelty 12 Cup Molded Cookie Pan – Star
• 1 Novelty 6 Cup Flower Cakelette Pan
• 1 12-Piece Basic Tip Set
• 1 Large 12″ Disposable Icing Bags
• 1 Set of 2 Bowl Scrapers
• 1 10″ Icing Spatula w/ Serrated Edge
• 1 Mechanical Cookie Scoop
• 1 Spoonula/Spatula 2 Piece Set
• 1 Ceramic Tool Crock
  
• 1 4 Piece Classic Fondant Imprint Mat Set
• 1 Flower Cake Decorating Kit
• 1 “Mini Cakes” Cake Carrier
  

To enter, read the details and use the Rafflecopter below!

***This giveaway is for one Cake Boss Baking baking essentials prize pack (details listed above)! This giveaway is open to Continental US residents only . When the contest concludes, the winner will be chosen by random draw. The winner will be notified through e-mail and they will have 3 days to respond or another winner will be chosen.***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***Disclaimer: This giveaway is being provided by Cake Boss Baking. #ChristmasWeek bloggers have not received product or been compensated as a part of this giveaway.***

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