[Balboa, Cuidad de Panamá, rep. of Panamá;
08º 56'N/079º 33 WFrank and Shirley of the Islander Freeport 36, Windsong made the rounds of the moorings at Balboa Yacht Club on Christmas Eve 2006 bringing these delightful treats to Carina and other boats. What a wonderful treat they were! We couldn't resist naming them for the famous Spanish explorer who crossed the isthmus of Panamá to the Pacific Ocean, founding Panamá City in the process. Variations exist but this one is delightful...
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
1/4 Cup Light Olive Oil
2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
2 Large Eggs
1 ¾ Cups All-Purpose Flour
¼ teaspoon salt (if pistachios are unsalted)
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Cup dried Cranberries (or other dried fruit)
1 Cup Shelled Pistachio Nuts
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or use the SilPat Non Stick baking sheets. In a large bowl, mix oil and sugar together. Mix in extracts, then beat in the eggs.
Combine flour, salt and baking powder; gradually stir dry ingredients into wet mixture. Mix in dried fruit and nuts by hand.
Divide dough in half. Form two logs with a slight curved top on the prepared cookie sheet. If dough is sticky you might want to add a little more flour, also WET hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
Bake 35 minutes in oven or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Cut logs on diagonal (I usually cut straight across) into ¾ inch thick slices. Lay each biscotti on their sides on a prepared cookie sheet and bake about 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry. Turn them over and bake again for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and Cool.
Makes about 2 dozen biscottis (Shirly usually triples the recipe). You can use other extracts, fruit and nuts for variety.