Lemon pistachio biscotti recipe

Enjoy homemade lemon biscotti with a cup of coffee for a special treat. Photo / Fresh Media

Twice-baked biscotti are crunchy, dunkable and make beautiful edible gifts for special occasions.

There are all sorts of flavour variations for biscotti. These ones are fragrant with lemon and pistachio.

Lemon pistachio biscotti

Makes: 40

Ingredients

80ml extra virgin olive oil

200g caster sugar

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp lemon zest

2 eggs

300g flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

70g pistachio kernels

150g melted white chocolate to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Spread the pistachio kernels on to a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Check after 8 minutes to ensure they aren’t getting too dark. Set aside to cool.
3. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
4. Whisk the olive oil, caster sugar, lemon juice and zest in a medium bowl. Add the eggs and mix until well blended.
5. Stir the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl, then add to the wet mixture and mix until just coming together. Before the mixture is fully combined, use your hands or a wooden spoon to work in the cooled pistachio kernels.
6. Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly to form a ball. If it is very sticky, chill it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before kneading.
7. Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a cylinder 30cm long and flatten each one slightly. Place these on the lined baking sheets and bake for 25-30 minutes until browned and firm.
8. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
9. Reduce the oven temperature to 150C.
10. While the biscotti cylinders are still warm, cut each one into 20 slices with a sharp, serrated knife. Return the slices cut side up to the baking sheets and bake for another 10-15 minutes until beginning to dry.
11. Cool on a wire rack. They will be a little soft to start with, but will crisp up as they cool.
12. Once the biscotti are completely cool, they can be left plain or drizzled with some melted white chocolate for a bit of extra luxury.

– fresh.co.nz