Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti

CRANBERRY-PISTACHIO BISCOTTI from The Old Farmer's Almanac

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup toasted pistachios

1 cup dried cranberries

2 ounces white chocolate, melted

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 325º. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Lower speed and beat in dry ingredients. Stir in pistachios and cranberries by hand.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form dough into a log, 14 inches long by 4 inches wide by 1-½ inches high.

Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a rack; let cool about 5 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice log on the diagonal into ½-inch-thick pieces.

Arrange slices on a lined baking sheet and bake about 8 minutes per side. Transfer biscotti to a rack and cool completely. Drizzle with melted white chocolate. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.

Bettye's Banana Bread

This recipe is from one of the books I must have received from my cookbook club decades ago when I was a young unmarried woman. I know I've been making this banana bread for about 45 years. The book is The Gift-Giver's Cookbook (1971) by Jane Green and Judith Choate. I'm sorry to say I'm not sure where my cookbook is but the recipe's been copied in several places.

Bettye's Banana Bread

Cream 1/3 c. butter with 2/3 cup sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Add 2 eggs one at a time. Blend in 3 mashed bananas. Bananas should be 1/4 c. to 1/3 c. each and for this recipe I would want at least 1 to 1-1/4 cup of mashed bananas.

Sift together 1-3/4 cup flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt. Add the flour to the sugar/banana mixture together until mixed. Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Add nuts if desired.

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees in a 9" loaf pan until tester comes out clean.