Nutella Biscotti

I've been baking cookies for my family for years. I grew up baking with my mom who is a phenomenal baker! I love passing this tradition of baking on to my children as well. We even package cookies up each year and ship them off as Christmas gifts. I have so much fun baking around the holidays each year, and as our children grow older, they enjoy helping me!

I'm a very picky baker, and love to make everything from scratch. If a recipe doesn't make me drool, it's not good enough. If you're that type of person, then I hope you enjoy this series of cookie recipe sharing. I will be posting a new cookie recipe each week. The recipes I'm choosing are only ones that I've had immense compliments on. I can say that because technically these aren't my recipes, but ones I've learned from cookbooks, magazines, and online.

My husband's side of the family is Italian, so I wanted to find an authentic Italian cookie that I could share with them. His first request was biscotti. I've tried different variations on this cookie, and finally came up with a favorite!

Nutella Biscotti
Did you know that biscotti means "twice baked"??

(Not actual recipe pictured.)

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs, divided
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 cup Nutella, divided (chocolate hazelnut spread - found near peanut butter)
• 1 cup unsalted pistachios, shelled*
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries (optional - I've never used them as our family is not a fan)
• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 3 Tbsp boiling water

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, whisk together 3 whole eggs, 1 egg yold (reserve extra white in small bowl) and 1 cup sugar until completely blended. Add 3/4 cup Nutella and stir to fully incorporate. Add pistachios and dried cranberries. Fold in flour, salt and baking powder.
2. Divide dough in half and form into 2 logs (12 x 2 inches each) on parchment- or foil-lined cookie sheet. (I've found parchment paper to work quite nicely!) If needed, moisten hands with water periodically while forming dough to prevent sticking. Brush logs with remaining egg white and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating tray once after 15 minutes to ensure even baking.
3. Turn oven down to 300 degrees. Remove logs from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. While still warm, cut widthwise on slight diagonal to form 1/2 inch-wide strips. Lay on sides on baking sheet. For crispy biscotti, bake cookies for another 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
4. In small bowl, whisk together remaining Nutella, 1/4 cup confectioners sugar and 3 tablespoons boiling water until smooth. Lay biscotti on parchment or foil-lined surface and drizzle glaze over cookies with fork or dip 1 end of each cookie in glaze. To harden glaze, dry at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.