Green pistachio nuts and bright red dried cranberries provide holiday colors and wonderfully harmonious flavors in these crispy cookies.
Yield: 2 dozen
Active time: 20 minutes
Start to finish: 13/4 hours
1 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
3 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
11/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
2. Combine rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk well.
3. Combine butter and confectioners’ sugar in another mixing bowl and beat at low speed with an electric mixer to combine. Increase the speed to high, and beat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and beat for 1 minute.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and beat until stiff dough forms. Fold pistachios and dried cranberries into dough.
5. Form dough into a log 12 inches long and 3 inches wide on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.
6. Place log on a cutting board. Cut log on a diagonal into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick slices using a sharp, serrated knife. Arrange biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until pale golden. Transfer biscotti to a rack and cool completely.