With Christmas right around the corner and Black Friday just past, it’s time to start seriously thinking about what to give your friends and family this year. Edible gifts are great any time of year. They’re a creative gift from the heart that shows your loved ones how much you care.
In the past, we’ve offered a lot of great recipes that would make perfect Christmas or hostess gifts. Find a nice mug and fill it with gourmet hot chocolate and some homemade marshmallows to warm them up on a cold winter night. A beautiful basket filled with artisan breads and cheeses pairs perfectly with a jar of honey butter. Take a look through past pieces from The Dish and get inspired this holiday season!
Didn’t see anything you like? Don’t despair, I’ve got the perfect edible gift for you to make this year!
Do you have a particular recipe that friends ask you for time and time again? I do! For years now friends and family have asked me to bring my biscotti to gatherings or make for them to give as gifts. Cookies are a classic Christmas favorite that get a new twist with my Cherry Pistachio Biscotti.
Keep reading after the recipe for wrapping suggestions and custom gift tags.
Cherry Pistachio Biscotti
Makes about 3 dozen
3 ½ C flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 ¾ C sugar
3 eggs
½ C vegetable/canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C dried cherries loosely chopped
1/2 C pistachios loosely chopped
+ 1 egg for glaze and 2 Tbsp sugar to sprinkle on top
Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
Mix dry ingredients together. Set aside.
Whisk sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy. Add oil, vanilla and whisk until blended. Slowly fold in dry ingredients. Before fully mixed, add fruit and nuts. Fold batter together until well combined but not over mixed.
Spoon half the batter onto one sheet and the other half on another. Wet hands with water or spray hands with PAM to prevent sticking. Form into logs about 2 ½ inches by about 10 inches. Make sure its even width. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. (Can also make smaller cookies by making 4 logs instead of 2)
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until firm and lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes. Turn off oven. Slice logs into about ½ inch pieces. Each log should yield about 18 slices depending on the mix-ins (or about 10 if in 4 logs). Arrange cookies upright on sheets and return to turned off oven. Let sit in cooling oven for about 1 hour until cookies are golden and have firmed up. Remove and let cool on a rack.
Let cool completely. Cookies continue to dry out after baking. Store in airtight container for 2 weeks or freeze forever.
Substitute any fruit or nut you like or even add chocolate chips.
Wrapping Suggestions
Wrap cookies in cellophane bags, tie with decorative ribbon and attach label.
For best results, print labels on card stock or a heavier weight paper. Cut out around edges and punch hole. Write your holiday greeting on the back. Your friends will love getting such a personal, creative gift!
Click on the image below and print for custom designed gift tags.
Biscotti, photograph by Susie Poole Anderson
