CHOCOLATE DIPPED CRANBERRY AND PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

These crisp twice baked Italian biscuits are delightful dipped into coffee or festive hot chocolate. They make for a thoughtful Christmas gift too.

Ingredients:

250g plain flour

½tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

150g caster sugar

100g whole pistachio nuts (not salted)

50g toasted whole hazelnuts

100g dried cranberries

1 orange, grated zest

25g butter, melted

2 large free range eggs, beaten

Chocolate for dipping (optional)

1. Put the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl and stir in the pistachios, toasted whole hazelnuts, dried cranberries and the zest of the orange. Make a well in the centre and add the melted butter and the beaten eggs. Form a soft dough and knead together.

2. Divide the dough into two and roll both into a sausage shape, about 24cm long. Place onto the AGA cold plain shelf, lined with Bake-O-Glide side by side. Bake in the roasting oven on the oven grid shelf placed on the floor of the oven for about 20 minutes, turning the cold plain shelf around once, until golden brown. Carefully transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 20-25 minutes.

3. Take a serrated knife, such as a bread knife, and diagonally cut each roll into 13 slices. Place the slices on the Bake-O-Glide lined cold plain shelf and slide onto the lowest set of runners in the baking oven to dry out. Bake for about 15 minutes, turning the slices over after 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack until cold.

4. The cooled biscotti can be dipped into melted chocolate and left to set. (optional)

Tip – to toast the whole hazelnuts place the nuts on a baking tray and slide the tray onto the lowest set of runners in the roasting oven for 3-4 minutes – watch closely as they easily overbrown!