Tahini and Pistachio Biscotti

I want a cookie, but make it breakfast.  

I’m thinking a little chocolate something with the second cup of coffee I know I don’t need (but I’m going to have anyway).  

I’m hoping for a little snack distraction with an afternoon cup of tea while I think about what to make for dinner.  

The answer to all of these wants and thoughts and hopes is biscotti.  A sweet but not too sweet cookie.  These are flavored with tahini, a sesame seed paste that’s thinner in consistency than a peanut or nut butter and is more earthy in flavor.  I love what the earthiness and extra fat adds to these cookies – balance and softness.  

Studded with salted pistachios and dipped in chocolate, these cookies are right for everything from breakfast through dessert.  All purpose? Yes indeed! 

Here’s what you’ll need for these biscotti: 

•  A bit of butter and a cup of sugar.  The start of most every good cookie. 

•  Roasted tahini (it’s the most delicious sesame seed butter) will act as added fat to bolster the butter and bring lots of flavor. 

•  Eggs for binding and a good splash of vanilla extract for flavor. 

•  Flour will be important. 

•  Roasted and salted pistachios.  We’ll shell and coarsely chop them. 

•  Sesame seeds for topping and chocolate for dipping (with a spoonful of coconut oil) if you’re feeling it.

That’s it!  Let’s bake now! 

Cream the butter, sugar, and tahini until well combined and lightly fluffy.  

Add the eggs and the egg yolk along with the vanilla extract.  

The eggs and yolk will bring the batter to silky smooth, like glossy velvet. 

Add the dry ingredients.  We’re talking flour, baking powder, and salt.  

The batter will be rather thick – that’s right. 

Add the coarsely chopped pistachios and a small handful of sesame seeds.  

Use a spatula to fold all the nuts and seeds together. 

Divide the dough in half and shape into 2-inch thick logs.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds. 

Bake the logs for 25 – 30 minutes, until just cooked through and lightly golden around the edges.  

Allow the par baked logs to rest until cool enough to touch. By touch I mean slice into 1-inch thick cookies.  Place each cookie on its side on the baking sheet and back to the oven! 

We want the biscotti, each little cookie, to cook individually, dry out just a bit more, and lightly brown on both sides.  

Golden brown, cooked though, still soft in the center with the crunch of pistachios.  

I dipped the cooled biscotti in dark chocolate melted with a spoonful of coconut oil and sprinkled the chocolate with sea salt.  More is more, don’t you think?  

Tahini and Pistachio Biscotti

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Ingredients

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• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup roasted tahini
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk (save the egg white for the egg wash)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup shelled roasted salted pistachios
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plus 3 tablespoons more for topping
• remaining egg white and a splash of milk for egg wash (I just used another whole egg for my wash because I ate the egg white with breakfast)

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Instructions

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, beat together butter, tahini, and sugar. Beat until well incorporated and slightly fluffy in texture. About 3 minutes.
4. Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and add egg and egg yolk. Beat on medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients, all at once to the tahini mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Stop mixer. Add pistachios and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and remove the bowl from the mixer. Finish incorporating ingredients with a spatula. Dough will be slightly dry. That’s ok.
5. Divide the batter into two on the prepared baking sheet and shape dough into two logs about 8-inches long and 1 1/2-inches wide. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle generously with remaining sesame seeds.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate pan and bake for another 15 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking pans until cool enough to handle, but still soft. Use a serrated knife to slice biscotti about 1-inch thick. Place cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, flipping once during baking. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Biscotti will still be slightly soft.
7. Biscotti will last, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 10 days.

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