Kitchen Wisdom Gluten Free Pistachio Cookies, or Biscotti di Pistachio, have wonderful flavor.  I use a baking method which affords the requisite texture and crumb without making them too dry. The dough is shaped into a log and then baked, cooled, sliced and baked again.  I make a double batch and keep them in a wax paper lined cookie tin.  They are wonderful with coffee and keep very well for over a week.

     Baking gluten free sometimes does require some creativity.  I have learned to embrace wax paper and parchment paper as special tools in gluten free baking.  Traditional wheat flours (All-Purpose flour, cake flour, etc.) remain quite moist and springy in baking; this is largely due to gluten and its magical ability to form a matrix, like a springy web, trapping moisture.  In gluten free baking, we must mimic this action using a combination of flours and leavens.  Wheat flour dough generally allow some form of manipulation;  for example, if making these cookies with wheat one would dig their hands into the dough and kneed for a few moments prior to forming a log.  This is where wax and parchment paper have become some of my most beloved tools in the kitchen.   Plop half the gluten free dough into the paper and form a log with your hands over the paper.  The handling and manipulation of the dough is the same as when working with wheat flour, but a barrier is often needed to accomplish a smooth and whole result for gluten free baking.

Yields 1 ½ dozen

1/3 cup Gluten free Sorghum Flour

½ cup gluten free Brown Rice Flour

¾ cup gluten free Potato Starch

1 ½ teaspoons gluten free  Baking Powder

¾ teaspoon gluten free Guar Gum

½ cup + 2 tablespoons Sugar

2  whole Eggs

1 ½ teaspoon gluten free Vanilla Extract

6 ounces shelled raw Pistachio nuts

Wax Paper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease or parchment line a Cookie sheet and place aside.

     Sift or whisk together the sorghum, brown rice flour, potato starch, baking powder and guar gum in a small bowl and place aside.

Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl, followed by the vanilla.

Whisk the sugar to the flour mixture.

Mix the flour into the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Combine thoroughly.

Halve the dough; place half in a large sheet of wax paper.  Fold wax paper over dough.  Shape dough into a log with your hands.  Make the dough approximately 5” long  x 3 1/2 “ wide x ½” in depth.  Place dough on the cookie sheet.

Both logs can be baked at the same time on the same cookie sheet.  Place cookie sheet in center of oven, bake for 23-25 minutes.

Remove from oven, leave logs on sheet and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Remove one log at a time to a plate.  Using a serrated knife, slice the cookies approximately 1/2” wide.  Place the cookies back on cookie sheet and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Remove cookies and place on cooling racks.

Be sure cookies are completely cool before storing them.

“Biscotti di Pistachio/Pistachio Cookies” by Liz Conforti, Forget What You Know About Wheat(c)

Additional Kitchen Wisdom Gluten Free Dessert Recipes:

Cream Puffs

Carmella’s Apricot Cookies

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