Do you ever feel like biscotti is overlooked? It’s not quite as popular as cookies or pastries, at least not here in the U.S. But the Italians are on to something– a good biscotti/coffee combo is the BEST, right? I’m thinking I need more of it in my life, especially this Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti. Perhaps that will be one of my New Year’s resolutions, as we’re approaching that time. EAT MORE BISCOTTI. Sounds perfect. In fact, why wait?
Happy Dunking ?
Cranberries and pistachios are a delightful combination in this crisp treat, and also add pretty, Christmas-time colors to the traditional Italian biscotti cookie.
Our Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti is all the things you want in biscotti—-a crispy, but not-too-hard cookie; light flavors of pistachio and sweet cranberries; and a mild zing of orange zest. We’ve replaced the almonds used in our recent post of Classic Almond Biscotti recipe with toasted pistachios for a holiday twist. Plus, there’s something about biscotti with a cup of hot coffee that just feels cozy and right, and able to inject a bit of excitement to any mundane afternoon.
How to make Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
This recipe for the best little coffee dunkers is really quite simple! Less than 10 ingredients total to whip up a batch of our homemade Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti, which will leave you with about 24 cookies. Plenty to share or to save for yourself, we don’t judge! ?
As a side note, these biscotti would also make a great gift! Wrap up a few in a festive treat bag and tie a bow on it as a sweet gift for a friend, neighbor, teacher, etc.
Christmas Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- toasted pistachios
- dried cranberries
- sugar
- eggs + egg yolks
- orange zest
- vanilla
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 11 x 17-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Start out by sifting the flour, baking powder and salt into a shallow bowl. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries with a spatula, and then push the mixture into a mound with a well in the center. Pro tip: I’ve found that dried, organic cranberries have the brightest red color!
Step 2:
Whisk together the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, orange zest and vanilla in a medium bowl. Pour it into the well you made in the dry mixture. Use a fork to whisk the wet ingredients into the flour in a circular motion, gradually incorporating small amounts of flour until the whole mixture is combined and smooth.
Step 3:
Here’s the fun part! Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and with floured hands, work the dough into a disk shape. Divide it into two portions, shaping each portion into a log that measures about 2-1/2 inches in diameter and 12 inches long. Place each log lengthwise onto your prepared baking sheet and then lightly press on the tops of the logs to flatten them a bit and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes- they’ll turn golden brown and should have some cracks on the surface but still feel springy to the touch.
Step 4:
After you’ve removed the baking sheets from the oven, let your biscotti logs cool for 5 minutes before you transfer them to a cooling rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Once the logs have cooled (no more than 10 minutes or they’ll be too hard to cut), transfer them to a cutting board and cut 3/4-inch-wide slices, making your way down the log horizontally. Arrange the slices, cut side up, on the same baking sheet, return it to the oven, and bake for another 10 minutes. Flip the slices over and bake for 10 minutes more, or until they are crisp. When they’re done baking, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Yum
Notes from our kitchen on making Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
- We went old-school and mixed this in a bowl, but cranberry pistachio biscotti can also be made using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Be sure to cut the biscotti no more than 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven. If you wait too long, they’ll be harder to slice.
- You can make extra-long biscotti for a “gourmet” look by making one large log and cutting the cookies into 7 to 8-inch slices.
- Store the biscotti in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
- If the biscotti loses their crispness, you can make them crunchy again by baking them in the oven at 250°F for 3-5 minutes.
Didn’t I tell you homemade Cranberry Pistachio biscotti are easy to make? The most time-consuming part is the bake time, but that’s what makes biscotti unique. In fact, biscotti translates to “twice-cooked,” which is how biscotti ends up so crunchy, and perfect for dunking!
SOME OTHER RECIPES WE ARE SURE YOU WILL LOVE:
- Classic Almond Biscotti: These world-famous crisp, crunchy, not-too-sweet cookies are packed with flavor and nuts. They are the perfect dunkers for your cup of coffee.
- Pistachio Cherry Cookies: A delicious combination of pistachios, tart dried cherries and dark chocolate come together for a memorable cookie
- Soft and Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies: These molasses spice cookies are crisp, crinkly and sugary on the outside while inside the soft, moist goodness seems to melt in your mouth.
- Salted Chocolate Fudge Cookies: Dark chocolate cookies enhanced with a sprinkling of salt create a luxurious gourmet cookie.
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Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Ingredients
- 2-1/4 cups 270 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup 120 grams toasted pistachios
- 3/4 cup 60 grams dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and line a 11 x 17-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a shallow bowl. With a rubber spatula, stir in the pistachios and cranberries; then push the mixture into a mound and make a well in the center.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, zest, and vanilla. Add the mixture to the well in the flour mixture. Using a fork, whisk the mixture into the flour in a circular motion, gradually incorporating the flour in small amounts in a wider path until the flour is completely mixed and smooth.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and with floured hands, pat the dough into a disk. Divide the disk of dough into two portions. Shape each portion into a log about 2-1/2 inches in diameter and 12- inches long and place lengthwise on the prepared baking sheet.
- Press the tops of the logs lightly to slightly flatten and smooth them. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown. They should be springy to the touch with some cracks on the surface.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool for 5-minutes, then transfer to the cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes.
Reduce the oven heat to 300°F - Transfer the cooled logs to a cutting board and cut each log into 3/4-inch slices. Arrange the slices, cut side up on the same baking sheet and return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the slices over and bake an additional 10 minutes until they are crisp.
- Transfer the slices to the cooling rack and cool completely. Store biscotti in an airtight container.
Notes
- Biscotti can also be made using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Dried organic cranberries have the brightest red color.
- Let the biscotti cool no more than 10 minutes before slicing. If you leave them too long they become more difficult to slice.
- For extra-long biscotti, make one large log so the cookies can be cut into 7-8-inch slices for that ‘gourmet’ look.
- The biscotti will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.
- If the biscotti should lose their crispness, place the slices on a baking sheet in a 250°F oven for 3-5 minutes until they’re crunchy again.
John / Kitchen Riffs
Wednesday 4th of December 2019
I think biscotti is a bit overlooked. Maybe because it appeals more to adults than to kids? Well, kid that I am (at heart!), I LOVE biscotti. Yours looks wonderful -- thanks.
Pat Nyswonger
Wednesday 4th of December 2019
Thank you, John....I especially like the flavors in these biscotti and they are very Christmas-y with their pretty colors.