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    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

    By Lily・Published: Aug 2, 2021・Updated: Jul 31, 2021・Post may have affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This homemade cranberry pistachio biscotti is a great holiday biscotti or everyday biscotti to have with your morning coffee or tea. Every time I make this cranberry pistachio biscotti, it's gone within 24 hours. It's that good!

    pistachio cranberry christmas biscotti in a bowl

    This pistachio biscotti recipe knocks store-bought biscotti out of the water. Homemade biscotti is not hard to do, especially with my detailed guide below taking you step-by-step.

    When I think of the holidays, I think of this biscotti, pumpkin cake, sweet potato casserole, and brioche french toast casserole.

    Homemade Biscotti

    Once you make homemade biscotti, you will never buy the store-bought biscotti again. It's so easy to batch prepare, freeze, bring to parties, and consume every morning with your cup of coffee.

    The flavor combination of pistachios and dried cranberries is the perfect holiday combo. Olive oil in the biscotti brings out a unique earthy flavor. This recipe is easy to customize and adapt.

    homemade biscotti in a white bowl

    What is Biscotti?

    If you've never tried biscotti, it's a crunchy and firm cookie biscuit. Biscotti is not doughy and soft, and it has a texture more like a cracker. It's sweet, delicious, and perfect with a hot drink.

    Ingredient Notes

    ingredients needed to make cranberry pistachio biscotti
    • All-purpose flour: Overseas there are a lot of different types of flours. Use an equivalent to all-purpose flour or baking flour.
    • Olive oil: I recommend very high quality and tasty extra virgin olive oil. I used WholeFoods 365 Greek organic olive oil and it's made the batter so tasty.
    • Sugar: Use raw cane sugar or white sugar. Coconut sugar or liquid sweeteners may alter the taste and texture. If you try an alternative sweetener, drop a comment at the end of this post!
    • Shelled raw pistachios: It takes a long time to shell each pistachio one at a time, therefore, I highly suggest buying the pistachios already shelled. Roasted and salted pistachios can be used in lieu of raw pistachios, just omit the salt used in the batter.
    • Dried cranberries: Any kind of dried cranberry is appropriate for this recipe.

    See the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities.

    How To Make Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

    Cranberry pistachio biscotti is easy to make and store. The process for making homemade biscotti is split into three parts: making the batter, baking the biscotti, and cutting the biscotti.

    Make the Biscotti Dough

    In a bowl, add the sugar, olive oil, and vanilla. Mix well with a spoon.

    add olive oil, vanilla, and sugar to a bowl
    mix olive oil, vanilla, and sugar well

    Add two eggs. Mix well until fully blended.

    add two eggs to the bowl
    mix the eggs with the olive and sugar mixture

    In a separate bowl, add the flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix well.

    flour, salt, and baking powder added to a bowl
    mixing the flour, salt, and baking powder together

    Add the flour mixture to the olive oil and sugar mixture. Mix with a spoon until the batter starts to firm up into a dough-like texture.

    add the flour mixture to the olive oil and sugar mixture
    mix the biscotti batter with a spoon

    Once the batter is a dough consistency, add the dried cranberries and pistachios.

    mix the biscotti batter until it forms a dough
    add the dried cranberries and pistachios to the biscotti dough

    Mix the dried cranberries and pistachios into the biscotti batter with your hands. Scoop the batter onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.

    mix the dried cranberries and pistachios with your hands
    transfer the biscotti dough to a parchment paper on a cookie sheet

    Bake The Biscotti Log

    Form a biscotti log with your hands.

    Hint: Wet your hands with water so the biscotti dough doesn't stick to your hands. Also, the water helps smooth the surface of the biscotti.

    Bake the cranberry pistachio biscotti log at 300 ℉ (150 ℃) in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes.

    Hint: When baking the cranberry pistachio biscotti log, monitor the biscotti log color as a second way of determining when to take it out of the oven. Once the biscotti log is golden brown on the edges and the middle is cooked through (you can stick a toothpick in the middle cleanly), remove the log from the oven.

    using wet hands, shape the biscotti dough into a log shape
    biscotti log after being baked in the oven

    How to Cut Biscotti

    Cut the biscotti log using a knife. The biscotti should be cooked through and stay intact when slicing.

    cut the biscotti log
    the biscotti log cut into equal pieces

    Delicately flip the biscotti on its sides on the parchment paper keeping the slices from breaking.

    biscotti turned on its side prior to baking

    Bake at 325 ℉ (160 ℃) in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove the cranberry pistachio biscotti from the oven once it's golden brown.

    after the biscotti has baked in the oven

    Allow the biscotti to cool to room temperature prior to storage.

    Tips and Tricks

    The biggest tip in making the perfect cranberry pistachio biscotti is to weigh the flour using a kitchen scale. It's very easy to overfill (or underfill) a measuring cup if the flour is packed in or the measuring cup is not accurate. A kitchen scale gives a more accurate measurement in baking.

    A second tip for making the best biscotti is adjusting for a difference in oven temperature and elevation. I've changed ovens over the years, and they all perform slightly differently. In order to accurately determine if your oven is reaching the right temperature, invest in an oven thermometer to validate the temperature of your oven.

    If your oven is displaying 325 ℉ and the oven thermometer is reading 280 ℉, there is an issue with the oven. You will need to adjust your oven controls to make sure the oven is performing as it should.

    Variations and Substitutions

    Substitute roasted and salted pistachios for raw pistachios. If using salted pistachios, omit the added salt to the biscotti batter.

    Add lemon zest. One of my favorite addition to this biscotti recipe is the zest from one whole lemon added to the batter. Mix the lemon zest into the egg, sugar, and olive oil batter (prior to adding the flour).

    Dip the ends in some white chocolate. Using a double boiler, melt white chocolate chips. Dip the ends of the biscotti in melted white chocolate. Lay the pistachio cranberry biscotti with melted white chocolate on some parchment paper until the white chocolate hardens.

    close up view of biscotti on its side

    Equipment

    • Two medium size bowls: Use one bowl for the dry ingredients and the other for the wet ingredients.
    • Parchment paper: Lay the parchment paper on the baking sheet so the biscotti dough doesn't stick to the baking sheet.
    • Baking sheet or cookie sheet: Cook the biscotti in the oven using a flat baking sheet or cookie sheet.
    • Spatula or spoon
    • Chef's knife and cutting board: Use the chef's knife and cutting board to slice the biscotti log into sticks.
    • Measuring cups
    • Kitchen scale (optional): A kitchen scale gives a more accurate measurement for flour.

    Storage

    Store biscotti at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1.5 to 2 weeks. Freeze biscotti in an airtight container for up to 4 months. When ready to consume, just remove the biscotti from the freezer and allow it to thaw to room temperature (about 3 hours).

    FAQs

    What to eat biscotti with?

    Biscotti goes excellent with a hot drink like coffee, cappuccino, or tea.

    Where does the word biscotti come from?

    The word biscotto in modern Italian literally means biscuit. Latin biscoctus means twice cooked. Biscotti is twice cooked in order to dry it out.

    How long does biscotti last?

    Biscotti can last up to 2 weeks at room temperature or up to 4 months in the freezer in an airtight container.

    cranberry pistachio biscotti in a bowl

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    📋 Recipe

    vegan cranberry pistachio biscotti

    Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

    Author: Lily
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep: 5 minutes mins
    Cook: 1 hour hr
    Total: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    4.84 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate Email
    Servings 12
    This homemade cranberry pistachio biscotti is made with lemon zest, pistachios, dried cranberries, sugar, flour, eggs, and olive oil.

    Ingredients
     
    US Customary - Metric

    • 1¾ all-purpose flour 210 grams weighed** see note 1
    • ¾ cup of sugar
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 2 whole eggs
    • ¾ cup dried cranberries
    • 1 cup raw shelled pistachios without the shell on
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • zest from 1 lemon optional

    Instructions

    • Heat the oven to 300 °F (150 °C).
    • Add the sugar, olive oil, vanilla, and lemon zest (if using) in a bowl. Mix well.
    • Add two eggs to the olive oil and sugar mixture. Mix until fully blended.
    • In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir until blended.
    • Add the dry flour mixture to the olive oil wet mixture. Mix the batter using a spoon until it takes on the texture of the dough.
    • Add the dried cranberries and shelled pistachios. Using your hands, mix the biscotti dough until everything is fully blended.
    • Scoop the biscotti dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Using wet hands, shape the biscotti into a log shape about ¾" (about 2 cm) in height. 
    • Put the cranberry pistachio biscotti log into the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes or until the edges are golden and a toothpick can be removed cleanly from the center of the biscotti log.
    • Adjust the oven temperature to 325°F (160 °C). Transfer the biscotti log onto a cutting board by picking up the parchment paper. Slice the biscotti log into slices. Turn the biscotti slices on their side.
    • Place the parchment paper back on the baking sheet. Put the biscotti slices back in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the biscotti is golden. 

    Notes

    1. Weigh the flour using a kitchen scale for the most accurate measurement.
    2. If using salted pistachios, omit the salt used in the batter.
    3. Biscotti is a dried and crunchy sweet cookie. The baking process is what dries out the biscotti and makes it crunchy. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 biscotti | Calories: 260 kcal | Carbohydrates: 40 g | Protein: 6 g | Fat: 10 g | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Cholesterol: 31 mg | Sodium: 14 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 22 g

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    About Lily

    Howdy! My name is Lilian, but my friends call me Lily. I'm the founder and one of the recipe authors here at The Matbakh. I enjoy sunsets, long walks to the fridge, meaningful relationships, and anything related to food. I'm so happy you are here!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.84 from 6 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. ,Ann

      January 17, 2024 at 2:25 pm

      5 stars
      Love this Recipe. Ingredients are not weird, so easy to make. Thank you my family loved them.

      Reply
      • Lily

        January 17, 2024 at 6:01 pm

        Thanks for the comment Ann! These are always a hit at my home too

        Reply
    2. Anonymous

      June 05, 2023 at 3:20 pm

      Hi, Lily. That biscotti recipe looks delicious and the family loves cranberries in everything. I have all ingredients but the pistachios (kids ate them all up) and was wondering if I could substitute other nuts like walnuts, almonds, etc. Will it affect the taste or changes to recipe? Love this site which always offers great new V. Thank you so much and continued success.

      Reply
      • Lily

        June 05, 2023 at 3:59 pm

        Hey! You can absolutely substitute equal part nuts of whatever you have on hand (I do that often to clean out my pantry). I wouldn't mix the nuts though. Let us know how it turns out!

        Reply
    3. Tom T

      January 09, 2022 at 11:58 am

      No Vanilla Measure ???!!
      Otherwise great recipe ! Ty

      Reply
      • Lily

        January 09, 2022 at 1:22 pm

        Great catch! Yea I forgot to include a tsp of vanilla!! Will update the recipe. Thanks again for catching that Ty!

        Reply
    4. Stacey P.

      August 09, 2021 at 3:55 pm

      5 stars
      Was a huge hit at the family get together!

      Reply

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    lily at the matbakh

    I'm Lily

    I'm an American Lebanese living in Texas. My kitchen, or matbakh, is a hodgepodge of recipes from the U.S. and Mediterranean region.

    ABOUT ME

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