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    Home » Food Type » Dessert

    Aug 2, 2021 · Modified: Jul 31, 2021 by Lily · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    cranberry pistachio biscotti

    This homemade cranberry pistachio biscotti is a great holiday biscotti or every day 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!

    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. If you are not much of a pistachio person, check out this cranberry almond biscotti recipe.

    pistachio cranberry christmas biscotti in a bowl

    What I Love About This Recipe

    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. I really love the flavor combination of pistachios and dried cranberries, which is also the perfect holiday combo. I was intimidated the first time making homemade biscotti, so I've tried to detail every step below to help you on your own biscotti journey!

    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 a 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 the 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: One bowl is used for the liquid part of the batter and the other bowl is for the dry ingredient part of the biscotti batter.
    • 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: Using a firm spatula or spoon, mix the biscotti dough.
    • Chefs knife and cutting board: Use the chef's knife and cutting board to slice the biscotti log into sticks.
    • Measuring cups: These are needed to measure out the ingredients when making the cranberry and pistachio biscotti.
    • Kitchen scale (optional): A kitchen scale gives a more accurate measurement for flour.

    How To Store Homemade Biscotti

    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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    vegan cranberry pistachio biscotti

    Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: Lily
    • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    • Yield: 12 1x
    • Diet: Vegetarian
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    Description

    This homemade cranberry pistachio biscotti is made with lemon zest, pistachios, dried cranberries, sugar, flour, eggs, and olive oil.


    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 1 and ¾ cups of all-purpose flour (254 grams weighed)** see note 1
    • ¾ cup of sugar
    • ¼ cup of olive oil
    • 2 whole eggs
    • ¾ cup dried cranberries
    • 1 cup raw shelled pistachios (without the shell on)
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • zest from 1 lemon (optional)

    Instructions

    1. Heat the oven to 300 °F (150 °C).
    2. Add the sugar, olive oil, vanilla, and lemon zest (if using) in a bowl. Mix well.
    3. Add two eggs to the olive oil and sugar mixture. Mix until fully blended.
    4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir until blended.
    5. Add the dry flour mixture to the olive oil wet mixture. Mix the batter using a spoon until it takes on the texture of dough.
    6. Add the dried cranberries and shelled pistachios. Using your hands, mix the biscotti dough until everything is fully blended.
    7. Scoop the biscotti dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Using wet hands, shape the biscotti into a log shape that is about ¾" (about 2 cm) in height. 
    8. 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.
    9. Adjust the oven temperature to 325°F (160 °C). Transfer the biscotti log, by picking up the parchment paper, onto a cutting board. Slice the biscotti log into slices. Turn the biscotti slices on its side.
    10. 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. 

    Equipment

    Image of Dried Cranberries

    Dried Cranberries

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    Image of Glass Mixing Bowls

    Glass Mixing Bowls

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    Image of Baking Sheet

    Baking Sheet

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    Image of Shelled Pistachios

    Shelled Pistachios

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    Image of Cutting Board

    Cutting Board

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    Image of Chef's Knife

    Chef's Knife

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    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. 
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 1 hour
    • Category: Breakfast
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: Italian

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 biscotti
    • Calories: 260 calories
    • Sugar: 22 g
    • Sodium: 14 mg
    • Fat: 10 g
    • Saturated Fat: 2 g
    • Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
    • Trans Fat: 0 g
    • Carbohydrates: 40 g
    • Fiber: 2 g
    • Protein: 6 g
    • Cholesterol: 31 mg

    Keywords: cranberry pistachio biscotti, homemade biscotti, holiday biscotti, pistachio biscotti, cranberry biscotti, pistachio cranberry biscotti

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    About Lily

    Howdy! My name 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 on the beach, meaningful relationships, and anything related to food. I'm so happy you are here!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tom T says

      January 09, 2022 at 11:58 am

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

      Reply
      • Lily says

        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
    2. Stacey P. says

      August 09, 2021 at 3:55 pm

      Was a huge hit at the family get together!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Lily!

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    I've been cooking things up ever since I was a kid. I'm a Lebanese American from Texas. My kitchen, or "matbakh", is a hodgepodge of delicious cultural recipes from the US and Mediterranean regions.

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