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Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti: Recipe and Baking Tips

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Jun 8, 2022 • 4 min read

Biscotti are classic Italian cookies, but the twice-baked, crunchy treat is more prevalent in the United States than in Italy. Cranberry pistachio biscotti are sweet, crispy, and nutty and perfect for dunking into a cup of coffee or hot tea.

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What Is Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti?

Cranberry pistachio biscotti are Italian cookies studded with dried cranberries and pistachio nuts. The Italian word “biscotti” (singular: “biscotto”) comes from the medieval Latin “biscoctus,” which refers to a twice-baked cookie or bread. In Italy, “biscotti” refers broadly to many cookie varieties, most of which are not twice-baked. Outside of Italy, the most popular biscotti style is the hard, twice-baked biscotti di Prato (aka cantucci). The dough gets formed into a slab and baked in a hot oven before being sliced diagonally and baked a second time. In the 1980s, this type of biscotti became immensely popular in the United States, where the cookie has become even more common than in Italy.

Biscotti are easily customizable: Add various dried fruits, chocolate chips, and nuts to the recipe to make it your own. Serve the crunchy treat with hot tea or espresso for dunking.

4 Tips for Making Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Good biscotti are crunchy and won’t fall apart when dunked into a mug of coffee or tea. Here’s how to achieve the perfect texture:

  1. 1. Cool the dough slightly before the second bake. Slicing the biscotti immediately after the first bake could cause the cookies to crumble under the knife’s weight. Let the biscotti cool for about ten minutes after the first bake so the log firms up enough to slice. If the dough cools for longer than ten minutes, it will become too crispy to slice.
  2. 2. Cool the biscotti completely before serving. Cool the cookies completely before serving to achieve their classic crispy and crunchy texture. Warm biscotti are soft and chewy in the middle, making dunking more difficult. The cooled crisp cookie can absorb liquids—like coffee, tea, or chocolate—without falling apart.
  3. 3. Use a serrated knife for cutting. A regular chef’s knife crushes the biscotti instead of slicing through them, while a serrated knife can easily slice through chewy dried fruit, crunchy nuts, and chocolate chips. Use a back-and-forth sawing motion, letting the knife do all the work.
  4. 4. Dip the cookie in chocolate. For added flavor and texture, dip half of the cookie in chocolate. Use white, dark, or milk chocolate, depending on your preferred biscotti mix-ins. Cranberries and white chocolate are a classic combination; try dark chocolate with chopped candied orange peel or milk chocolate with hazelnuts. Only dip half of the biscotti in chocolate and leave the various mix-ins exposed for the best presentation.

White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti Recipe

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makes

24 biscotti

prep time

20 min

total time

1 hr 10 min

cook time

50 min

Ingredients

For the biscotti:

For the white chocolate dip:

Make the biscotti:

  1. 1

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

  2. 2

    Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  3. 3

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 7–10 minutes. Alternatively, place the ingredients in a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer to combine.

  4. 4

    Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

  5. 5

    Add the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.

  6. 6

    In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, chopped pistachios, and dried cranberries.

  7. 7

    Combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients until incorporated.

  8. 8

    Divide the cookie dough into 3 equal pieces.

  9. 9

    Roll each piece into a log about 1¼ inches in diameter. Arrange the logs on the prepared cookie sheet.

  10. 10

    Bake until the outside of the log is light golden brown, about 40 minutes.

  11. 11

    Carefully transfer the cookie logs to a cutting board and let them cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

  12. 12

    Decrease the oven temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

  13. 13

    Use a serrated knife to cut the logs on the diagonal into 1-inch-thick slices.

  14. 14

    Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet cut-side down.

  15. 15

    Bake the biscotti until the tops are light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and bake until the bottoms are the same color, another 5 minutes. (The “crust” will be a deeper golden brown.)

  16. 16

    Remove the biscotti from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the white chocolate dip and assemble the biscotti:

  1. 1

    In a deep, small bowl, melt the white chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave.

  2. 2

    Dip a cooled cookie halfway into the melted white chocolate and let the excess drip off.

  3. 3

    Return the dipped cookie to the wire rack to set the chocolate. Repeat with the remaining biscotti.

  4. 4

    Serve the biscotti or transfer them to an airtight container where they will keep at room temperature for up to four days.

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