Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti
Fresh nutty-fruity biscotti ready for dunking!
You can always fix my mood with a cup of tea. Honestly, it is what motivates me to get out of the bed some days. This is almost always followed by getting something sweet from the pantry to go with my tea and biscotti is one of my go-to options for that sweet something to dunk in my tea. I have lost count of how many times I have baked biscotti in the past few years as they are so easy to make. And, it always turns out good. There is no way you can mess it up. The only difference you might experience each time might be how crispy they turn out. The longer you bake, the crispier it will be. So, if you want them soft and cookie-like you can accordingly shorten your baking time after cutting them into slices.
Biscotti means "twice baked" and it is the second baking that determines how crisp and crunchy they will be in the end. Biscotti are made by first shaping the dough into a log and baking until firm. After letting it cool, it is then cut into thin slices. The slices are baked until crisp and this gives them a long shelf life. You can store the biscotti in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze them for up to 2 months.
I always make biscotti sans topping, for dipping in tea. This is the first time I am garnishing my biscotti, and with a house full of help, we went a little overboard with the embellishing. My son had a good time watching us do this and getting to taste chocolate every now and then. He kept saying “more shocolate, more shocolate” and we kept going. By the time we got done, it looked more like we made jewelry than biscotti.
You can use this recipe as a base for topping variations ranging from dried fruits like apricot & raisins, to nuts like almonds, pecans, hazelnut & walnuts, or mint/white chocolate/butterscotch chips— let your imagination guide and inspire you to create your favorite variant.
For Chocolate Dipped Biscotti:
Saucepan Method:
Place 4-6 ounces of the chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl (use separate bowls for dark and white chocolates) and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from heat and stir with a wooden spoon until it has completely melted. Taking one biscotti at a time, dip one end into the melted chocolate and place on a parchment or wax paper- lined baking sheet. Once all the biscotti have been dipped in chocolate and lined up, wait patiently until the chocolate has hardened.
Microwave method:
Place the chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl (use separate bowls for dark and white chocolates) and microwave for 30 seconds (or 20 seconds if at a high setting) then take the bowl out and give it a stir. Place the bowl back in the microwave and repeat the process of microwaving for 30/20 seconds, stopping, stirring and repeating until the chocolate has completely melted. Taking one biscotti at a time, dip one end into the melted chocolate and place on a parchment or wax paper- lined baking sheet. Once all the biscotti have been dipped in chocolate and lined up, wait patiently until the chocolate has hardened.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
In a separate bowl, use a mixer to beat the granulated and brown sugar with butter until fully blended and fluffy
Add in the eggs, one at a time, and then add the vanilla and almond extracts. Mix well.
With the beater on low speed, add in the flour mixture just until the dough starts to clump together.
Fold in the pistachios and cranberries.
Using your hands or a rubber spatula, gather the dough into one large ball and then divide it in half.
Dust you work station with flour as the dough will be sticky. Using lightly floured hands, place each half of the dough on the work station and shape the dough into rectangular logs about 12 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide each. Place the logs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, at least 2 ½-3 inches apart.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the logs are nicely golden and the tops feel mostly firm when gently pressed.
Transfer the sheet to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).
After 10 minutes of cooling, carefully remove the logs and transfer to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife in a long sawing motion, cut the loaf on a slight diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick slices.
Place the biscotti, cut side down, back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the other log. Bake for 10 minutes.
Turn the biscotti over to the other side and bake for another 10 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to the rack to cool. Remember that the biscotti will become crispier as they cool.
If you like to dip your biscotti in chocolate, gently melt the chocolates separately (please read the post for how to melt the chocolates), and dip the biscotti in melted chocolate, and garnish with finely chopped cranberries and pistachios. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until chocolate has hardened.
Thank you for trying this with me!
I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #ttwmblog and I’ll be sure to find it.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
In a separate bowl, use a mixer to beat the granulated and brown sugar with butter until fully blended and fluffy
Add in the eggs, one at a time, and then add the vanilla and almond extracts. Mix well.
With the beater on low speed, add in the flour mixture just until the dough starts to clump together.
Fold in the pistachios and cranberries.
Using your hands or a rubber spatula, gather the dough into one large ball and then divide it in half.
Dust you work station with flour as the dough will be sticky. Using lightly floured hands, place each half of the dough on the work station and shape the dough into rectangular logs about 12 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide each. Place the logs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, at least 2 ½-3 inches apart.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the logs are nicely golden and the tops feel mostly firm when gently pressed.
Transfer the sheet to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).
After 10 minutes of cooling, carefully remove the logs and transfer to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife in a long sawing motion, cut the loaf on a slight diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick slices.
Place the biscotti, cut side down, back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the other log. Bake for 10 minutes.
Turn the biscotti over to the other side and bake for another 10 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to the rack to cool. Remember that the biscotti will become crispier as they cool.
If you like to dip your biscotti in chocolate, gently melt the chocolates separately (please read the post for how to melt the chocolates), and dip the biscotti in melted chocolate, and garnish with finely chopped cranberries and pistachios. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until chocolate has hardened.