Unbaked biscotti dough rectangles 
Baked biscotti rectangles 
Sliced biscotti after first bake 
Sliced biscotti after first bake 
Sliced biscotti after first bake
I used to think biscotti were inedible, flavourless blocks better left as coffee shop decor. I hadn’t ever had a good homemade biscotti at that point, but now I love biscotti. Good biscotti is not rock hard, it’s crisp and lovely when dunked in a cup of coffee or tea. I like that they’re not too sweet, and their firmer texture helps one to savour it rather than gobble as I do when I’m enjoying a soft and chewy cookie. If you have ever judged biscotti as I once did, give it another chance and try this recipe. It’s full of flavour from pistachios, cranberries, orange zest, and almond extract. It’s become a staple in my Christmas baking, and I hope it becomes a favourite for you too!
Feel free to dip your biscotti in melted chocolate if you are so inclined. I often do, but this year I wanted them to be a little less sweet (and a little more simple to make).
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter (salted is fine too), room temperature
- ⅔ cup (135 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional but recommended)
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest (or zest of one navel orange)
- 2 large eggs, preferably room temperature
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pistachios*, shelled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries, roughly chopped
- coarse or raw sugar for sprinkling on top (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract, almond extract, and orange zest until smooth and creamy.
- Add the eggs and beat until combined. Add the flour and mix on low speed until smooth. The dough will be quite sticky. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.
- Divide the dough in half and dump both halves on the prepared baking sheet. Using your hands (wet them if dough is sticking too much), flatten and spread dough into two long rectangles (see photo above). Each rectangle of dough should be about 10" long x 2½" wide and ¾" tall. Leave a space between the two rectangles to allow for some spread.
- Smooth the tops and sides of the rectangles using a wet spatula. Sprinkle the tops with the coarse sugar, if using. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and spray the two rectangles of dough lightly but thoroughly with a spray bottle of water. Make sure you cover the sides as well as the top. Let sit for 5 minutes. This step makes it easier to slice the biscotti.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. To slice the biscotti, I find it easiest to transfer the dough rectangles to a cutting board using two flippers on each end. Using a serrated knife, cut ½" to ¾" wide slices on the short ends of the rectangles (see photo above). Make sure you cut them evenly so that each biscotti can stand upon it's own for the second bake.
- Remove parchment paper from the baking sheet. Carefully place the sliced biscotti back on the baking sheet, standing up on their edges (see photo above). They can be really close together.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until they feel dry and edges are beginning to turn golden. The centres may feel a little bit moist, but they will dry as they cool. Let cool completely on the pan.
- If you want, dip one end of each biscotti in melted chocolate. Or enjoy plain. Both are delicious!