This cranberry pistachio biscotti recipe is the best Christmas biscotti recipe out there! Red cranberries and green pistachios are mixed into the biscotti batter for a festive and delicious addition to your Christmas bakings! These biscotti are not too dry and are prefect for dipping in a hot cup of coffee or hot cocoa.
What Do Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti Taste Like?
This is not your typical sweetness-loaded christmas cookie. The flavor of biscotti is mild, with just a hint of sweetness noted. You can taste the tartness of the dried cranberries and the smooth, distinct flavor of the pistachios. The texture is slightly dry, but definitely not TOO dry. Biscotti are a naturally robust and porous cookie, so they are PERFECT as a dipping cookie for coffee or tea because they absorb the liquid without falling apart.
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How To Make Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti:
This Christmas Biscotti recipe is pretty simple, but it does take a little time to cook. But that’s okay, because you can always make another traditional Christmas cookie recipe while they are baking!
First, you want to place the dried cranberries in boiling water. This helps to moisten them up to prepare them for baking. Next, you are going to mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in a stand mixer. Add the flour and baking powder, and you’ve got your biscotti dough! At this point, you can really add whatever you would like to the biscotti. In this recipe, we toss in our drained cranberries and pistachios.
After you add the cranberries and pistachios, you need to cut the mixture in half, and form two 16 inch long ‘logs’ that are about 1 inch high and 2 inches wide. If you have a baking sheet that is more than 16 inches long, transfer them to this. If not (I do not have a 16 inch long baking sheet), cut each log in half and transfer to two baking sheets. Brush with egg, sprinkle with sugar and bake.
Bake the biscotti logs for 25 minutes, let cool, then cut them into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Lay them on a wire baking rack, and continue to bake until dry enough, but not TOO dry, which in my experience is about 16-20 minutes in a 375 degrees F oven.
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When To Serve Cranberry Biscotti Cookies:
Don’t let their festive red and green look discourage you from making this delicious Italian biscotti recipe year round! As I mentioned, because of how durable and porous they are, these cookies are great for dipping in coffee, tea or hot chocolate. They will absorb the flavor and keep their shape beautifully. But if you are looking for a Christmas cookie box idea, these biscotti offer a nice change from traditional chocolate holiday cookies. They are not too sweet, and their crunch is addicting!
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- water
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. If you have one baking sheet that is larger than 16 inches long, grease it. If not, grease 2 baking sheets. Place a pot with about 1 cup of water on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cranberries. Let sit until needed.
- Placing a sifter over a bowl, sift the flour, salt and baking powder.
- In a stand mixer, beat room temperature butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 mins. While keeping the mixer going, add 3 eggs, one egg at a time, until combined. Add the vanilla, and then pour in the flour mixture. You may need to stop the mixer and scrape the flour off of the sides of the bowl to fully combine.
- Drain the cranberries, and add them to the mixture, along with roughly chopped pistachios. Continue to mix until combined.
- Place the dough ball on floured surface. Press down with your hands to form a slightly flattened circle, then cut the circle in half. Using your hands, shape each piece of dough into a 16-by-2-inch log. Do this by pressing the sides to lengthen the log, then pressing down on the top of the log until you reach 16 inches in length. Do this to both logs.
- If you have a baking sheet that is more than 16 inches long, you can transfer the two logs to the sheet. If not, cut each log in half, and transfer both halves to two different baking sheets. Whisk the last egg in a bowl, and brush it over the logs. Sprinkle generously with granulated sugar.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, remove the logs and let them sit for about 20 minutes to cool.
- Once cool, place the logs on a cutting surface, and using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1/2 inch-thick slices. Place a wire rack on baking sheet, and transfer each slice on the rack. Bake until firm, but not too dry, about 18 minutes. I recommend checking them every 7-8 minutes to make sure they do not over cook.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool. Enjoy!
Notes
- These biscotti will keep in an air tight container for up to 1 week
Enchanted Forest Christmas Pie
[…] you like this ‘Pecan Pie Bites’ recipe?! If so, go check out my ‘Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti‘ recipe! Another GREAT holiday cookie […]