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If you have never made biscotti but often order them at coffee shops, you will be pleasantly surprised how easy they are to make at home.
Biscotti means “twice cooked,” and the name does not lie. First, you shape the dough into logs and bake until firm. Let the logs cool for about 10 minutes, and then thickly slice to make indvidual cookies.Return the cookies to the oven and bake a little longer until they’re crisp and dry.
This double-baking give the biscotti a pleasing crunch, and I have to say, I fall for the crunch every time.
I love little cookies, so these biscotti are smaller than what you might find at the coffee shop. If you want larger ones, slice the logs at a sharp angle instead of straight across. You will end up with fewer cookies, but they will be large enough to suit your fancy.
Tart red cranberries contrast in both color and taste with pretty green pistachios, which have a buttery, rich flavor. Both are also a nice compliment to the dark chocolate. Each bite has a smattering of every flavor.
I love to eat these with coffee or tea (dunking optional), bring them to a friend for dessert with ice cream, or just sneak a few from the tin to munch on to satisfy four o’clock cravings.
Cranberry Pistachio Chocolate Biscotti Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
- 1/2 cup (47.5 grams) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
- 3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 3/4 cup shelled pistachios
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2 Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the orange zest, cranberries and pistachios until combined.
3 Whisk together the eggs and vanilla, in a separate bowl.
4 Make the dough: Add the eggs to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until blended. Use your hands as necessary to bring the dough together, mixing until no more dry flour remains.
5 Shape the dough: On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and divide it in half. Shape each half into a log roughly 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Place the logs about 4 inches apart on one of the baking sheets.
6 Bake the biscotti logs: Bake the logs for 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. When done, the logs should be risen and slightly firm. (They will still be a little soft in the center and that's ok.)
7 Cool the logs for 10 minutes: Slide the logs, still on the parchment, onto a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. The logs should still be warm and a little soft. Do not let the logs cool for longer or they become to crisp and brittle to slice neatly.
8 Slice the logs into biscotti: Transfer the logs to a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to cut the logs into slices roughly 1/2-inch thick – cut at a right angle for small biscotti or at a sharp angle for larger biscotti.
Transfer the biscotti to the baking sheets. Arrange the cookies close together, but without touching.
9 Bake the cookies: Bake for 8 minutes. Turn the slices over and continue baking for 5 to 6 minutes longer, or until the biscotti are firm and dry. Cool on a wire rack.
The finished biscotti will keep for 2 weeks in an airtight container, but I doubt you will have them around that long. The baked cookies will also freeze well for up to 3 months.
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Sally Pasley Vargas is a freelance writer and the author of three cookbooks (Food for Friends, The Tao of Cooking, Ten Speed Press, and The Cranberry Cookbook). She currently writes the column The Confident Cook for The Boston Globe along with seasonal recipes for the Wednesday Food Section.
Cranberry Pistachio Chocolate Biscotti
Oh man! I wanted these to come out as tasty as they sound but the dough was very dry (as noted by others). Added a bit of coffee to help the dough but the resulting biscotti ended up rock hard and grainy once cooled. Didn’t weigh the ingredients. Perhaps that’s where things went wrong…
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Hi Rosebud,
We’re sorry to hear your biscotti turned out dry, and that your dough was crumbly. Perhaps too much flour was the issue. The baked cookies are supposed to be hard and dry, but not rock hard, as yours were. Once again, flour might be the culprit here. I also found that, after years of hopefully making biscotti, I just don’t like biscotti! Maybe you could try these white chocolate pistachio drop cookies instead, but sub dark chocolate chips and add some cranberries. Thanks for reading and baking with us!
Dry, needs fat and needs a tablespoon of liquid to form loafs. Another egg might do the the trick. Flavors are good and walnuts work as do dried cherries.
I love this recipe. I plan to make it soon. However, i wonder if we can substitute the cranberry pistachio with dry fruits. Thank you in advance for your respond.
Hi, Mira! Yes, you can swap in other dried fruits and/or nuts. Just keep the amount the same. Enjoy!
So, I made these and they are delicious, and here are my notes:
1. The recipe as written, for me, did not provide enough moisture to make a dough. I added about 1/4 cup of water incrementally until I was able to get a good consistency.
2. When I sliced the logs, some areas fell apart. I felt the longer I left it to cool, the easier it was to slice. I would let it cool a bit longer next time(maybe 15 minutes). The slicing was a definite challenge and they aren’t as clean cut as I would like them, but they are fine.
Overall, a yummy recipe with room to customize. Thank you!
I’m glad you liked these and that they worked out in the end. If you measure flour instead of weighing it, it can effect the consistency of the dough. But you definitely did the right thing. This should not be too taxing! :) Also, I usually use a serrated knife when I slice the cookies. A sawing motion also helps.
Happy Holidays,
Sally
This was confusing. Are there a total of two logs or four?
Hi, Sandy! Just two logs. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into logs. I think where you’re getting confused is that the (2) logs are then spaced 4 inches apart on the baking sheet? Let me know if this makes sense now!
These came out great. The confusion was the number of baking sheets to prep in the description instructions. I realize now one sheet must have been for the sliced cookies to go back in the oven. Any chance you have another recipe, similar to the ease of this one but without chocolate??
Hi Sandy, The two baking sheets were used because not all the slices would fit on a single baking sheet. Glad you liked these! I think there are a couple of other recipes without chocolate for biscotti on this site. Happy Holidays!
Sally