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This cranberry pistachio biscotti recipe is a crisp-textured, Italian-style version made without butter that’s perfect for dunking into your morning coffee, an after-dinner espresso, or a glass of dessert wine. Great for holiday gift-giving, they can be made ahead and stored for a week or more and freeze well too.
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
Biscotti (Italian for biscuits) are a twice-baked Italian cookie with a satisfying crunch, and we love them for their unique preparation method and endless versatility. This cranberry pistachio version, with its red and green color combo, looks really pretty on a holiday cookie platter but once you master the technique for making biscotti, it’s easy to vary the flavors and serve them all year long.
Key Ingredients
This is an overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. Please see the printable recipe card below for the complete listing, including quantities.
- DRIED CRANBERRIES: Any brand of dried cranberries will do for this recipe, just be sure to plump them up in hot water and pat them dry before adding them to the biscotti dough. This extra step makes for better texture and more cranberry flavor in your biscotti.
- PISTACHIOS: Look for dry-roasted, unsalted pistachios for this recipe. You may be able to find them already shelled, but if not, be sure to measure them after shelling and allow a few extra minutes of prep time for the recipe.
How to Make Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
This is an overview of how this recipe is prepared. Please see the printable recipe card below for detailed step-by-step instructions.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour.
SOFTEN THE CRANBERRIES: Place the dried cranberries in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water. Soak until plump and softened, about 10 minutes, then drain thoroughly and pat dry gently with paper towels.
MAKE THE BISCOTTI DOUGH: Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and combine just long enough to form a dough. Mix in the cranberries and pistachios until well blended. Note: If desired, you can use an electric mixer.
KNEAD, FORM, AND BAKE THE DOUGH: Turn the dough onto a well-floured flat surface. Knead it several times, then form it into a ball and cut it in half. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet using well-floured hands and form each into a slightly flattened log. Space the logs about 3″ apart and brush them with egg wash. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
SLICE THE BISCOTTI: Cool the logs on the baking sheet on a rack for at least 10 minutes before handling. Once cooled, transfer them to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to cut them diagonally into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices.
BAKE THE BISCOTTI: Arrange the slices in a single layer on the baking sheet (cut side down). You don’t need much space between them as they won’t spread during baking. Bake until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes total, flipping each cookie over once about midway through baking.
TIP: If you don’t want to turn your biscotti over during baking, you can set a rack on top of your baking sheet to let the air circulate around them. It may shorten the baking time a little.
How to Store Biscotti
Because these biscotti aren’t made with butter, they have a relatively long shelf life. Here’s how to store them:
Cool biscotti completely and store them at room temperature in airtight containers. They should stay fresh for about two weeks. For longer storage, wrap tightly and freeze for up to three months.
Styles of Biscotti
There are two basic styles of homebaked biscotti, those made with butter and those made without.
Traditional Italian-style biscotti recipes don’t call for butter. They are crunchy, good for dunking, and because they have a lower moisture content, have a longer shelf life than the other variety. The texture is perfect for mix-ins like nuts, dried fruit, and citrus peel.
Biscotti made with butter are softer, slightly crumbly, and have a richer flavor. This texture complements ingredients like vanilla, chocolate, liqueurs, and herbs. Our orange biscotti are a great example. The basic recipe includes orange liqueur, fresh orange zest, and pine nuts, and there’s a chocolate-dipped variation too!
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Ingredients
- 1-1/3 cups dried cranberries
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pistachios, dry-roasted and shelled
For the egg wash:
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour.
- Place the dried cranberries in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water. Soak until plump and softened, about 10 minutes, then drain thoroughly and pat dry gently with paper towels.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and mix just long enough to form a dough. Mix in the cranberries and pistachios until well blended.Note: If desired, you can use an electric mixer.
- Turn the dough onto a well-floured, flat surface. Knead it several times, then form it into a ball and cut it in half. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet using well-floured hands and form each into a slightly flattened log.
- Space the logs about 3" apart and brush them with egg wash. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool the logs on the baking sheet, on a rack for at least 10 minutes before handling. Once cooled, transfer them to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to cut them diagonally into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices.
- Arrange the slices in a single layer on the baking sheet (cut side down). You don't need much space between them as they won't spread during baking. Bake until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes total, turning once about midway through baking. Cool completely before storing.
Notes
How to Store Biscotti
Because these biscotti aren’t made with butter, they have a relatively long shelf life. Here’s how to store them: Cool biscotti completely and store them at room temperature in airtight containers. They should stay fresh for about two weeks. For longer storage, wrap tightly and freeze for up to three months.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The logs were quite dry. I noticed that most biscotti recipes have butter as an ingredient. Is this an error?
So instead, I will bake them for a shorter time and then cool, cut and rebake the slices.
Hi Tobi,
Traditional Italian biscotti recipes do not include butter. The cookies are supposed to be quite dry and crisp as they’re generally served with coffee or dessert wine for dunking. Versions made with butter are more Americanized. They do have a more tender texture, but also have a shorter shelf life and may crumble when dunked. We have two biscotti recipes made with butter here on the site: Chocolate-Dipped Orange Biscotti and Orange Rosemary Biscotti. We haven’t tested this one using butter, but it would probably not be hard to adapt.
Hi,
I made this recipe this evening exactly as written.
Absolutely delicious and beautiful. I’ll be mailing a batch tomorrow to my friend for her birthday. Of course, I’ll be making another batch tomorrow because I ate 4 pieces of my stash to mailing tomorrow! Lol. Great
with a big cup of coffee tonight. Who needs “dinner”with a divine treat like this treat anyway? This was my “dinner!” Easy and fun to make and my kitchen smells wonderful. I might just need another biscotti for a MN snack, right? Thank you for this lovely, delicious, easy fun to make recipe. This biscotti tastes Iike I slaved in the kitchen!
I have never made biscotti but I love to eat it!
I so love biscotti! I haven’t made much this holiday season though…but I think before my break is over I must try the cranberry pistachio!
How pretty. The colors are great for the holidays and I love cranberries and pistachios, though I’ve never tried them together. It looks tasty!