Crunchy cranberry pistachio biscotti are an easy treat to make for the holidays (and beyond!). This gluten-free, homemade version of classic Italian biscotti is slightly sweet, twice-baked, and filled with tart cranberries and salty pistachio in every bite. It’s the perfect partner for your steaming mug of coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
All I want for Christmas is… Biscotti! This gluten-free cranberry pistachio recipe puts a festive twist on the classic Italian almond biscuits. They’re studded with sweet dried cranberries and chopped pistachios, and one of my favorite holiday recipes because they’re just so easy to make.
Traditionally, biscotti were made for dipping in Vin Santo, a type of sweet dessert wine. They’re baked twice to get them dry and crispy so that they soak up some of your drink with each dunk. Not just for dessert, these rustic cookies are wonderful to have with coffee or tea, too.
I like to package this cranberry pistachio biscotti with gluten-free amaretto biscotti or my dark chocolate almond biscotti and gift them like a variety pack to friends and family members for Christmas. But I’ve also been guilty of hoarding them all for myself! I’ve learned to make a double batch so I can do both.
What Makes These Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti So Special?
- They’re easy to prepare. Make the dough for these Italian biscuits in minutes using just one bowl.
- You can customize them however you’d like. I make this recipe gluten-free, but you can absolutely use regular flour and even adapt the mix-ins, like cranberries and pistachios, to suit.
- A versatile treat. Whether you prefer enjoying them for dessert with a glass of wine or serving them as a mid-morning tea biscuit, homemade biscotti are bound to disappear quickly.
- Great to make ahead. Because of their crisp texture and low moisture content, these cookies stay fresh for weeks when they’re properly stored.
- Perfect for snacking and gifting. While many people serve them alongside their beverage of choice, biscotti make delicious Christmas cookies all by themselves as well.
Key Ingredients
All you need to make cranberry and pistachio biscotti is a combination of kitchen staples. See the recipe card below the post for the full ingredients list with exact measurements.
- Pistachios – Roughly chopped. If you don’t have pistachios, you can substitute them with almonds, pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts. Or, make your biscotti nut-free by swapping the pistachios with white chocolate or dark chocolate chips.
- Dried Cranberries – Also known as craisins. Other dried fruit, like raisins, dried blueberries, currants, or chopped dried apricots will also work here. Fresh fruit typically contains too much moisture to work well in biscotti recipes.
- Sugar – Regular granulated sugar or light brown sugar are best.
- Eggs – Room-temperature eggs will cream with the sugar more smoothly.
- Vanilla Extract – Use a high-quality extract to ensure you’ll get the best flavor. Vanilla paste is another option (you can use it as a 1:1 substitute). For more traditional almond-flavored biscotti cookies, substitute almond extract for half of the vanilla extract.
- Cinnamon – To add some holiday-worthy warmth. Nutmeg is also delicious, or you can try ginger, cardamom, or skip the spice if you prefer.
- Baking Powder – This helps to keep the cookies nice and light. Make sure to use baking powder, not baking soda, and ensure it’s as fresh as possible.
- Gluten-Free Baking Flour – You can use regular all-purpose flour if you’re not gluten-free.
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How to Make Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
The secret to biscotti lies in the name. Biscotti means “twice-baked”: You’ll bake the biscotti as a log first, slice it, and bake the slices again at a lower temperature. This is what gives biscotti cookies their signature hard, crunchy texture.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Thoroughly cream the eggs and sugar together first (about 5 minutes). Once you have a thickish mixture, add the vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients. Slowly mix in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to form the dough. Lastly, fold in the dried cranberries and pistachios.
- Form the dough into a log. Next, turn your biscotti dough out onto a lined baking sheet. Shape the dough into a log, roughly 12 x 3½-inches.
- First bake. Place the log into a 350ºF oven to bake for 25 minutes, until firm. Afterward, let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Second bake. Reduce the oven to 325ºF while the biscotti cools. Then, use a sharp or serrated knife to slice the biscotti log diagonally into ¾-inch slices. Arrange the biscotti cookies cut side down on the baking sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for another 8-10 minutes, until golden. Cool the finished cookies completely.
Tips for the Best Biscotti
- Use a hand mixer or stand mixer. You don’t technically have to use an electric mixer for this recipe, but the muscles in your arms and hands will thank you for it. Plus, everything goes a lot quicker.
- Measure using a food scale. Flour gets overpacked into measuring cups super easily, and gluten-free flour is no different in that respect. I always suggest using a food scale to achieve an accurate measurement. If you don’t have one, simply fluff up the flour, scoop it into the measuring cup little by little, then level it off at the top with a knife.
- Let the baked log cool for at least 10 minutes. You won’t be able to get clean slices if your biscotti log is still hot when you try to cut it. Let it sit on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before doing so. You could even cool it all the way down to room temperature if you’d like.
- Fine-tune the crunchiness of your cookies. Biscotti cookies have a little bit of leeway when it comes to how long they’re baked. For slightly softer cookies, shave a couple of minutes off of the second round of baking. Add another minute or two for extra crunchy biscotti. Just be careful not to under-bake or over-bake the cookies.
Variations
There are tons of easy ways to tweak this easy biscotti recipe. Experiment with the following variations if you’re feeling creative.
- Dip the biscotti in chocolate: Dip one end of each biscotti into melted dark, milk, or white chocolate. Don’t do this until the cookies have cooled completely. Let the chocolate-dipped biscotti sit on a sheet of parchment or wax paper until the chocolate has set.
- Cranberry almond biscotti: If you really want to give a nod to traditional biscotti, substitute chopped almonds for the pistachios. I also love how these taste with pecans or walnuts!
- Swap the cranberries: Any dried fruit will make an amazing addition to these cookies. If you’re using something larger like apricots or pineapple, just be sure to dice it up.
- Zest it up: Add fresh orange zest or lemon zest, or use a little citrus-flavored extract in the biscotti dough.
Can I Make Biscotti in Advance?
These twice-baked cookies stay fresh for a while after they’re baked, but you can prepare the dough ahead of time if needed. I’d recommend storing the unbaked dough, or setting aside the log after the first bake and before you cut out the cookies:
- To store the unbaked dough, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. I always do this with half of the dough when I make a double batch. Combining it all into one log won’t work.
- If you’re storing the once-baked biscotti, keep it in an airtight container at room temperature (after it has fully cooled) for up to 24 hours.
Long-Term Storage
- Store in metal tins. These cookies will last for up to 2 weeks if you keep them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. I find that metal tins keep them freshest. If you’ve dipped your biscotti cookies in chocolate, transfer them to the fridge after 1 week of storage.
- Freeze. Biscotti can be frozen for up to 3 months. First, flash-freeze the cookies on a baking sheet until they’re frozen solid. Then transfer them to a freezer-safe container and store. Thaw frozen biscotti on the counter before enjoying.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
These crunchy homemade cranberry pistachio biscotti are a gluten-free treat perfect for the holidays! Slightly sweet and filled with tart cranberries and salty pistachio in every bite, they’re delicious dunked into a steaming mug of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pistachios
- 3/4 cup of dried cranberries
- 2/3 cup of sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 3/4 cups of 1:1 gluten free baking flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a stand mixer, cream eggs and sugar until thick, about 5 minutes. Add in vanilla extract.
- Slowly add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt to the mixer until ingredients are well combined and a dough forms.
- Fold in the cranberries and pistachios.
- Place dough on a silicone baking mat or a baking sheet sprayed with PAM. Form dough into a log about 12 inch long and 3 1/2 inch wide.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until log is firm.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a rack.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
- Transfer the biscotti log to a cutting board, and cut it into 3/4″ diagonal slices.
- Place biscotti cut side down on baking sheet, bake for about 10 minutes, turn slices over and bake for another 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
Notes
- To Store: Keep cookies in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks. If you’ve dipped them in chocolate, transfer to the fridge after 1 week.
- To Freeze: First, flash-freeze cookies on a baking sheet until frozen solid. Then, transfer to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter before enjoying.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 biscotti
- Calories: 136
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 78 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 23 mg
38 comments on “Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti”
Cool!
Added to my weekend todos.
So excited for you to give this recipe a try!
What is the calorie count on these?
I just updated the nutritional info on this one.
made these and love them. I do find them slightly too hard so i was wondering how to make them less hard to bite into. I have no idea how much i should reduce the baking times or change any ingredients.
I would just reduce the baking time by 3-4 minutes if they came out too hard for you
made these and love them. so tasty. My family thought that they were too crisp so i was wondering how i could make these less hard to bite into. If shortening the baking time is the answer, bu how much should i reduce it?
yes, I would reduce the baking time by 3-4 minutes and that will do the trick
The directions never mention adding the 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, only to sift flour, salt, & baking powder.
whoops.. good catch! Thank you. I will add it in to the dry ingredients.
I love all things coffee too. If these are the best you’ve ever made OR eaten, well then I better get to making them. I do love a good biscotti!
Yes! For sure! Thats alot to say, because that means I like this over chocolate!!!! What? 🙂
These look yummy! Who doesn’t love dunkin’ biscotti in coffee?! Love the mug lots, too!
Right! Biscotti and coffee just go together. 🙂
PS got the mugs at Anthropologie
I’ve never tried making biscotti but these are tempting me! I think they would be a great Christmas gift too with some fun coffees and teas!
Make them! Now! You will love them and they are a great gift to give to neighbors for the holidays!
This biscotti looks unreal! I just might have to try making one at home myself!
Oh for sure you need to make it girl! 🙂
I love homemade biscotti, and these look absolutely amazing! And so festive with the red and green! Can’t wait to try these.
Thanks so much Stacey! Hope you love them as much as we do! 😉
I hoard all my favorites too! A girls gotta do what she’s gotta do to protect her treats! Orrr I just don’t tell the hubby about something…because we all know they don’t search for anything!
I am dying over this biscotti! They look so darn delicious!
haha… right! At least I’m not alone!
So glad you loved these biscotti chica, you so need to try them. Seriously awesome!
I need a cup of coffee stat so I can have these! They look perfect.
haha… i know right! 🙂
Cranberry + pistachio is my favorite biscotti combo of all time! Definitely adding these to my holiday baking list!
I knew I liked you for a reason. 🙂 hehe
Krista, this looks great! I love biscotti, but I have actually never made it before. I need to try this recipe!
Alyssa!!! Go make them now! You and your hubbie will love them!
Krista, there’s a reason I’ve chosen you as my obsession today (twitter, Fbook, Google+…) I am OBSESSED with these biscotti!!! way to knock it out of the park!
haha.. well I am glad to have at least reached one person for MY obsession over these biscotti. 🙂 Thanks for all the love sweet girl!
The close up picture is gorgeous!! I love being able to see how packed they are with goodness, yum!
Thanks so much Beth!
This is my kind of Biscotti. I am all about cranberries right now. Pinned!! 🙂
Me too girl, sounds like we are two peas in a pod. :)Thanks for the pin Renee!
Big puffy heart coffee…that made my day! Of course, it would be made better with these biscotti!
Of course!! 🙂
What an easy recipe. I love the idea of these festive biscotti. I made biscotti a few years ago but haven’t made it since, I wonder why. Well that needs to change! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Definitely needs to change Sam! You will fall in love with them all over again. 🙂