Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti: the tasty and fragrant recipe for Italian-style cookies

Cranberry pistachio biscotti are delicious and easy to make. They are crunchy, crisp, fragrant and taste even better than the ones you find in bakeries. Inspired by Italian-style cookies, these dry, elongated biscotti are perfect for dunking in tea or coffee, especially during holidays. The secret to this recipe lies in the double baking, in fact the Italian term biscotti actually means "twice-baked cookies".

This is a simple recipe because it does not require fancy ingredients and can be prepared also by people following a dairy-free, or low fat diet as it is without butter. Just combine pantry ingredients, cranberries and pistachio nuts, and form a log-shaped batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, slice the loaf and bake again the sliced biscotti until crisp.

Tips

• Dried cranberries are better than fresh ones for this recipe as they lost most of the moisture.

• For richer biscotti, dip each biscotti cookie in melted chocolate and let them setting in the refrigerator before serving.

• You may also use an electric blender to blend the ingredients instead of using a ladle or a spatula.

• Move your hand or gadget blade in one direction only while mixing the ingredients.

• Make sure there are no egg shells in the batter.

• Do not overmix the batter.

How to store Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

You can store covered cranberry pistachio biscotti at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Frozen biscotti can last for up to 3 months, thaw overnight before serving.

How to make Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a baking tray with an aluminum sheet or parchment paper and brush it lightly with vegetable oil.

In a bowl, add the flour, powdered white sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla extract until light and smooth.

Add the dry mixture to the wet one. Whisk until there are no lumps.

Stir in the cranberries and pistachios. Transfer the dough to the baking tray, form two log-shaped batter and brush beaten egg.

Bake the logs for about 20 minutes or until the logs are baked at the center. Completely cool the loaves and reduce the oven heat to 140 degrees C.

Slice the loaves with a sharp knife to get thin biscotti of about ½-cm thick. Arrange the sliced biscotti in a single layer over the lined baking tray and bake again for about 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Serve and enjoy!