italian dessert recipes

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

"Fancy Christmas colors - good all year long!"




cranberry pistachio biscotti 01 This cranberry pistachio biscotti goes beyond your traditional Italian biscotti recipe with the colorful added cranberries and pistachios. This Italian dessert recipe will make you shine as a biscotti pro.

It's my favorite Italian biscotti recipe!
For Rachel-Ray-Martha-Stewart-wannabes this is your chance. This recipe presents well and tastes awesome! Have your moment.



For all the purists, fair warning this biscotti recipe strays from the traditional Italian biscotti recipes.

It has one NOTED ingredient that is not in the authentic biscotti recipes;

  • olive oil


    • Authentic biscotti recipes call for no oil. Little biscotti history - biscotti was prepared with traveling in mind. Thus the double baking procedure and the "no oil".

    Also for this recipe, we have cranked it up a level by adding the extras:

  • cranberries


  • pistachios


    • This may not be traditional but it's still biscotti!

    There are few substitutions that can be made with this recipe.

    I will probably make a batch of cranberry pistachio biscotti for Christmas gift platters. Think about it, too! No one else will be giving homemade green and red biscotti for Christmas. Time to shine Italian cooking diva and divos! Give it a thought.

    Enjoy! And remember, have a little sugar everyday!

    Lisa

    Site Owner and Developer for Italian Dessert Recipes

    Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

    cranberry pistachio biscotti YIELD - About 16 CPB - (Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti)

    Ingredients:

    * 1/4 cup light olive oil (Yup seriously - read FAQ's about olive oil first!)

    * 3/4 cup white sugar

    * 2 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

    * 2 eggs

    * 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

    * 1/4 teaspoon salt

    * 1 teaspoon baking powder

    * 1/2 cup dried cranberries

    * 1 1/2 cups pistachio nuts

    Procedure

     Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C. My mom always said get the temp started before you start mixing. An oven with an even temperature cooks a dish evenly.

    * Mix together oil and sugar until well blended.

    * Mix in the almond extract, next beat in the eggs.

    * In another bowl combine flour, salt, and baking powder - gradually stir this into egg mixture.

    * Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.

    * Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches - or whatever makes you happy). Place logs on lightly greased cookie sheet.

    * Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven

    * Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes or until you can handle.

    * Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F

    * TIP: I put a marble slab in the fridge and transfer the log to the slab to speed cooling

    * Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on cookie sheet. (Cover with parchment paper - if you want). TIP: If the dough is too sticky to handle - cover it and put in 'fridge for 10 minutes.

    * If you want to flatten, that's fine - just don't press hard.

    * Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or till firm.

    * Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool before cutting.

    * Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool. * Store in an airtight container.

    Adapted from allrecipes





    Why does the cranberry pistachio biscotti recipe take longer to dry than the time mentioned?



    Two things:

  • These are thicker than any standard Italian biscotti recipes.

  • The humidity


    • Every climate has a different humidity ratio. I live in a very humid climate and almost always have to bake longer for the second baking than what is mentioned. Flip side , in the winter generally the climate is drier and it may actually be what is listed.

    Bottom line - you can figure it out. Dry is dry. Don't over analyze. When the cookie is dried out, then take 'em outta the oven! No special college degree needed for this.

    Olive Oil? Really? Sounds gross!

    It will be gross IF

  • ...you use a cheap olive oil


  • ...you use "refined olive oil"


  • ...you use "olive-pomace oil"


    • OMG - what does this mean?

    This is a whole subject within itself. BUT without getting scientific and going into labeling the IOOC guidelines and regulations (of which the USA in NOT a part of and 80% of my readers are USA) So, just say, you don't want your olive oil to have a distinct smell and flavor. Thus you are looking for a good quality.


    So how will you know?


    You want the label on the bottle to read:

  • Extra - virgin olive oil


  • Virgin olive oil


    • Some day I will devote an entire page to olive oil and processing, the flavors, and the refining, and how to know what is pure unadulterated crap olive oil (which we are saturated with here in the USA)

    Does cranberry pistachio biscotti keep long?



    Nope. Doesn't mean it goes bad tomorrow. But the olive oil gives this a shorter shelf life. I won't give definite time frames - my last batch has lasted a while sealed in a container. But a good clue is, when you see mold - throw it out! Just be smart. These taste magical, but there is no special aura that makes a cranberry pistachio biscotti last as long as other biscottis.

    Back to the top of the cranberry pistachio biscotti recipe.


    Other Italian biscotti recipes



    Lisa Gianotti Superbowl Sunday is coming up! The best Italian Dessert Recipes for a party like this are ones that are:

    FAST

    Finger Foodish (not big hunky sticky globs of gooey-ness that get on your furniture)

    And freeze-aheads

    A couple of my favs for this are Cappucino Cookies (lots like choc chips but with a twist)

    Anisette Cookies (Always on the top 5)

    Rum Balls (Gingersnaps and Rum)

    Let's not for get the drinks to go with the beer that will be present! Check out my Italian drinks section for that.

    Lisa


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    Recipes on this site are from family cookbooks, family traditions, or intentional adaptations from traditional recipes to add an Italian flair. If a recipe was adapted or used from another cook - it is mentioned on the recipe page and the recipe author is given credit.