Thin Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Your holiday cookie platter will be complete with these Thin Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti. Festive looking, great tasting & so easy to make!

 

Thin Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Nothing says the holidays like cranberries and pistachios. Since holiday baking is just around the corner, I thought I would share one of my go-to holiday biscotti recipes with all of you.

Biscotti are wonderful, aren’t they?

I’m not just saying that because I love biscotti, because, well, I do love biscotti.

But, homemade biscotti are wonderful because they:

• are great for dunking;
• can be made into any flavor, sweet or savory;
• have a long shelf life since they are twice-baked;
• freeze well;
• make great hostess gifts;
• are great for a homemade Christmas cookie box and
• are easy to make.

I love them so much I created a comprehensive guide on how to make biscotti so that everyone can see how truly easy they are to make!

These are also some of the reasons why I always start my holiday baking by making biscotti.

Spoiler alert: These cranberry cookies will quickly become one of your favorite Italian Christmas Cookies that you will make not only for the holidays but throughout the year.

I will not deny that these particular biscotti are a little labor-intensive. There are well over 200 super thin biscotti that need to be sliced and baked. But you will be rewarded with a great-tasting biscotti.

Are you ready?

How to make Thin Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

We begin by making the dough. This easy biscotti recipe includes the orange zest, plumped cranberries and pistachios.

You will quickly notice that this mixture cannot be “rolled” into the traditional log shape. Instead, what we are going to do, is transfer large “spoonfuls” of the dough on the parchment-lined cookie sheet, trying to create a shape that resembles a log.

Then, with slightly dampened fingers, press and shape the dough into a log and bake. You will notice there is no baking powder in this recipe. As a result, we can get away with placing three logs on a large baking sheet since expansion is limited.

If you prefer, you can also use parchment-lined loaf pans. In the oven, they go for about 15-20 minutes until they are firm to the touch.

Once baked, you will inevitably notice that these loaves are extremely pale-looking. Not to worry.  Remember, they are going in for a second bake, but first, they must be sliced.

A very sharp knife is crucial to get very thin slices -one-sixteenth of an inch is ideal. That being said, if you can only slice them one-eighth of an inch, they will still taste great; you just won’t have as many. 

Your super-thin biscotti are ready for the second baking.

Place slices flat on the baking sheets and bake at the same temperature for about 10 minutes (the longer they stay in the oven, the crispier they get).

Flip the biscotti over halfway through the bake time. Keep an eye on them because they can quickly burn, depending on how thin you cut them. 

And just like that, you are done!

How to store

In general, biscotti cookies can be stored in airtight containers but they don’t need to be absolutely hermetically sealed. A slight flow of air will help them stay crispy! 

Other options include glass or ceramic containers, as well as cookie tins. Placing a paper towel or napkin at the bottom can help absorb any excess moisture. Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. 

More biscotti recipes

What’s not to love about biscotti? With crunchy additions of nuts and flavorful add-ins like dried fruit, seeds and chocolate chips, these delicious cookies are great on their own or dipped in coffee or tea.

Some of our favorites include my mom’s biscotti recipe, these healthy date biscotti and of course these traditional anise biscotti. Happy baking! 

Recipe origin

The inspiration for this recipe came from one of my mom’s dearest friends, Nunzia. If you recall, I have already shared her recipe for thin crispy almond biscotti. That was almost three years ago! My, oh my, where does the time fly!

Since the holidays are right around the corner, I thought replacing the almonds with cranberries and pistachios would be festive.  I also added some orange zest, and I decreased the total amount of flour.

Have you ever had those thinaddictives costco cookies?

Now imagine them, but made from scratch and with a perfect holiday twist!

A reader recently wrote, “these copycat cranberry thinaddictives recipes are the best homemade version I’ve tasted yet.”

These thin biscotti chips will still provide you with that crispy texture you all know and love. But when you bite into these biscotti, you will be pleasantly surprised by the perfect amount of chewiness provided by the cranberries.

As they say, betcha can’t have just one.

Enjoy 🙂

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

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Ciao for now,

Maria 

★★★★★ If you have made these thin biscotti cookies, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!