White chocolate cranberry pistachio biscotti, a crunchy cookie full of chewy dried cranberries, nutty pistachios and dotted with white chocolate chips. All finished off with a layer of melted white chocolate for good measure.
Have you ever had biscotti before? They are traditional Italian cookies that are unique for the fact that they are baked twice. This gives them a delightfully crunchy texture. Biscotti typically are seen in an oblong shape that makes them perfect for dunking! I personally love them with my morning coffee but hot cocoa is also an excellent dunking choice.
Super traditional biscotti does not contain any additional fats or liquids other than eggs. However, I’ve gone for a less traditional recipe and have included butter in order to achieve the texture I wanted. While biscotti should have that defined crunch when you bite into it you don’t want it to be so hard that your teeth feel like breaking.
So what we’re going for here is a softer sort of crunch. Just the right amount of bite and chewy crumble without being dry or hard. Make sense? These cookies should be firm enough to hold there shape but soften up nicely when eating, especially after a quick dunk in some steaming coffee! Yum!
Making Biscotti
Mixing
These white chocolate cranberry pistachio biscotti start off a lot like regular drop style cookies. Begin by creaming together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the remaining wet ingredients, the eggs and extract.
Separately mix together the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just barely combined. Lastly, toss in all the extras, white chocolate chips, cranberries, and pistachios.
Here’s where things get a little different. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Pat each portion into a 10×3″ shaped rectangle and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with second half of dough.
Baking
Bake both shaped logs of dough for about 25-30 minutes at 350°F. The dough should have risen some and the tops will start to crack in a few places. The edges should also look set.
After this first bake, allow the logs to cool for roughly 20-30 minutes. The dough should be cool enough to handle but may still be a touch warm. Use a long serrated knife to cut slices on a diagonal, about 1/2 – 3/4 inch wide.
Places the slices back onto the same parchment lined baking sheet, cut side up. They can be placed close together since they cookies will not rise or spread any more. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F and bake the cut cookies for an additional 10-15 minutes per side. Each side should feel mostly dry to the touch.
Finishing Touches
Allow the cookies to cool completely. Melt the white chocolate and drizzle over the top or sides of biscotti. Or dunk the bottom of each cookie into the white chocolate, as shown in the photos here.
Put the decorated cookies onto wax paper and leave to set up in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to harden.
White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 45 – 60 min
- Total Time: 1 hour – 1 hour 20 min
- Yield: about 24 biscotti 1x
Description
A crunchy twice baked cookie chock full of white chocolate, dried cranberries, and roasted pistachios.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup roasted pistachios, chopped
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 6–8 oz white chocolate bar, melted (for dipping or drizzling)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the almond extract. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl as necessary.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, with the mixer on low speed, and beat until just combined. Mix in the dried cranberries, pistachios, and white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a log. Gently pat each log into a 10×3 inch rectangle. Place each log onto prepared baking sheet, 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops of the logs are slightly cracked and the edges are set. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Place one of the cooled logs onto a cutting board. Use a long serrated knife to gently cut 1/2 – 3/4 inch wide diagonal slices. Place slices cut side down back onto the lined baking sheet. They can be close together since they will not spread. Repeat slicing with the second log.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until the center of the biscotti starts to feel dry. Turn the slices over to expose the other side and bake a further 10-15 minutes. The biscotti should be mostly dry by this point, with the center being just slightly soft. The cookie will set up further while cooling. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once the cookies are cool dunk the bottoms of each biscotti in the melted white chocolate or drizzle on top of each cookie. Place on wax paper and let set for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before handling.
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