Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti with White Chocolate Drizzle (Christmas Cookies for Gifting)

Why you’ll love it

• Christmas colors: red cranberries and green pistachios make them look festive without any decorating.
• Perfect crunch: crisp and golden, made for dunking in coffee or cocoa.
• Great for gifting: they stay fresh for weeks in an airtight tin.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the biscotti

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
• 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest (from 1 orange)
• 3/4 cup (95 g) dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup (95 g) shelled unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped

For the egg wash

• 1 egg white beaten with 1 tsp water (optional, for a shiny top)

For the white chocolate drizzle

• 4 oz (115 g) white chocolate, chopped, or white chocolate chips
• 1 tsp coconut oil or vegetable shortening
• 2 tbsp finely chopped pistachios and dried cranberries, for sprinkling (optional)

Step-by-step method

1. Heat the oven. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, almond extract and orange zest.

4. Make the dough. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until a soft dough forms. Stir in the cranberries and pistachios with a spatula. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.

5. Shape the logs. Divide the dough in half. With lightly floured hands, shape each half on the baking sheet into a log about 12 inches long, 2 1/2 inches wide and 3/4 inch tall (30 x 6 x 2 cm), leaving 4 inches (10 cm) between them. Brush with the egg wash if using.

6. First bake. Bake 25 to 28 minutes, until the logs are firm to the touch, lightly golden and starting to crack on top. Let them cool on the baking sheet 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C).

7. Slice. Transfer the logs to a cutting board. With a sharp serrated knife, cut them on the diagonal into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) slices, using a gentle sawing motion.

8. Second bake. Arrange the slices cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, flip them and bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until they are dry and lightly golden on both sides. Cool completely on a wire rack; they crisp as they cool.

9. Drizzle. Melt the white chocolate with the coconut oil in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled biscotti with a spoon or piping bag, or dip one end of each. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and cranberries and let set 20 to 30 minutes.

How to know it is done

After the first bake, the logs are ready when they feel firm and spring back slightly when pressed, the tops are lightly golden with small cracks, and the bottoms are golden brown. After the second bake, the biscotti should look dry on the cut sides and be lightly golden on both faces. They will still feel a little soft in the center while warm, but they turn fully crunchy as they cool on the rack. If they are still soft once completely cool, bake them 5 minutes more at 300°F (150°C).

Tips for the best result

• Let the logs cool 15 minutes before slicing; if they are too hot they crumble, too cold and they crack.
• Use a sharp serrated knife and cut with one confident sawing motion.
• Chop the pistachios roughly so slices cut cleanly through the nuts.
• Bake the second time at a lower temperature to dry the cookies without over-browning them.
• Let the white chocolate set completely before stacking or packing the biscotti.

Variations and substitutions

• Dark chocolate: dip the bottoms in melted semisweet chocolate instead of drizzling white chocolate.
• Almond: use toasted sliced almonds instead of pistachios and increase the almond extract to 1 tsp.
• Cherry: swap the cranberries for chopped dried cherries.
• Gingerbread: add 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp cloves to the flour.
• Lemon: use lemon zest instead of orange zest.
• Nut-free: replace the pistachios with white chocolate chips or pumpkin seeds and leave out the almond extract.

Make ahead

You can shape the dough into logs, wrap them tightly and refrigerate them up to 2 days before the first bake; add 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time. Baked and fully cooled biscotti, without the drizzle, can be frozen up to 3 months in a freezer bag. Thaw them at room temperature, re-crisp them 5 minutes at 300°F (150°C) if needed and drizzle with white chocolate before serving or gifting.

Storage and reheating

Store the biscotti in an airtight tin or jar at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. Keep them away from soft cookies, which would make them lose their crunch. No reheating is needed; if they soften in humid weather, spread them on a baking sheet and bake 5 minutes at 300°F (150°C), then cool completely.