Today I am joining some fun fellow bloggers for a virtual holiday cookie exchange!
I am sharing my recipe for Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti.
Then you can click through to see what my friends Cindy, Mary Ann, Juliet, Annie, Kim, and Elizabeth are baking!
Are you ready to indulge that sweet tooth?!
Meet me in the kitchen!
Do You Like to Bake Holiday Cookies?
Holiday cookies are a tradition in my family.
I have such “sweet” childhood memories of cookie tins stacked high on the kitchen counters in December. Like a game of hide and seek, you had to open each one to see what was inside — until you remembered which tin contained which cookie.
And dessert for Christmas dinner was always a big platter of assorted cookies.
Exotic Mexican wedding cookies. Decadent toffee bars. Crunchy Swedish butter cookies. Tart-sweet lemon bars. Airy meringues. Crumbly-topped date bars. Creamy fudge. Red-jeweled cranberry bars. Chewy lace cookies. And of course the king of all Christmas cookies — buttery spritz!
My grandmother baked.
My mom, who was a fantastic cook, but not really a baker, did for the holidays.
And when I had a family of my own, I filled my own tins with all the old favorites in December.
And, as each generation does, I also added a few new favorites.
Today I am sharing one of those with you!
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Biscotti were not a thing when I was growing up, so they didn’t make it into my grandmother’s recipe box. I remember them becoming popular when Starbucks started spreading across the country.
They really are perfect with a cup of coffee!
You might think that biscotti are too hard to make yourself, but I assure you they certainly are not! They do take some time (they go in the oven twice!) , and you have to follow multiple steps. But homemade biscotti are definitely worth the extra effort!
And these biscotti, with their festive red dried cranberries and green pistachios, are perfect for the holidays. The lemon zest and anise seed create a wonderful depth of flavor in this not-too-sweet treat!
Here is the recipe!
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 C all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 t baking powder
- 1 t salt
- 6 T unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 T grated lemon peel
- 1 1/2 t vanilla extract
- 1 t whole aniseed
- 1 C dried sweetened cranberries
- 3/4 C shelled raw pistachios
Instructions
Step 1
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2
- Mix first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl to blend well.
- Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
- Mix in lemon peel, vanilla, and aniseed.
- Beat in flour mixture until just blended.
- Stir in the cranberries and pistachios. The dough will be sticky.
Step 2
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a ball and then divide in half.
- Roll each half into 15-inch-long log
- Transfer logs to a prepared baking sheet, spacing a few inches apart.
- Bake logs until almost firm to the touch but still pale, about 28 minutes.
Step 3
- Cool logs on the baking sheet 10 minutes, leaving the oven on for the second bake.
- Carefully transfer logs to a cutting board.
- Use a SERRATED bread knife to cut logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
- Place slices, cut side down, on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake about 5 minutes per side for softer biscotti, or about 9 minutes per side for crunchier biscotti.
- Enjoy!
And some pics for you visual learners!
(That would be me…)
I hope you will give these biscotti a try!
And also be sure to visit each of my friends to see what they are baking!
Pinecones & Acorns
Cindy Hattersley Design
Classic Casual Home
Make Mine a Spritzer
Most Lovely Things
Northern California Style
I can’t wait to see myself! I can always use a new favorite holiday cookie (or two) to add into the mix!
What are your favorite holiday cookies?! Drop a comment below to let me know!
Later This Week
Well, this was fun getting together on a Thursday!
I will be turning right around and posting again on Saturday.
The Christmas trees, remember?!
And check out last week’s blog post My Holiday Mantel | How to Get That “Wow” Full-Garland Look.
It has been cold this week and we have even gotten a bit of snow.
I have really been enjoying the warm glow of the trees’ lights. And I am sitting by the fire as I type.
Nibbling on biscotti…
See you again soon!
Be sure to tell my baking friends I say hi when you pop over to their blogs!
Molly,
Your biscotti looks delicious! Thank you for the step by step photos, I can see what I have been doing wrong in the past.
I cannot wait to try your recipe!
Thanks for being a part of the virtual cookie exchange!
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you for including in me in the cookie exchange! It has been so fun! Good luck with your biscotti baking going forward!
It’s even a bit cold here in Florida. I wish I was have one of your biscottis right now with my coffee!
Hi Mary Ann! So fun joining you for this cookie exchange! Headed to read your post now! Stay warm!
Molly
I love biscotti and this sounds like something I might actually bake! Your mom sounds like a woman after my own heart. I love to cook but could care less about baking. My sister was a gourmet cook and did not bake either. I think I need to up my baking skills for Summer!
They take some time, but they really are easy. And the aniseed and lemon zest make them so tasty! I too thought how you are like my mom when I read that you don’t bake. I would do some baking this winter — too hot in the summer there to have the oven going, isn’t it?!
What a delightful collection of cookies you and your friends have shared and fun to see their blogs. I can’t wait to try your biscotti! I do love a little sweetie with my mocha in the morning and these look so tasty and with my favorite – cranberries!!!!! I just love how beautiful your pictures of the process are. I need to finish decorating my tree but then maybe I will have time to get to some baking. “See” you Sat!
Amy
I think these are a great addition to our family’s collection of cookie recipes. And they are correctly named, haha! Let me know if you make them!
Hi Molly! I love biscotti! Thanks for sharing your recipe and saying it is not too hard to make them. Maybe I will try your recipe this winter. Would be a delectable treat! Your garland with orange slices in the kitchen is so cute! Stay warm and cozy!
Hi Jill! I hope you do give them a try! They are so yummy! You can do it!!
Molly so much fun to do this together. Biscotti are my favorite! Love this variation and saving it now. You are right they seem like a lot of work, but they are so good to gift and last a long time! I love them with tea. Your kitchen looks so very pretty!! Love your holiday style. xo
Thanks, Kim. I really love the flavor of these biscotti — with the aniseed, lemon zest, and pistachios. I also like to make them a little softer. They aren’t hard; they just take a bit of time. This was so fun!
Molly, I love your cranberry biscotti! It’s so pretty and festive. We have similar grandma experiences … ah, the joys of those cookies tins. I’ve never made biscotti but you’ve made it seem doable so I’m going to try! So fun doing this with you. xo
Yes, it was fun to read about your memories of stacks of cookie tins too. You often had to work, though, to find the one you were looking for, ha! Biscotti are really very easy — they just need to be cooked twice. And the serrated bread knife is key for cutting the logs. Let me know how they turn out!
Hi Molly — printed this yummy recipe immediately! Perfect over the holidays – I know I’ll have to dip some in white chocolate for my son!!
Hi Tricia! This is one of Jack’s favorite cookies — without the white chocolate! Enjoy!
They look amazing, Molly, and what a fun blog hop!
Hi Ann! These are so yummy! And yes, my first blog hop was so fun!