Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti will make a festive addition to your cookie tray this season. Dunk them in coffee, hot tea or hot cocoa, or just nibble on them as-is. They make a fab treat.
If you’re looking for a quick and tasty cookie to make this season, Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti are ideal. They have a wonderful flavor, they’re loaded with bits of great texture, and they sure are pretty!
It took a few attempts to make these because I decided to use someone else’s recipe. I’m not sure why I did that when I have my own perfectly lovely biscotti recipes: Almond-Orange Biscotti and Chocolate-Espresso Dipped Orange & Pistachio Biscotti. I guess I just wanted to try something different.
Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti
I made these with my mom and the other person’s recipe did not include butter or oil. That’s actually how the traditional biscotti are made.
My Italian mom was shocked! How could you make these without butter (or oil)? As you can see, people add their own touch to recipes, maybe based on the region where they’re from, or just from the experience of making these biscotti cookies for years and years.
So, I trudged on without the butter or oil and the cookies turned out rock-hard. The cooking time seemed off, too (way too long, and I should have known better).
More Holiday Cookie Ideas
For another Italian classic cookie, try my recipe for Orange-Amaretto Pizzelle cookies. They’re so pretty on a try, sprinkled with some powdered sugar. If you have a little time and patience, my recipe for Linzer Cookies with Homemade Orange Marmalade (you can use store-bought jam or jelly) make gorgeous cookies, definitely suitable for the season! These Chocolate-Chili Thumbprint Cookies with Dulce de Leche are dreamy, too!
I kept those rock-hard cookies, but they’re only edible if completely emerged in a hot drink! In fact, I heard my mom on the phone later telling my uncle (another great baker) in Italian that they were “as hard as dog biscuits.” That made me laugh (and it was true).
I fiddled with the recipe for the next batch, mostly just using my existing biscotti recipe, and they cookies turned out lovely as always.
For as long as I can remember, biscotti have been part of my family’s Christmas cookie trays, but my parents made them outside of the season, too. They always included some sort of nut and anise flavoring.
I love that version, but I also love adding a little more, like dried cherries. They’re sweet and look like little jewels tucked into these cookies. Combined with the pretty green pistachios, they make the cookies look so festive (and they taste amazing, too)!
These Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti are not soft and chewy, but toasted and crunchy. The word biscotti means, “twice baked” and that, my friends, is where the crunchiness comes from.
These biscotti cookies are perfect for dunking. Like I mentioned, you can dip them delicately into a hot drink, or even wine. If you need another cookie to add to the mix this season, give these Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti a try!
Patricia Conte/Grab a Plate
Yields Makes about 2 dozen
Save Recipe5 based on 15 review(s)
Ingredients
- 3-1/4-1/2 all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dried cherries, rough chopped
- 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios, rough chopped
- Optional: White chocolate chips for drizzle
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Use a hand mixer to blend for a few minutes, scrapping down the sides as you go. Set aside.
- A little at a time, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, and use a wooden spoon to combine.
- Once combined, add the cherries and mix. Next add the pistachios and mix. If the dough still seems a bit sticky, add a little more flour and mix thoroughly to combine.
- Split the dough into two equal portions. Add each portion to a lined baking pan.
- Use your hands to shape the dough into a rectangular loaf about 1 inch high, 3-4 inches wide, and 8 inches long.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
- Remove from the oven and let the loaves cool for about 10 minutes.
- Once cooled, use a very sharp knife (a serrated knife works well) to slice the loaves into 3/4-inch pieces.
- Return all the cookies to the baking pans, standing up, and bake for another 10-15 minutes, checking often to make sure the cookies are no longer doughy in the middle.
- Remove and cool completely.
- If you’d like, melt 5 ounces of white chocolate chips in the microwave and use a fork to drizzle over the cooled cookies.
- Allow the chocolate to set before storing in an airtight container.
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