Biscotti are those wonderfully crunchy Italian cookies that are made to be dunked into coffee, tea, or sweet wine, transforming from rock-hard to perfectly tender with each dip. These Cranberry-Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti take the traditional recipe and add a modern, festive twist with tart dried cranberries, bright green pistachios, and cornmeal that gives them a delightful texture and subtle sweetness. The cornmeal creates tiny crispy bits throughout the cookies while adding a beautiful golden color, and the combination of ruby-red cranberries with emerald-green pistachios makes these biscotti absolutely stunning, perfect for holiday gift giving or serving at gatherings. The twice-baking method that gives biscotti their name and signature crunch might sound intimidating, but it’s actually quite simple and almost foolproof. These cookies keep for weeks in an airtight container, getting better as they age, which makes them ideal for baking ahead during busy holiday seasons.
This recipe makes about 30 biscotti and takes approximately one hour and 45 minutes from start to finish, including both baking sessions and cooling time. Each biscotti contains approximately 95 calories, making them a relatively light treat that’s perfect with your afternoon coffee or as a not-too-sweet dessert.
1. Ingredients for the Biscotti
- All-purpose flour – 2 cups
- Yellow cornmeal – 3/4 cup (fine or medium grind)
- Granulated sugar – 3/4 cup
- Baking powder – 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
- Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
- Ground cinnamon – 1/2 teaspoon
- Large eggs – 3
- Vanilla extract – 2 teaspoons
- Almond extract – 1/2 teaspoon
- Melted butter – 1/4 cup (cooled slightly)
- Dried cranberries – 3/4 cup
- Shelled pistachios – 3/4 cup (roughly chopped)
- Orange zest – 1 tablespoon (optional but wonderful)
2. Ingredients for the Egg Wash
- Egg – 1 large
- Water – 1 tablespoon
- Coarse sugar – 2 tablespoons (for sprinkling, optional)
3. Prepare Your Workspace
Position one oven rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. The parchment paper is especially helpful because biscotti dough can be slightly sticky and the paper makes transferring the logs much easier. Have all your ingredients measured and ready before you begin mixing because biscotti dough comes together quickly once you start.
4. Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon. Whisk thoroughly for about 30 seconds to ensure everything is evenly distributed and there are no clumps of baking powder. The cornmeal should be dispersed throughout the flour mixture. If you’re using orange zest, add it now and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. This releases the aromatic oils from the zest and distributes the flavor more evenly.
5. Prepare the Wet Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the three eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract until the mixture is well combined and slightly frothy. The almond extract is a classic biscotti flavor that pairs beautifully with pistachios, but if you don’t have it or don’t like it, you can use all vanilla extract instead. Whisk in the melted butter, making sure it’s cooled enough that it won’t scramble the eggs. The mixture should be smooth and uniform in color.
6. Combine Wet and Dry
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula, stir everything together until a shaggy dough forms. The dough will seem dry at first, but keep stirring and it will come together. Don’t overmix or the biscotti will be tough. Once the flour is mostly incorporated and you don’t see any dry pockets, you’re ready for the next step. The dough should be thick and slightly sticky but manageable.
7. Add the Mix-Ins
Add the dried cranberries and chopped pistachios to the dough. Fold them in with your hands or a sturdy spoon, distributing them as evenly as possible throughout the dough. The cranberries should be scattered throughout rather than clumped together, and the pistachios should be visible but not overwhelming. You want every slice to have a good distribution of both fruits and nuts. The dough will be quite stiff and might seem like it can’t possibly hold all the additions, but keep working it and everything will incorporate.
8. Shape the Logs
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface or work directly on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Divide the dough in half. With lightly floured hands, shape each half into a log about 12 inches long, 2 and a half inches wide, and about three quarters of an inch tall. The logs should be flattened somewhat rather than round, almost like thick rectangles with slightly rounded edges. Space the two logs at least three inches apart on the baking sheet because they will spread slightly as they bake. Try to make the logs as uniform as possible so the slices will be even.
9. Apply the Egg Wash
In a small bowl, whisk together one egg with one tablespoon of water until well combined. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the egg wash over the top and sides of both logs. This egg wash creates a beautiful golden, shiny crust and helps the optional coarse sugar stick. If you’re using coarse sugar, sprinkle it generously over the egg-washed logs. The sugar adds a delicate crunch and sparkle that makes the biscotti look bakery-professional.
10. First Bake
Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 28 to 32 minutes. The logs are done when they’re golden brown, firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The tops should be set and no longer look wet or shiny. The logs will have spread slightly and risen a bit. They’ll still feel slightly soft in the center, and that’s okay because they’ll firm up as they cool. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack.
11. Cool Before Slicing
This is the hardest part because you have to wait, but it’s crucial. Let the baked logs cool on the baking sheet for at least 20 minutes, but preferably 30 minutes. If you try to slice them while they’re too hot, they’ll crumble and fall apart. As they cool, they firm up significantly, making slicing much easier. The logs should be cool enough to handle comfortably but still slightly warm. While they’re cooling, reduce your oven temperature to 325 degrees for the second bake.
12. Slice the Biscotti
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut the logs on a slight diagonal into slices about half an inch thick. Don’t press down hard or you’ll compress and crack the biscotti. Use a gentle back-and-forth sawing motion and let the knife do the work. You should get about 14 to 16 slices from each log. If some cranberries or pistachios fall out during slicing, just press them back into the dough or save them to sprinkle on top before the second bake.
13. Arrange for Second Bake
Carefully arrange the sliced biscotti cut-side down on the same baking sheet. They can be close together but shouldn’t be touching. If they don’t all fit, use a second baking sheet or bake them in two batches. Having them cut-side down exposes more surface area to the heat, which helps them dry out and become crispy.
14. Second Bake
Return the baking sheet to the oven, now set at 325 degrees. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the biscotti are dry and lightly golden on the bottom. Carefully flip each biscotti over so the other cut side is now facing down. Bake for another 12 to 15 minutes until that side is also dry and lightly golden. The biscotti should feel firm and dry to the touch but won’t be rock-hard yet. They’ll continue to crisp up as they cool. If you prefer softer biscotti, reduce the second baking time by a few minutes on each side. For extra-crunchy biscotti perfect for dunking, add a few extra minutes.
15. Cool Completely
Remove the biscotti from the oven and transfer them to wire cooling racks. Let them cool completely to room temperature, which takes about 30 to 45 minutes. As they cool, they’ll become progressively crunchier. Don’t stack them or store them until they’re completely cool, or trapped steam will make them soggy. Once cooled, they should be dry, crisp, and ready for dunking or eating.
16. Storage and Serving
Store the completely cooled biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three weeks. They actually improve with age, becoming more flavorful as the cranberries and nuts infuse the cookie. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to three months. Serve biscotti alongside coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or Italian sweet wine like Vin Santo for traditional dunking. They’re also delicious with a glass of cold milk or eaten plain as a snack.
17. Nutritional Information Per Biscotti
- Calories – 95
- Protein – 2 grams
- Total fat – 3 grams
- Saturated fat – 1 gram
- Carbohydrates – 15 grams
- Fiber – 1 gram
- Sugar – 7 grams
- Cholesterol – 25 milligrams
- Sodium – 65 milligrams
18. Helpful Tips
The type of cornmeal you use affects the final texture of the biscotti. Fine or medium-grind cornmeal works best, creating a pleasant texture without being gritty. Avoid coarse cornmeal, which will make the biscotti too rough. Yellow cornmeal is traditional and gives the most color, but white cornmeal works just as well and creates a more subtle appearance. The cornmeal adds wonderful flavor and texture that regular all-flour biscotti don’t have, with a slight crunch and sweet corn taste. When choosing pistachios, look for unsalted, shelled pistachios. The bright green color of raw or lightly roasted pistachios is part of what makes these cookies so beautiful. If your pistachios are already salted, reduce the salt in the recipe by a quarter teaspoon. Roughly chop the pistachios into pieces about the size of a pea. Too small and they’ll disappear into the dough, too large and they’ll make slicing difficult. Dried cranberries can sometimes be very hard and dry. If yours seem tough, you can plump them slightly by soaking them in warm water for five minutes, then draining and patting them completely dry before adding to the dough. This makes them softer and juicier in the final biscotti. You can substitute dried cherries, chopped dried apricots, or even chocolate chips for the cranberries for different flavor variations. The orange zest is optional but highly recommended because it adds a bright, citrusy note that complements both the cranberries and pistachios beautifully. Make sure to only zest the orange outer layer and avoid the white pith, which is bitter. When shaping the logs, wet your hands slightly if the dough is too sticky. The logs don’t need to be perfectly shaped because rustic-looking biscotti are part of their charm. Just aim for relatively even thickness so the slices are uniform. The cooling time between bakes is not optional. Hot biscotti will crumble into pieces if you try to slice them too soon. If you’re really impatient, you can speed up cooling by transferring the logs to a wire rack, but don’t rush the minimum 20 minutes. A serrated knife is essential for clean slicing. A regular chef’s knife will compress and crack the biscotti. Use a gentle sawing motion and take your time. If a slice starts to crack, stop sawing, flip the log over, and continue cutting from the other side. The second bake can be adjusted based on your texture preference. For biscotti that are crunchy but still have a slight give in the center, use the shorter baking time. For traditional rock-hard biscotti meant for dunking, go with the longer time. Remember they continue to crisp as they cool, so they’ll always be harder once cooled than they seem straight from the oven. Biscotti are meant to be very dry and crunchy, which is why they keep so well and are perfect for dunking. If they seem too hard when eating them plain, dunk them in your beverage for a few seconds and they’ll soften just enough. These biscotti make wonderful gifts when packaged in clear cellophane bags tied with ribbon, or arranged in decorative tins. They’re sturdy enough to ship without breaking. For holiday gifting, the red and green colors make them especially festive. You can also drizzle the cooled biscotti with melted white or dark chocolate for an extra special touch. Just place them on parchment paper, drizzle with chocolate using a fork or piping bag, and let the chocolate set before storing. If you want to make these ahead for holidays, biscotti actually improve with age and can be made up to a month in advance if stored properly. The flavors meld and deepen over time. Some variations to try include adding lemon zest instead of orange, using almonds instead of pistachios, adding a quarter cup of mini chocolate chips, or incorporating a tablespoon of anise seeds for a traditional Italian flavor. The basic recipe is very forgiving and adaptable. The key to perfect biscotti is not overworking the dough, allowing proper cooling time between bakes, and using a gentle touch when slicing. Follow these principles and you’ll have beautiful, professional-looking biscotti every time.
