Orange Cranberry Biscotti - Easy and Customizable Biscotti Recipe (2024)

Orange Cranberry Biscotti are easy to make at home, and taste far better than what you can buy from the store. Biscotti truly taste best freshly baked! Enjoy them on their own, or pair with creamy make-ahead desserts likeButterscotch BudinoandCreme Brulee.

These Biscotti taste like Christmas. Spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and studded with orange zest and cranberries, they have a warm and cozy spirit.

Orange Cranberry Biscotti - Easy and Customizable Biscotti Recipe (1)

Biscotti were one of the first cookies I ever fell in love with, because they have TONS of crunch, and I’m a crunchy foods fanatic.

They’re also extremely versatile, and this dough can be adjusted to many different flavor combinations.

I’ve done chocolate chip biscotti, orange lavender, and lemon white chocolate, to name a few.

Orange Cranberry Biscotti - Easy and Customizable Biscotti Recipe (2)

Because they’re more of a dry cookie, they lend themselves well to gifting.

Just wrap it up in cellophane and tie with a ribbon, and you have a really personal and delicious holiday gift.

How to Make Biscotti:

Biscotti can be made by hand, in the stand mixer, with a hand mixer, or in the food processor. There are so many ways to make them!

I’m going to show you how to make them with by hand, but the recipe box has instructions for all methods.

For the dry ingredients, combine all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and sugar:

Orange Cranberry Biscotti - Easy and Customizable Biscotti Recipe (3)

The spices are optional, and can be substituted with other warm spices like nutmeg and cardamom.

Whisk that together, then add eggs and melted butter:

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Mix until a dough forms, and add orange zest, cranberries, and pistachios:

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These mix-ins are optional, and you can feel free to try other kinds of ingredients.

Between the orange zest and spices, the house will smell wonderful while you’re baking these. And ditto toBaklavaandBread Pudding.

Mix in the ingredients, until evenly distributed:

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Split the dough into two, then shape them into rectangles:

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Keep in mind they will spread as they bake, so I make them no longer than 4″ in length.

Bake for about 35 minutes, until the edges start to get golden brown.

Let the biscotti cool for 15 minutes, then slice them with a sharp knife, about 1/2″ thick:

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It is important you let them cool slightly, otherwise the dough will tear.

Place the biscotti slices back onto the pan, cut side up:

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Bake them in a slightly cooler oven for about 25-30 more minutes, flipping the biscotti over halfway through, until they are thoroughly golden and crunchy.

Let the cookies cool completely. During cooling, they will get even crunchier.

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Shortbread Cookies,Molasses Cookies, and Chocolate Crinkle Cookiesare some of my favorites for Christmas.

I also loveCut Out Cookiesfor decorating. Enjoy!

More Holiday Treats:

  • Peanut Brittle
  • Snickerdoodles
  • Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

Orange Cranberry Biscotti - Easy and Customizable Biscotti Recipe (11)

Orange Cranberry Biscotti

Servings: 24

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

These Orange Cranberry Biscotti are spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and studded with dried cranberries and orange zest.

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Ingredients

  • 10 oz all purpose flour by weight (2 cups, if measuring)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • zest of one orange (about 2 tsp)
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup salted pistachios

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

  • Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

  • Add the butter and eggs and mix together with a sturdy spatula, until combined and clumped together into a dough.

  • Gently mix in the orange zest, cranberries, and pistachios, until evenly distributed.

  • Divide the dough in two and place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Shape each piece into a rectangle, no longer than 4 inches in length, and about 1" thick (and for reference, mine were about 10" wide, but width doesn't matter). The dough will spread as it bakes.

  • Bake for 35 minutes until the edges start to brown slightly. Turn the oven down to 325F and take the biscotti out.

  • Let the biscotti cool on the pan for 15 minutes, then slice with a sharp knife vertically into 1/2 inch thick pieces.Let the knife do the work for you, and use light pressure so the cookies don’t break (and if your dough tears, let them cool for 5 more minutes).

  • Place the biscotti slices back onto the baking sheet cut side up and bake for 25-30 more minutes, flipping the biscotti halfway through, until they are golden brown and crunchy.

  • Let the cookies cool completely before enjoying.

Notes

This recipe is adapted from James Peterson's recipe in his Baking cookbook(affiliate).

These cookies are easy to make by hand, simply with a whisk and a sturdy spatula. However, you can also make these in a food processor, briefly processing the dry ingredients, then processing in the eggs and butter, and then mixing the the cranberries, pistachios, and orange zest by hand, so the cranberries don't get sliced up by the blade.

You can also make these in the stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer.

Nutrition

Calories: 139kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 56mg, Potassium: 75mg, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 205IU, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 0.7mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Fifteen Spatulas

Post updated in December 2018. Originally published inDecember 2010.

Orange Cranberry Biscotti - Easy and Customizable Biscotti Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making biscotti? ›

12 Tips For Making The Absolute Best Biscotti
  1. Use room-temperature ingredients. ...
  2. Boost the flavor with spices, extracts, and zest. ...
  3. Toss in some add-ins for flavor and texture. ...
  4. Let the dough chill before shaping. ...
  5. Use floured or greased hands to shape the dough. ...
  6. Shape the dough into a smaller loaf than you want.
May 29, 2023

Is biscotti better with oil or butter? ›

Despite their centuries-old heritage, there is no one perfect way to make biscotti. Some recipes call for eggs only, which is the traditional method, while others swear by butter or oil. The choice is yours; just keep in mind that those made with butter or oil will have both a softer texture and a shorter shelf life.

Should you refrigerate biscotti dough before baking? ›

Because the dough can be sticky and hard to form, it's important to chill the batter for a good 30 minutes before baking the first time. Prepare a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper then dust it with a little flour. Transfer the batter to the baking sheet and chill in the fridge.

How far in advance can you make biscotti? ›

How Long Does Biscotti Last? Your homemade biscotti will last for up to one month in an airtight container at room temperature. If you want to keep the biscotti longer, you can freeze it for up to three months.

What does baking soda do in biscotti? ›

Baking soda – baking soda helps the biscotti rise and spread. Make sure that your baking soda isn't expired. Sugar- we used granulated sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar as well.

What happens if you forget baking powder in biscotti? ›

Most baked goods need a leavening agent to make them rise, and if you leave it out, your cake or your cookies will fall flat. Baking powder makes dough rise because it contains both a base and an acid in dried form.

What is the difference between Italian and American biscotti? ›

Here it is, a biscotti recipe everyone can enjoy — unlike classic Italian biscotti, which are quite hard, these are light and crunchy. Biscotti bake twice rather than once, and thus take a bit longer start-to-finish than normal drop cookies.

How do you know when biscotti is done? ›

If the biscotto feels soft, like a piece of cake, give it another 5 minutes in the oven. If it feels firm but still gives a bit when you poke it, take it out for rather soft-textured but still crunchy biscotti.

What makes biscotti crunchy? ›

Because they are baked twice, biscotti are hard and crisp. They're great for dunking in a hot cup of coffee (cookies for breakfast ❤).

Why do my biscotti crumble when I cut them? ›

A: Overbaking the logs of dough during the first baking can make the slices crumble as you are cutting them. Also, even if the logs of dough are perfectly baked, they will crumble if they are sliced while still warm, so be patient. The logs crumble when you use a dull knife, too.

Why are my biscotti so hard? ›

Biscotti are hard, crunchy cookies as they are usually baked twice - the word biscotti is derived from Italian - "bis" meaning "twice" and "cotti" meaning "cooked". Usually the dough is formed into small loaf shapes (similar to a ciabatta loaf) and baked for around 20 minutes, then cooled slightly before slicing.

Can you overmix biscotti dough? ›

The trickiest parts of making them are the mixing and the shaping and baking. Just like biscuits, you can't overmix the dough. I found that if the dough is mixed too much, the biscotti becomes dense and heavy.

What is the best way to store homemade biscotti? ›

To store biscotti, keep it in an airtight container at room temperature. Lining the container with a paper towel will help soak up any excess moisture that finds its way in. Biscotti will stay good for up to a month at room temperature and three months in the freezer.

What kind of knife to cut biscotti? ›

It's easier to cut them while they're still warm. Use a long serrated knife—especially if you have nuts or dried fruit in your biscotti. A bread knife will allow you to slice neatly through the loaves without using too much pressure. Slice on the diagonal for long biscotti or straight across for shorter ones.

Do you need to sift flour for biscotti? ›

In summary, to produce a consistent crunch in your biscotti, it is necessary to measure and sift the ingredients. It may take some trial and error before you find out what ratio of flour-to-fat that works best for you, but remember that sifting and measuring your ingredients helps create perfect crispiness!

How do you make biscotti less hard? ›

For softer cookies, simply bake them for a little less time than the recipe specifies. For biscotti that can stand up to dunking, bake until they are as crunchy as you like.

Why are my biscotti not crunchy? ›

If your biscotti are too soft then it is likely that the cookies were not baked for long enough second time around.

How sticky should biscotti dough be? ›

Biscotti dough is inherently sticky. I recommend adequately flouring your hands before working the dough, and if it's still too sticky to handle, add a little flour at a time but just enough so you can work with it.

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