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 like Butterscotch Budino and Creme 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.

Biscotti - On a White Platter with Cranberries and Orange

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.

Cranberry Orange Biscotti - On a Blue Plate Stacked with Cup of Coffee On Side

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:

Flour, Sugar, Spices, and Leavening in Stainless Bowl

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:

Two Eggs and Butter Added to Dry Ingredients

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

Christmas Biscotti Ingredients with Dried Cranberries, Pistachios, and Orange Zest

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 to Baklava and Bread Pudding.

Mix in the ingredients, until evenly distributed:

Cranberry Orange Pistachio Biscotti Dough in Mixing Bowl

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

Two Rectangles of Italian Biscotti on Parchment Paper

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:

Slicing Biscotti Loaves with Knife

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

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

Sliced Biscotti Pieces on Sides for Further baking

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.

Biscotti Cookies - On a White Tray with Cup of Coffee On Side

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

I also love Cut Out Cookies for decorating. Enjoy!

More Holiday Treats:

Biscotti On a White Platter with Cranberries and Orange

Orange Cranberry Biscotti

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
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 in December 2010.