Cranberry Pistachio White Chocolate Biscotti

As mentioned in last Matcha Biscotti post, many more biscotti bakes are coming your way. This second recipe is filled with Christmas vibes- featuring RED dried cranberries, GREEN pistachios, and WHITE chocolate chips. The almond extract totally brought these to another level.

Rated 4.8/5 with 1094 reviews, this recipe from allrecipes.com lives up to expectations.

Cranberry Pistachio White Chocolate Biscotti
recipe adapted from All Recipes
makes about 22 pieces

1/4 cup (52g) canola oil *original calls for olive oil
~ 3/8 cup (78g) sugar *reduced from 150g
1/2 tsp vanilla extract *reduced from 2 tsp
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup (219g) AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/8 cup (54g) dried cranberries *reduced from 1/2 cup
1/2 cup (68g) shelled pistachios *reduced from 1 1/2 cup
1/4 cup (42g) white chocolate chips *not called for

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended.
3. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in eggs.
4. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture.
5. Mix in cranberries, nuts and chocolate chips by hand.
6. Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
7. Bake for 35 minutes in preheated oven, or until logs are light brown.
8. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
9. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
10. Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.

The dough was on the sticky side, so I just popped them straight onto my silpat and formed the log with wet hands. There were some crumbling when sliced but mostly due to the bigger pieces of mix in's. After second bake, the biscottis were firmer but still light and delicate. The texture of these is less dry and more melt-in-your-mouth which my family and I really love.

Feel free to add any mix-in's to your liking, but don't skip out on the almond extract!

My mom gave her thumbs up approval, and my dad's comment was "make more better." I am actually quadrupling the batch later this week to gift them out for the holidays!

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
Great almond aroma and nutty flavor. Love the tarty sweetness of the cranberries!
Texture: 5 stars out of 5
Delicate, light and crisp!

Matcha White Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Matcha White Chocolate Almond Biscotti
recipe adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

makes about 16 pieces

1 3/4 cup (219 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (55 g) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 Tbsp matcha powder
1/8 tsp Kosher salt
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/4 cup white chocolate chips 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, matcha, and salt.
3. In another medium bowl, beat eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. 

4. Add flour mixture, in a few batches, stirring after each batch until the dough comes together. Dough should be moist. 

5. Stir in almonds and white chocolate chips.
6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 5 or 6 times.
7. With floured hands, roll dough into a log approximately 12 inches long, flattening the top slightly.
8. Transfer log to baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned and firm to the touch, about 22 to 25 minutes. 

9. Remove log from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.
10. Reduce oven temperature to 275°F. Transfer cooled logs to a cutting board and slice them on the diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices using a serrated knife. 

11. Lay cookies cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake again until the biscotti are lightly toasted, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

12. Using tongs, turn cookies over and bake until slightly dry, about 15 to 20 more minutes. 

13. Cool.

Who doesn't love a crisp cookie to go with their favorite holiday drinks? Make biscotti this season and enjoy it during your afternoon tea/coffee time or gift them away as the cutest pressies. My first of many biscotti bakes this time of the year features matcha, almonds, and white chocolate chips. I love matcha and absolutely love how the matcha shines through and pairs perfectly with the sweet white chocolate.

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
Love the mild sweetness and the subtle bitter note of matcha.
Texture: 5 stars out of 5
Light and crisp!

Toasted Oat and Coconut Biscotti

ft. elly (my new elephant mug)

Crisp. Nutty. Toasty. 

Perfect complement to some Earl Grey Latte (or coffee or tea or anything)!

Both the flavor and texture of these biscotti were elevated from the incorporation of the grounded toasty oats, coconuts, and almonds. The grounded-ness of everything also made slicing easy.

Toasted Oat and Coconut Biscotti

recipe adapted from Culinary in the Country

makes 1 log (about 20 biscotti)

1/2cup old-fashion rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup toasted almonds
7/8cup (100g) all-purpose flour
3/4tsp baking powder
1/8tsp salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/8 cup light coconut milk
1/2tsp vanilla extract

dry + wet

ready to form into log

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Toast oats, coconut, and almonds until golden and fragrant. Stir occasionally. Set aside to cool.

3. In food processor, pulse cooled oats, coconut, and almonds until finely ground. 

4. In big bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and grounded oats/coconut/nuts.

5. In small bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and vanilla. 

6. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined and dough comes together.

7. Form dough into log about 1" thick, and transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

8. Bake for 25-30 minutes in preheated oven, or until log is firm and lightly brown. 

9. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes. 

10. Cut log into roughly 1/2" thick slices. Place slices upright on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

after first bake

sliced and ready for second bake

20 more minutes!

cooling upright

Love love love the toasty aroma of the oats/coconut/nuts. The aroma lingered throughout the night and made these biscotti very irresistible. I ate two slices at 11pm fresh from the oven!

The biscotti were crisp but also had a slight chewy bite from the coarsely grounded oats and coconut. At first, the dough may seem too dry, but be patient and keep mixing/kneading.. eventually the dough will moistened and become sticky. 

I oversaw the instruction to bake the slices upright. Going to try that next time to see if the biscotti will be even crisper. I ended up flipping the biscotti slices 14 minutes into the second 20 min bake. 

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
The toasty, coconut-y, caramel-y flavor is perfect. 

Texture: 4.9 stars out of 5

The small end slices of the biscotti were thoroughly dry and crisp. Hoping to achieve that next time throughout the whole log. 

Green Tea Chocolate Chip Biscotti- No Butter/Oil Needed!

No Butter and OIL?!!? I was doubtful about how these biscotti would turn out. As of now, I have been using my other biscotti recipe which uses olive oil. But wow! These taste just as great! If not.. better!

Compared to my old recipe, this no butter/oil one yields a more crisp and hard bite. But not hard to the point that you are in fear of your tooth chipping when biting into them. I love the crispness. And it tastes fresh and light in a way. Maybe it's the green tea element in them. However, I do think the chocolate chip masked the mild green tea flavor. Next time, I ma need to add more green tea powder for that fragrance/bitterness to come out more.

And one thing I noted about these biscotti is that they are easier and cleaner to cut. The edges would not crumble as much like my other ones! This may be due to the fact that I chopped up my chocolate chips into fine pieces and gave ample time to cool before cutting.

This biscotti recipe will definitely come in handy when you run out of butter/oil in your pantry! But for me, I like to come back to this recipe for that crisp and refreshing bite(:

Green Tea Chocolate Chip Biscotti
recipe adapted and HALVED from cake tree
-makes around 18 cookies

60g sugar
1 egg
115g flour
7.5g matcha (green tea powder)
1/2tsp vanilla extract
1/2tsp baking powder
1/8tsp salt
35g chopped chocolate chips (or any other nuts you prefer)

1. Preheat oven to 350degrees.
2. Beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and thick, about 8-10minutes.
3. Then add the vanilla.
4. Sift and whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl.
5. On low speed, pour in the ingredients until well combined.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Roll into a log on your baking tray and bake for 20-25minutes.
8. Remove from oven and cool enough to handle.
9. Lower oven temperature to 325degrees .
10. Cut using a serrated knife diagonally and place them on baking tray.
*I had cut mine straight across..
11. Bake for 10minutes, then flip the downside up, and bake another 10minutes until completely dry.

Tip: cut the biscotti to as equal thinness as you can get for a even baking during the second round

(Note to self: for next time, add more green tea powder and cut them thinner and diagonally)

Taste: 4 stars out of 5 (green tea flavor was too mild)
Texture: 4 stars out of 5

Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Came across a simple basic biscotti recipe. I decided to give it a try since I have been fully committed my past biscotti baking to one recipe. Maybe I can find a recipe that tops that old. But mmhm, not quite yet!

I love how simple biscotti is (minus the waiting time after the first bake). You can throw in any nuts, fruits.. etc and make it something totally new and delicious. I decided to add in toasted shredded coconut in one log and chocolate chips in the other. And for the chocolate chip biscottis, I also dipped them in chocolate to make them fancier. Hehe.

I usually like to cut biscotti recipe in half so I work with only one log. But this time.. since the recipe calls for 3 eggs, it would be too much of a hassle to have 1/2 an egg left.



Basic Biscotti
recipe from delicious inspiration
- makes 2 logs

3 1/4 cups (405g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup oil
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (I cut down to 100g)
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the oil, granulated sugar, eggs and extract.
4. Pour the liquid mixture (3) into the flour (2) and mix well, forming a stiff dough. (Stir the nuts or fruits at this point)
5. Divide the dough in half, then form the halves into logs as long as the baking sheet (about 12") and flatten slightly.
6. Bake the logs until golden brown and firm, 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Let the logs cool slightly, about a half hour.
8. Cut the logs into 1/4" slices and arrange them on the baking sheets and bake again for 10 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through, until they're golden brown around the edges.
9. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.



Compare to the recipe I have been using, this recipe makes more crumbly and soft biscottis. I personally prefer biscottis that are more hard/crunchy but bit-able (old recipe).

These were almost like a soft cookie. The biscotti also turned out on the thick/fat side. This might have been the reason for it to retain more moisture after the two bake times (kind of under- baked). Shaping the logs thinner/longer or baking them for a longer period would maybe change the texture of the biscottis.

I didn't mind the softer biscottis, and if you love softer biscottis.. this recipe is totally for you! I will stay with my old recipe for now.

Taste: 4 stars out of 5 (cutting the sugar half gave it the sweetness I want)
Texture: 3 stars out of 5 (crumbly and softer than old recipe)

Cranberry Almond Biscotti

^my army of biscotti waiting for consumption

Yup. I told you I liked the Cranberry Walnut Biscotti recipe(:
Here's another batch with almonds substituting the walnuts.

I used silvered almonds instead of the sliced almonds, which wasn't a very wise decision. I think I would much prefer the sliced almonds as the silvered ones taste a little stale in the biscotti. Or I think I should have tried toasting the silvered almonds beforehand. But anywhos, they are still mucho delicious (thanks to the dough itself)!

This time, I also reduced the second baking time. I baked the biscotti for only 4 minutes more after cutting them into slices. The biscotti were noticeably softer and more crumbly. I think baking them the full 8 minutes yields a more authentic and crunchy/ toasty bite, which was just perfect. (:


^I made the full biscotti recipe (2 logs) for the first time. The texture of the dough was wetter and easier to handle.

*I need to try some with pistachio! They add a nice green touch to the appearance(: And I need to get some white chocolate. White and dark chocolate drizzles. Mhmm! Ohh, or a matcha dough base? Yum!

------------SOMETHING NEW!
Yay. I was invited by Lisa to be a part of her new linky called "Sweets for a Saturday" Head over to her blog "Sweet as Sugar Cookies" and check out what delicious goods her and others have made!

ANDANDAND! Thanks Miz Helen for hosting and inviting me to her "Full Plate Thursday" linky! Check out what else is going on at "Miz Helen's Country Cottage"

Cranberry Walnut Biscotti

Favorite biscotti recipe.
(BOOKMARK NOW!)

Great to make in batches for the holidays!
(Short prep time& long shelf life!)
& also greaaaat with lots of other variations
Pistachio, almond, blueberries, chocolate chips..
and/ or CHOCOLATE DIZZLE<3



Cranberry Walnut Biscotti
recipe from allrecipes.com
- makes 1 log (about 18 cookies)

2 tablespoons light olive oil
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup pistachio nuts

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
3. Form log (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until log is light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
5. Cut log on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.



Chocolate drizzles bought it to the perfect sweetness level.



Taste: 5 stars
Texture: 5 stars


Check out my other biscotti posts:

Chocolate peanut biscotti
Lenox almond biscotti

Lenox Almond Biscotti

Greetings! The last post and this post are actually ready since two weeks ago. I apologize. Total lag on my part.. BUT wait! The reason why these were not up at once was because I was on a road trip to Canada for the past two weeks. To sum up the road trip in two words .. good times :D We traveled a total of 2950 miles and stopped by San Francisco, Napa Valley, Seattle, Oregon, Sacramento, Vancouver, and Victoria Island. Loads of fun and photos taken!

With about three weeks of summer left, here I am.. slowly recovering and adjusting back to my relaxing summer vacation mood from the hectic traveling mode. I am also finally doing my job to publish these belated posts in a timely manner. Here, I present you Lenox Almond Biscotti!

Lenox Almond Biscotti
recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 stick (8tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract (I subbed it with vanilla extract)
3/4 cup sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched


*I like to halve all the ingredients and work with only one log each time I bake these! It ensures freshness! Fyi, the biscotti can be kept at room temperature for about a week.

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cornmeal together.
3. With stand mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar together for 3 minutes until very smooth. Add the eggs and continue to beat for another 2 minutes until mixture is light and creamy. Beat in almond extract.
4. Reduce mixer to low and add dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.
5. Toss in the almonds and mix just to blend.
6. Divide the dough in half. Roll each dough into 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide log.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch. Transfer to rack and cool for 30 minutes.
8. With a long serrated knife, cut the logs into 3/4 inch thick slices. Stand them up on the baking sheet and bake the biscotti for another 15 minutes in 350F until they are golden and firm.
9. Cool& enjoy.



These little cookies were made on the night before I went on that road trip with my family hoping to share it with my lovely cousins in Victoria Island. The biscotti made there safely and I think my cousins liked it?(: Hehe. I personally liked these biscotti more than the chocolate peanut ones. Texture- wise, these were softer yet crunchy and not rock solid. Flavor- wise, these were lighter and have a subtle sweetness to them. I am keeping this recipe and going to play around with different variations of ingredients (dried fruits?) next time.

Chocolate Peanut Biscotti

Chocolate Peanut Biscotti
recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped almonds, blanched or unblanched (used peanuts)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped or 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat over to 350F.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment.
3. Sift together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until pale (~2 mins).
5. Add eggs and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.
6. With mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions until dough forms.
7. Mix in the chopped nuts and chocolate. (Knead dough if any dry ingredients have escaped)
8. Divide dough in half. Roll each dough into 12 inch long logs. Flatten logs to 1/2 to 1 inch high and about 2 inches across. Lift dough onto baking sheet.
9. Sprinkle each log with a little sugar. Bake for 25 minutes until they are just slightly firm. (Note: it is ok if the log spread and crack)
10. Remove from oven and put on cooling rack for about 20 minutes.
11. With a long serrated knife, cut each log into slices between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick. Stand slices up on baking sheet.
12. Preheat over back to 350F and bake the army of biscotti for another 10 minutes.
13. Cool& enjoy!


^ready for first bake

Thank you bestie for thinking of me when you went to the library! This might just be the first cookbook I actually read and baked something out of(: Since the cookbook was almost 2 inches thick of recipes, my bestie and I had ideas of just flipping to a random page and whatever we landed on, I would bake. It would only be nice if all the ingredients were at hand though. In the end, I decided to just skim through the whole cookbook (I was going to anyways). The recipe/ picture that caught my eyes was the Chocolate Biscotti, a Twice-Baked Cookie. Butter. Check. Chocolate. Check. Cocoa Powder. Check. Check. Check. Check. Yes! Here it goes.

Biscotti is actually pretty easy to whip up. Once you have all the ingredients, it takes at most 10 minutes to get the dough ready. The tedious part of the whole process was probably the cooling after the first bake (The biscotti is more prone to cracking if you don't wait for it to completely cool!). Gotta be patient! (;


^after first bake

**These biscotti would definitely be better if it was another combination of ingredients. I didn't like the peanut in it and the chocolate was too strong/sweet to my liking. The big peanut pieces also made it hard to cut thin slices for the second bake. (As I am posting this, I also made the Lenox Almond Biscotti from this cookbook, which I like a lot better. >>post coming soon)