I make a cranberry pistachio biscotti that is drizzled with white chocolate that is very popular with my friends. I got the recipe many years ago from Epicurious, I think .

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Ingredients

1 cup shelled raw pistachios
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup dried cranberries
2 ounces white chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the pistachios in a pie plate and bake until golden, about 6 minutes; let cool. Turn the oven down to 325°.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, followed by the vanilla. At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients. With a wooden spoon, stir in the pistachios and cranberries.
Butter and flour a large cookie sheet.(I just use parchment) Pat the dough out on the sheet into two 14-inch-long logs 1 inch wide and 1 inch high; leave 3 inches between them. Bake in the lower third of the oven until golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer the cookie sheet to a rack; let the logs cool for 5 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice logs on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick.
Bake the slices for 7 minutes on each side. Transfer the biscotti to a rack to cool completely. Drizzle with the melted white chocolate and refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
The biscotti can be kept in an airtight container for 1 week.

Our next favorite is Double Chocolate Biscotti

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Double-Chocolate-Biscotti-2208209?prm-v1

Thanks, those both sound good!

My two cents:

Brownie Biscotti (based on Penzey's recipe) BAKE: 375 degrees for ~20 minutes and 365 for 10 min per side

1/3 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour (all White Whole Wheat is good)

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/3 cup pecans, chopped

Cream butter and sugar until smooth (does not need to be fluffy). Beat in eggs and vanilla. Sift and blend in flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Mix gently, adding choc chips and pecans. Dough will be slightly ‘gloppy’. On wax paper, form dough into two logs, each about 12” long, 3” wide, and 1” high. (Optional: Freeze about 15 minutes to make next step easier.) Roll logs in sugar before placing on parchment sheet for baking. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 1/2 hour, then cut into slices. Return slices to oven, bake for 10 minutes. Flip slices and bake another 10 minutes. Let cool.

Rosemary Orange Oatmeal Biscotti

1/3 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour (all White Whole Wheat is good)

1/2 cup ground oatmeal (whiz oatmeal in coffee grinder)

2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, snipped into fine pieces

1/3 cup diced orange peel (as sold for use in fruitcake)**

Mix and bake as above recipe.

** also try with candied ginger or dried pineapple

I have a basic biscotti recipe that doesn't have butter or oil. They are hard and crispy, and I cut them very thin. What i like is to vary the spices or other ingredients. Some of my favorites are cardamom/cinnamon/pistachio, instant espresso/cocoa/tiny bit of cinnamon/hazelnut, lemon zest/anise/almond. I fool around with it.

I've tried different recipes but Giada's Holiday Biscotti is a big hit whenever I make it. Since I'm not a fan of white chocolate, I dip them in dark chocolate and omit the sprinkles since they wouldn't show up against the dark chocolate. Since it has cranberries and pistachios, the red and green holiday colors are still there.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/holiday-biscotti-recipe2-1944762 

I see she also has a double chocolate version, but I've never tried it. Maybe this year.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/fnk/recipes/double-chocolate-holiday-biscotti-8869479

I would be happy to be the taste tester for all these biscottis!

I just like the subject line.... I think it might actually hurt to be hit by biscotti. lol!

Real biscotti contains no shortening....here's my recipe....from Gourmet magazine many years ago....

Biscotti Di Prato

3 3/4 C all purpose flour (stirred till fluffy before measuring)
2 C sugar
1 tsp double acting baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla ( or 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract if using
almonds)
1 2/3 c almonds or hazel nuts coarse chopped and lightly toasted.
eggwash

Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
whisk together eggs, yolks and extracts, add eggs, etc to flour mixture and
stir until a dough forms (looks like it can never happen... but keep
working it...it will. I sometimes add a VERY little sprinkling of water)
add nuts, turn out on a non-stick surface ( I use a marble board or my
formica rolling board) and knead 3 or 4 times. Divide into fourths and
shape each piece into a 11 x 2 in. log ( make it "tall" as they flatten
while baking) Place on buttered and floured baking sheets, brush with egg
wash (egg yolk whisked with 1 T water). Bake at 350 for 35 min and cool 20
min. Slice 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Place on clean baking sheets ( cut side
down) and bake 10 or 12 minutes at 275. turn pieces over and bake another
10 minutes. If you want to make them extra fancy, dip half a slice in
melted chocolate and sprinkle with finely chopped nuts. You can make bigger
'scottis by making two thicker logs, but be sure to leave room for spread.

Best dipped in tea or coffee....or best yet in a sweet dessert wine!

Enjoy! Linda

Like Linda, I make biscotti without shortening, butter, or oil. If shortening or butter is added, the biscotti will be more like a cookie, but when made without, they will be crisp and hard and do require dunking into something to soften them.

I use a recipe from Nick Maglieri that I saw him make on an episode of Baking With Julia, and I have the book, which I have used for several recipes.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom or coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups unblanched whole almonds
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or Amaretto
• 8-10 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat and set aside. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a rubber spatula to mix. Stir in the almonds.

Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl; then stir them into the flour mixture. The dough will be loose at first but will come together during the kneading process.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead, folding it over onto itself until it is smooth. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 12 inch long log. Gently press down on the logs to flatten them until they are about 2 inches wide and 1 inch high. Transfer them to the prepared pan.

First Baking Bake the logs for about 30 minutes, or until they are slightly risen and firm to the touch. Slide the logs off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack. The logs must be completely cool before you can continue with the recipe. Since they will take about 30 minutes to cool, you can either turn the oven off or leave it on for the next step. You can bake the biscotti up to this point several days ahead. Wrap the logs well in plastic and continue when it is convenient.

Second Baking When the logs have cooled completely, preheat the oven to 350°F, if necessary. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the cooled logs diagonally into 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Place the sliced cookies cut side down on the pans and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the biscotti are crisp and golden. Cool on the pans. Thicker slices will take longer to get crisp. You can slice them as thin as 1/4” thick, if preferred.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Dip flat side of cooled cookie into the chocolate and return it to the pan to cool again. If you have chocolate left over, you use a metal spatula to add more to the cookies or drizzle it over.

linda campbell, do you use unblanched almonds in your recipe?

And Lars, which of the spices do you prefer in your biscotti recipe?

The day this was originally posted on my phone was an article about being careful about ordering biscotti if you are in Italy as each region has something other than what is called biscotti in this country. Sadly, the only one they actually mentioned from the seven regional differences was amaretti. I looked for the article to link here but could not find it anywhere other than my phone.

Thanks everyone. I think I will make a double batch of the double chocolate for the nut free ones and then make a double batch of the more traditional with toasted almonds - might add dried cranberries for a bit of colour.

lizbeth-gardener, I definitely prefer cardamom, but if you do not have it, coriander is a good substitute. I always have both on hand.

Incidentally, I use untoasted almonds in my biscotti, and they get toasted in the second baking, as you can see in the photo. It helps if you slice them 1/4" thick. It's important to use unsalted almonds.

Thanks, Lars, I do have cardamon and thought that would be your choice. Looking forward to making these.

I am aware that most on here would never do it but wondering if someone has tried dipping in wine. What type of flavoring did the loaf type biscotti have. When I first started reading about it in Gourmet it was always to dip into red wine. Do you dip in wine or other liquour?

At that time since most of the Italian cookies available in this area were made by people who imigrated after WWII from southern Italy they were flavored with anise. It probably wasn't until several decades after my first taste of what was made the few bakeries started using any other flavor. Even the wedding we were invited to the cookie tables were mostly either plain, almond or had anise seeds or flavoring. Several new bakery's have opened in this area and anise is something that must be special ordered.

I haven't dipped in wine, but I could see dipping them in red wine, perhaps a Madeira or Port, although I do not drink those. For red wine, I most often drink Sangiovese.

There are lots of liqueurs that would be good, including Amaretto, Frangelico, Godiva Chocolate, Kahlua, etc. I'll have to remember that the next time I make them. I'll have to get some unsalted almonds before I can do that. I think I need to get more Amaretto also, but I'm not sure. We bought more chocolate liqueur at the liqueur/wine store yesterday. We went there because I wanted to get some more Cointreau, even though we're not out yet. I add a tablespoon to the fruit pectin that I take for arthritis, and that seems to work.

My brother hates anise, but I think it would taste good in biscotti and would go with wine.

I don't drink coffee, and so I do not dunk mine in that. I've been dunking them in tea, but that is not ideal - wine would probably be better than tea.

I make Giada's cranberry pistachio if I'm making biscotti. I can get good almond or almond chocolate if I want it, in the store. I've made chocolate, but I guess I am just not a huge chocolate fan. Dipped OK, all chocolate not so much. Double chocolate not going to be a favorite of mine. I used to love the Stella D'Oro anisette cookies, but I can't get them anymore. If I go the anise route with a spiced cookie I am going to make Frisan "thumb" cookies, Fryske dumkes Basically a dry cookie too, but rolled out a bit and cut into the old icebox shape.

https://www.heritagecookies.net/index.php/2021/05/10/frisian-thumb-cookies-fryske-dumkes/

Lars I think if dipping salted almonds would be better than unsalted but that is just me when I roll the flavor combinations on my tongue.

I'm very sensitive to salt, and I cannot imagine dipping salted almonds, although I do eat salted almonds by themselves. I also make sure that when I make English toffee that no salt is added to the recipe, and I use unsalted almonds for that also.

I usually make this at the same time that I make biscotti - for Christmas.

I do not eat any salted candy, but then I don't eat much candy anyway.

I use a small amount of salt when I make cookies (and biscotti), but that is because they have flour in them.

Lizbeth-gardner...I blanch the almonds myself...then toast....or sometimes I am lazy and rationalize that the skins provide more fiber and just toast them with the skins and chop. But they are prettier when I blanch and skin the almonds first.