These crisp biscotti are packed with pistachios and candied orange peel, then dipped in melted chocolate for a delicious cookie that's perfect for dunking in coffee or tea, or for holiday gifting.
This recipe is sponsored by Land O' Lakes. All opinions are our own.
I think biscotti might be the perfect homemade food to gift to your friends and family. They're baked twice, so they contain very little moisture and store great at room temperature for several weeks.
There's almost no skill required to give them a professional look, and they taste absolutely amazing. You'll want to whip up a double batch - one for yourself, and one to give as gifts!
If you're looking to make a bunch of different Christmas cookies this holiday season, be sure to check out our Slice and Bake Christmas Cookies or these easy Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies.
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What You'll Need to Make this Recipe
- Salted butter: We use Land O' Lakesยฎ Salted Butter in this recipe. It makes for a rich, creamy dough that's perfectly balanced in flavor. If you would prefer to use unsalted butter, increase the salt in the dough by ยผ teaspoon.
- All-purpose flour, sugar, eggs, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract: These combine to create a simple, sweet biscotti dough that will have a great crunchy texture once it's twice-baked.
- Pistachio: You can use another nut like cashews or almonds, but we really think pistachio pairs well with candied orange and chocolate.
- Candied orange: This is a super simple homemade candied orange peel. It's just orange peel (white pith removed) cooked in a simple syrup (1:1 ratio of sugar and water) for an hour. We let the peels dry, then chop them up and coat them in sugar. For a more extensive tutorial, check out our Sour Candied Citrus Peels, and skip the citric acid. You can also just use store-bought candied orange.
How to Make this Recipe
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F / 160หC. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract, then add one egg at a time, mixing until combined.
STEP 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in two batches, mixing until combined.
STEP 3: Stir in the pistachios and candied orange peel.
STEP 4: Divide dough in half. Using your hands, shape each half of the dough into a loaf about 7"x5" (18x13cm) and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
STEP 5: Bake for 25-30 minutes at 325หF, until light golden brown around the edges and bottom. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. (If the cookies aren't cool enough, they won't cut well. You can speed this up by popping them in the refrigerator or the freezer.)
STEP 6: Once the logs are cool, use a serrated knife to cut the biscotti into ยฝ-inch thick slices.
STEP 7: Place the biscotti back on the baking sheet you used before, cut side down, and bake a second time for 13-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. We like ours on the less crisp side, but if you want them to have an extra crisp texture, leave them in for an additional 2-4 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the biscotti to a wire rack to cool completely.
STEP 8: Melt the white chocolate and dark chocolate in separate bowls in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each interval, until fully melted.
STEP 9: Dip half of the biscotti in dark or white chocolate, let the excess chocolate drip off, then transfer to the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Optional: top with more chopped candied orange peel and pistachios. Let the chocolate set, then enjoy!
Storage
These homemade biscotti are a bit softer than some other biscotti recipes, so they won't last quite as long. However, you can keep these stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 weeks, so they make for a great edible holiday gift!
For even longer storage, you can further dry them out in the oven for a few extra minutes.
You can also freeze these biscotti in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Make sure to place parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. Defrost them overnight at room temperature.
Lexi's Best Tips and Tricks
- We like the flavors of pistachio and orange, especially around the holidays, but you can feel free to customize your biscotti. Here are some ideas for some different flavors:
- Dried fruits like cranberries, apricots, or cherries
- Extracts like almond extract, or anise extract for extra flavor (the most classic biscotti flavors are almond and anise)
- Chocolate chips added directly to the dough
- Orange zest or lemon zest added to the dough or sprinkled atop the chocolate
- We used salted butter, but you can also use unsalted butter and add an extra ยผ teaspoon of kosher salt.
- You'll want to use a serrated knife to cut the biscotti into slices. A regular knife may end up cracking the top or the bottom of the biscotti, making it hard for them to sit flat during the second bake.
- Our favorite way to enjoy these is by dipping them into a hot cup of coffee: the coffee helps to soften up the biscotti a bit and also adds an extra layer of flavor.
- Don't have the patience to dip each biscotti in chocolate? Drizzle it atop them all at once instead.
- If you're using salted pistachios, omit the salt listed in the recipe.
Homemade biscotti will keep for 2-3 weeks if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
More Holiday Baking Recipes
๐ Recipe
Candied Orange and Pistachio Biscotti (dipped in chocolate)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 18-20 biscotti 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These crisp biscotti are packed with pistachios and candied orange peel, then dipped in white or dark chocolate for a delicious cookie that's perfect for dunking in coffee or tea, or for holiday gifting.
Ingredients
- ยฝ cup (1 stick) Land O' Lakesยฎ Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
- ยพ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 ยผ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
- ยผ teaspoon kosher salt
- ยพ cup unsalted pistachios*, plus more for topping
- ยพ cup chopped candied orange peel, plus more for topping
- 4 ounces white chocolate
- 4 ounces dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F / 160หC. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract, then add one egg at a time, mixing until combined.ย
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in two batches, mixing until combined.ย
- Stir in the pistachios and candied orange peel.
- Divide dough in half. Using your hands, shape each half of the dough into a loaf about 7"x5" (18x13cm) and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.ย
- Bake for 25-30 minutes at 325หF, until light golden brown around the edges and bottom. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. (If the cookies aren't cool enough, they won't cut well. You can speed this up by popping them in the refrigerator or the freezer.)
- Once the logs are cool, use a serrated knife to cut the biscotti into ยฝ-inch thick slices.ย
- Place the biscotti back on the baking sheet you used before, cut side down, and bake a second time for 13-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. We like ours on the less crisp side, but if you want them to have an extra crisp texture, leave them in for an additional 2-4 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the biscotti to a wire rack to cool completely.ย
- Melt the white chocolate and dark chocolate in separate bowls in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each interval, until fully melted.ย
- Dip half of the biscotti in dark or white chocolate, let the excess chocolate drip off, then transfer to the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Optional: top with more chopped candied orange peel and pistachios. Let the chocolate set, then enjoy!ย
Notes
*If you can't find unsalted pistachios, use lightly salted pistachios and don't use the salt in the recipe.
*To make the candied oranges, first cut the skin off of 2-3 oranges in 3-4 large pieces, and then use a paring knife to cut off an excess white pith. In a saucepan, dissolve 1 cup of sugar in 1 cup of water. Once dissolved, add in the orange peel and cook for an hour. Remove the orange peel from the syrup with a slotted spoon, and move to a wire cooling rack set atop a baking sheet. Let the orange peels cool and dry until sticky but not wet, then toss them in ยฝ cup of sugar. For this recipe, we cut the peels up into smaller pieces.
*Storage: You can keep these stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 weeks, so they make for a great edible holiday gift! For even longer storage, you can further dry them out in the oven for a few extra minutes.
*Freezing: You can freeze these biscotti in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Make sure to place parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. Defrost them overnight at room temperature.
*We used salted butter, but you can also use unsalted butter and add an extra ยผ teaspoon of kosher salt.
*You'll want to use a serrated knife to cut the biscotti into slices. A regular knife may end up cracking the top or the bottom of the biscotti, making it hard for them to sit flat during the second bake.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 biscotti
- Calories: 283
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 76.2 mg
- Fat: 14.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.8 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 4.5 g
KWB says
This is a delightful recipe, both as written and with modifications for other additives. I was quick looking for a biscotti recipe this a.m. and the steps of the other were so complicated, I returned to this! Thanks a heap!!! It is delicious!