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Home » Desserts » Cookies & Bars » Italian Pistachio Biscotti

Italian Pistachio Biscotti

By: Rosemary Published: November 4, 2021 Updated on: February 15, 2022

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Pistachio biscotti are crunchy, nutty cookies perfect for dunking in coffee or tea. This recipe is made the Italian way – simple and delicious. Make them for you or to share with family and friends. They keep well at room temperature and are great for gifts.

Pistachio biscotti on a black plate.

Biscotti is a general Italian word for cookies, but for many people around the world, it means oblong, crunchy cookies that are twice-baked. Every region of Italy has its own special biscotti and there are countless ways to make it.

This pistachio biscotti recipe is one of my personal favorites. They’re nutty and not too sweet. The perfect cookie.

This is an easy recipe. You only need one bowl and some basic baking ingredients. The dough is easy to mix and then you shape it into a log. You will bake it twice – the first bake cooks the dough so you can slice it.

Then you bake the slices again so they dry out and turn crunchy. The texture makes them great for gifting because they keep for several weeks at room temperature.

And, if you can believe it, they’re not just for dipping into your hot coffee. Many Italians enjoy their biscotti with wine, so feel free to enjoy these cookies morning, noon, and night. 

Biscotti on a black plate and one leaning against an espresso.

Table of Contents

  • Ingredients
  • Other Mix-Ins
  • Instructions
      • Never Miss a Recipe!
  • How to Store Homemade Biscotti
  • More Cookie Recipes
  • Italian Pistachio Biscotti
    • Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 1x2x3x
      • *If you use unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon of salt.
      • **or ¼ cup chopped pistachios and ¼ cup white chocolate chips.
    • Instructions 
    • Notes
    • Nutrition

Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour
  • Large egg
  • Vanilla
  • Granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • Softened salted butter
  • Baking powder
  • Chopped pistachios – raw unsalted pistachios

Other Mix-Ins

Sometimes I add orange zest to this recipe for a different flavor. 

You can also reduce the nuts by half and substitute white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or chopped dried cherries for the other half. 

The amounts for these ingredients are in the recipe card in case you want to try these variations.

Biscotti on a silver platter.

Instructions

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and place the sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in it.

Whisked ingredients in a silver mixing bowl & egg butter & vanilla added.

Use an electric mixer to stir the ingredients just until the mixture is combined. You can use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix in the chopped pistachios.

If your dough is dry, add up to two tablespoons of milk one at a time. 

Mixing in the pistachio and forming a dough.
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    Place the dough on a large cutting board and shape it into a log approximately 2 1/2″ (6 cm) wide. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake it in a 350°F (180°) oven for about 20 minutes.

    Biscotti dough shaped as a log before and after baking.

    Take the pan out of the oven and cool the log for two minutes. Slice it into thin slices no wider than 1/4″ thick. A serrated knife makes this easy to do.

    Slicing the baked dough on a wooden board.

    Place slices back onto the prepared baking sheet with the cut sides up and bake them for 15 minutes. Cool them on the pan for 10 minutes before placing them on wire racks to cool completely.

    Biscotti on a parchment paper cookie sheet before & after the second bake.

    How to Store Homemade Biscotti

    Once the pistachio biscotti are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep well for up to two weeks at room temperature.

    Crunchy, lightly sweet, and nutty with the flavor of pistachios – these biscotti are an easy treat to make and share. I hope you give them a try soon – enjoy!

    Pistachio biscotti up close on a black plate.

    More Cookie Recipes

    • Chocolate Biscotti with Almonds
    • Almond Biscotti with Cranberries
    • Amaretti Cookies
    • Simple Shortbread Cookies
    Pistachio biscotti on a black plate.

    Italian Pistachio Biscotti

    Rosemary Molloy
    Pistachio biscotti are crunchy, nutty cookies perfect for dunking in coffee or tea. This recipe is made the Italian way, simple & delicious.
    5 from 26 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 35 mins
    Total Time 55 mins
    Course cookies, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 15 cookies
    Calories 107 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1½ cups + 3 tablespoons all purpose flour (216 grams)
    • 1 large egg
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla
    • ¼ cup +2 tablespoons granulated sugar (80 grams)
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 3 tablespoons butter (soft)*
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ cup chopped pistachios** (raw & unsalted) (60 grams)
    • zest ½ an orange (optional)

    *If you use unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon of salt.

      **or ¼ cup chopped pistachios and ¼ cup white chocolate chips.

        Instructions
         

        • Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
        • In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder, make a well in the middle and add the sugar, butter, egg, zest (if using) and vanilla. Mix with the flat beaters until almost combined, then add the pistachios (or pistachio/chocolate chip mixture). If too dry than add 1-2 tablespoons of milk, a tablespoon at a time.
        • Move the dough to a flat surface and form into a log, about 2 ½ inches (6 cm) wide. Place it on the prepared cookie sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes, remove from the oven, let sit 5-10 minutes then slice into thin slices (¼ -½ inch, I did some of each)place the slices cut side up back on the cookie sheet and bake again for 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the cookie sheet then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

        Notes

        If you wish you can substitute the sugar with honey, 1 for 1 substitution, just add 2 tablespoons extra of flour.
        I made one recipe with just pistachios and zest and one with no zest but 1/2 pistachios and 1/2 white chocolate chips. We preferred the one without the zest.  Although both were very tasty.

        Nutrition

        Calories: 107kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 34mgPotassium: 74mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 129IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
        Keyword biscotti, Cantucci, pistachio biscotti, pistachio cantucci
        Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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          Chocolate, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Cookies & Bars, Fall/Winter, Nuts, Thanksgiving

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          1. Kathleen says

            December 17, 2022 at 10:40 pm

            Hello, Rosemary! I LOVE your recipes! I’m 2nd generation Siciliano and these recipes are so spot on!
            I’ve made the meatballs, the eggplant pie 2x’s in one weekly monthly! lemon ice cream (several times in a row…oh my!) And more…every Christmas I make several batches of our family traditional biscottis. Toasted almonds, anise seeds infused with Sambucco, and more Sambucco, butter…love them, but I want to add another flavor, so of course, I checked you site!!!
            I have a hankering for crunchy biscotti with candied oranges/peels, shopped dark chocolate and im not sure if I should add toasted almonds and almond extract or pistachios and vanilla. Any thoughts?
            Thank you!!!!
            Kathleen

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 21, 2022 at 8:36 pm

              Hi Kathleen, sorry for the late reply, glad you like the recipes. Usually the longer you bake a biscotti the crunchier it will be. I like the idea of the candied fruit, dark chocolate and toasted almonds. I’m not a big lover of pistachios although my husband loves them. I do have a recipe for Pistachio biscotti with orange zest you could add some vanilla if you wanted. Let me know what you decide. Take care and Merry Christmas!

              Reply
          2. Marjorie says

            December 8, 2022 at 1:30 am

            Can I use pecans instead of Pistachios? I am also wondering if I should toast them. I am going to use chocolate chips as well.

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 9, 2022 at 7:53 pm

              Hi Marjorie, yes you can use pecans also, you can toast them it will give a nicer richer flavour and chocolate chips sound good also. Let me know how it goes. Take care!

              Reply
          3. SharonStiene says

            September 12, 2022 at 7:38 pm

            5 stars
            Great!

            Reply
          4. Jade says

            June 12, 2022 at 9:05 pm

            5 stars
            Delicious. I used a bit of lemon rind.

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              June 14, 2022 at 10:40 am

              Thanks Jade glad you enjoyed them. Take care. Have a great week.

              Reply
          5. Michael Coppa says

            February 14, 2022 at 12:31 am

            5 stars
            Loved the recipe – I found that cooling the log for only 2 minutes before slicing resulted in a crumbled mess; I left it to cool for 10 minutes, THEN sliced it and it was a major improvement.

            I’ve also tried using lemon zest for one batch and lime zest for another batch. All delicious!

            Thanks!

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              February 15, 2022 at 3:18 pm

              Hi Michael, thanks so much and thanks for letting me know. Have a great week.

              Reply
          6. Amanda says

            January 17, 2022 at 1:03 am

            These look amazing I’d love to make them but I only have salted pistachios! Can I still use them?

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              January 17, 2022 at 2:04 pm

              Hi Amanda, I actually made half my recipe with salted because I ran out of unsalted and they were ok, we liked them, the unsalted were better though. leave out the pinch of salt and maybe use unsalted butter. Let me know how it goes.

              Reply
          7. Lizy says

            December 23, 2021 at 7:53 pm

            Recipe gives no guidance. Bake until brown or a knife stuck in comes out clean? If using a convection oven? First time baking biscotti. A little what to expect is always best.

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 24, 2021 at 11:50 am

              Hi Lizy, there are the baking minutes how the cookies should look, I have process shots. I am sorry I am confused on what else to show or say. For a convection oven it is advised to turn the temperature down by 25 degrees.

              Reply
          8. Regina Gezelman says

            December 16, 2021 at 12:44 am

            Can this recipe be doubled?

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 16, 2021 at 11:27 am

              Hi Regina, yes the recipe can be doubled. I hope you like it.

              Reply
          9. Debbie Barrow says

            November 9, 2021 at 5:41 pm

            Hi – I’m about to make this pistachio biscotti recipe, however it states to slice the log in 1/4 inch cookies. Is that correct? Seems a bit thin but I’m sure still delicious. Thanks, Debbie

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              November 9, 2021 at 6:40 pm

              Hi Debbie, you could slice them thicker also, 1/2 inch might work better. Let me know how it goes.

              Reply
          10. Nessa says

            November 9, 2021 at 3:01 am

            Are the pistachios roasted or raw, salted or unsalted?

            Thank you

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              November 9, 2021 at 9:48 am

              Hi Nessa, sorry about that, raw and unsalted are the best. If you wish to roast them then you could but it really isn’t necessary. Hope you like them. Have a great week.

              Reply
          11. Angela Sopranzi says

            November 5, 2021 at 9:00 pm

            I haven’t made this version of biscotti yet, but, tell me why you say to cut them only 1/4” wide when they obviously look to be at least 1/2”. I would think at 1/4” they would crumble.

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              November 7, 2021 at 4:27 pm

              Hi Angela, they may look 1/2 inch but they weren’t that wide, and they should crumble when you cut them. 🙂

              Reply

          Hi, I'm Rosemary.

          Living in Italy I learned to cook authentic Italian dishes using whole ingredients, fresh veggies and delicious spices. So take a seat and have a taste! Read More

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