Italian Pistachios Biscotti with Cardamon and Orange Zest are a spiced twist on the classic Italian Almond biscotti aka cantucci. I have to confess that the inspiration on this variation came from many years spent leaving in the Middle East, where I learned about different spices and how to pair them in sweet and salty preparation.
Cardamon, Cumin, Zaatar, Sumac and Aleppo Pepper – just to mention my favorite – are still the part of my cooking when I want to add a special twist to my Italian recipes.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
-This authentic pistachios biscotti recipe requires only a few ingredients, quite easy to find in any groceries nowadays.
–The recipe I used is the same as my Classic Almond Biscotti recipe, aka cantucci.
-These pistachio biscotti are a sweet treat without the guilt, thanks to a lower sugar content and the absence of butter. The result is a crunchy texture that is simply delicious. Italian biscotti are in fact made with no butter to obtain a crunchy texture that will become slightly tender when you soak it into a cup of espresso or a glass of Vin Santo.
CANTUCCI VS BISCOTTI: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
If you want to read more more about the origin of the world biscotti read here.
In Italian biscotti is the generic words for cookies, biscotti is the plural words for biscotto – cookie – and derives from the latin word bis coctus, which means cooked twice. Cantucci are instead still biscotti but studded with Almonds and lemon zest in their classic and most traditional version.
Therefore the only real difference between cantucci and biscotti is a linguistic one. And there are also some cultural ones: in Italy cantucci are usually served with a glass of Vin Santo, but we also dip them in an espresso. In the US, they are typically enjoyed dipped in coffee or espeesso.
INGREDIENTS & VARIATIONS
To make this twice-baked pistachio cookies you will need:
Flour: I use Italian 00 flour. It’s the finest grade of flour milled in Italy. It is perfect for baking as it tolerates temperature up to 500°F. You may replace the 00 flour with all-purpose flour. If you are gluten intolerant , use gluten-free flour. If you prefer to add nutrients use 50% white flour and 50% whole wheat flour or spelt flour.
Baking powder: just a tiny tiny will help the dough rising.
Salt: It is essential as it enhances the flavor.
Sugar: This recipe uses granulated white sugar. You will want to beat the sugar with the eggs until pale.
Eggs: You will need two large whole eggs for this recipe. The eggs are combined with the sugar. The mixture might look a bit curdled, this is ok. When you mix in the flour everything will get incorporated.
Vanilla extract: My basic biscotti recipe uses vanilla extract. You may also add almond extract or anise extract, which are both classic biscotti flavors.
Orange Zest: Orange pairs well with Cardamon.
Pistachios: the Italian traditional recipe uses almonds. I used for this ones pistachios, which are popular in South Italy as well as in The Middle East.
Cardamom: cardamom is an oriental spice, very popular in Northern Europe, Middle East and India. In Northern Europe is used in the preparation of sweet, in the Middle East is used in coffee and in sweets and in India is used in rice savory dishes.
There are 2 kinds of Cardamom: green cardamom has a pungent piney flavour and aroma, with hints of lemon and mint, while black cardamom has an added smoky note. It’s notable for its complex, earthy, bittersweet aroma, and is the main component of any traditional chai spice blend. This recipe requires green cardamom. Cardamom pairs well with nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice and also with rosemary.
INSTRUCTIONS
This recipe yields around 25 pistachios biscotti. if you want to make a double batch, simply double the quantity of the recipe.
The process is very easy easy: Make dough, form it into a log, and bake. Let is cool, then cut in slices on the diagonal with a serrated knife and bake again. Done!
I highlighted below the full detailed process, including pictures.
Start by switching the oven to 350° F (180°C). First you will beat together the sugar and two large eggs in a large bowl. Next you’ll add vanilla. This is also when you will want to add grated orange peel.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, ground cardamom and a pinch of salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until combined.
Finally, stir in any mix-ins the pistacchios in this case, or any other ingredients you want to use.
For this quantity you can shape the dough into a log shape. Place the logs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press down with your hands to flatten the logs, you want them to be 3/4-inch thick to ensure even cooking. You can also use your hands to smooth and flatten the edges of the dough logs. Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and bake the dough logs for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees, until they are lightly golden. The center will be slightly soft.
After this first bake, remove the cookie log from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before slicing. If you slice them when they are too warm, the cookies will crumble. At this point lower the oven temperature to to 325°F (175°C).Place log on a cutting board. Slice the logs on the diagonal, pressing a sharp serrated bread knife straight down into the dough.
Place the cookies back on the baking tray, cut side up. Slicing at a greater angle will result in longer cookies, and less of an angle will produce smaller biscotti. Bake the biscotti a second time, for 12-16 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Your pistachios biscotti are ready!
TIPS SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE THE BEST ITALIAN ALMOND BISCOTTI
-Use room temperature eggs. This will help the eggs to disperse better once you mix them with the flour.
-Beat eggs and sugar until very fluffy and pale yellow. This is a step you don’t want to skip. It will make the biscotti tender, fluffy, and the perfect consistency for baking again.
-If the dough is too sticky to handle after the wet ingredients have been added, mix in a small amount of flour until the dough can be handled.
– In this recipe I made one log only, if instead you want to make a bigger batch double the qty and make 2 logs.
– If you want to make smaller cookies, divide it into 2 logs.
-Butter or no butter? Butter will make your cookie more fragrant and soft. Avoiding butter will give you drier, crispier and crunchier cookie. If you really want to add butter, use just one ounce. Trust me, crunchy biscotti is the way to go!
-Be sure to let the baked biscotti logs cool for about 30 minutes before slicing them to prevent your biscotti from crumbling.
MORE ITALIAN DESSERT RECIPES FOR YOU
Italian Classic Almond Biscotti Recipe
Traditional Italian Tiramisu Recipe
Santa Lucia short bread cookies
Strawberry Tart with Mascarpone Cream
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
These cantucci are the perfect cookies for dunking it in hot coffee or an aromatic hot tea given the use of cardamom.
STORING SUGGESTIONS
These pistachio cardamon cookie have a long shelf life. The will keep for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container.
Ingredients
- 2¼ cup flour all-purpose
- ¾ cup sugar caster
- 2 units eggs
- 1 tsp zest of orange grated
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup pistachios whole, blanched
- 1 tsp cardamon
Instructions
- Start by switching the oven to 350° F (180°C). First you will beat together the sugar and two large eggs in a large bowl. Next you’ll add vanilla. This is also when you will want to add grated orange peel.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, ground cardamom and a pinch of salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until combined
- Finally, stir in any mix-ins the pistachios in this case.
- For this quantity you can shape the dough into a log shape . Place the logs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press down with your hands to flatten the logs, you want them to be 3/4-inch thick to ensure even cooking. You can also use your hands to smooth and flatten the edges of the dough logs.
- Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and bake the dough logs for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees, until they are lightly golden. The center will be slightly soft. At this point lower the oven temperature to to 325°F (175°C).
- Place the cooked log on a cutting board. Slice the logs on the diagonal, pressing a sharp knife straight down into the dough (see notes).
- Place the cookies back on the baking tray, cut side up. Bake the biscotti a second time, for 12-16 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
- Your cookies are now ready!
Notes
Nutrition
Fra i migliori biscotti per accompagnare caffe’