These chocolate pistachio biscotti are crisp, twice-baked Italian cookies made with cocoa, whole pistachios, and semi-sweet chocolate chunks, and no butter or oil. You shape two 12 by 2 inch logs, bake them at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, slice, then dry the slices at 300°F. One batch makes 28 biscotti in about 70 minutes.
The crunch comes from the second bake, not from a hard dough. Slice the logs while they are still warm, bake the slices low, and let them finish crisping on a rack. Do that and they snap cleanly, dunk well, and stay crunchy for two weeks.
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Try the Recipe Converter →The Biscotti Bake Plan: Temps, Times, and Yield
- Yield: 28 biscotti, cut ¾ inch thick on the diagonal
- Logs: two, each about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide, tops pressed flat
- First bake: 350°F (175°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, then rest 10 to 15 minutes on the pan
- Second bake: 300°F (150°C) for 10 minutes, flip, then 8 to 10 minutes more
- Total time: about 70 minutes, plus cooling
- Keeps: 2 weeks airtight at room temperature, 2 months in the freezer
What Goes Into the Dough, and What Stays Out
The dough is 1 ¾ cups flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 3 large eggs, and 1 cup sugar, with vanilla and almond extract. Then come 1 ½ cups whole pistachios and ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks. That is a lot of add-ins for this much dough, which is why every slice shows green.
There is no butter or oil. Butter gives a softer, more cookie-like crumb that never quite turns crisp. Without it, the slices dry out evenly in the second bake and break with a clean snap.
Use shelled, unsalted pistachios. If salted ones are all you have, cut the salt in the dough to ¼ teaspoon. The almond extract is optional. One teaspoon rounds out the nut flavor without tasting like marzipan. Leftover nuts? Blend them into homemade pistachio butter.
Mixing a Sticky Chocolate Biscotti Dough
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together. Cocoa clumps, and a pocket of dry cocoa tastes bitter and dusty in the finished cookie.
In a second bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture looks paler and slightly thick. That trapped air is most of the lift these logs get, so give it the full time. Stir in the extracts, then add the dry mix in two or three parts.
Expect a thick, sticky dough, closer to a brownie batter you can pick up than to cookie dough. Resist adding flour to make it smooth. Extra flour makes biscotti hard and dull.
Fold in the pistachios and chocolate chunks last, just until they are spread through the whole bowl.
Shaping Two 12 by 2 Inch Logs
Split the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, shape each half into a log about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide; floured or damp hands stop it from sticking. Set both logs on a parchment-lined baking sheet with room between them, because they spread a little, and press the tops flat with your palm.
The size matters more than it looks. A thinner log dries out before you even slice it and gives short, crumbly pieces. A wider one stays wet in the middle and gums up the knife.
Baking Twice: Firm Logs, Then Dry Slices
How to Tell the Logs Are Ready
Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes. With a cocoa dough you cannot go by color, so go by touch. The tops should feel firm, spring back slightly, and show a few cracks.
Slicing Without Crumbling
Let the logs rest on the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, and turn the oven down to 300°F. Cut them on a diagonal into ¾ inch slices with a sharp serrated knife, using a few long, firm strokes. Whole pistachios and chocolate chunks are where slices break, so push through them instead of sawing back and forth.
Drying the Slices at 300°F
Lay the slices cut side down. Bake 10 minutes, flip each one, and bake 8 to 10 minutes more. They will still feel a little soft in the middle when they come out. That is right. They turn crisp on a wire rack as they cool, and if you bake them until they feel hard in the oven, they end up rock hard on the plate.
When Biscotti Crumble, Spread, or Turn Too Hard
- Slices crumble as you cut: the logs cooled too long. A cold log shatters around the nuts, a hot one squashes, and 10 to 15 minutes is the window.
- Logs spread flat in the oven: the dough was warm and very soft. Chill the shaped logs on the pan for 15 minutes before baking.
- Centers still soft once cool: put them back in the 300°F oven for about 5 minutes.
- Too hard to bite: slices were cut thinner than ¾ inch, or the second bake ran long.
- Bitter, dusty specks: the cocoa went in unsifted.
Dip or Drizzle: Finishing With Dark Chocolate
The 4 ounces of melted dark chocolate are optional. Melt it gently in short bursts, stirring between each, and start only once the biscotti are completely cool.
Dipping one end gives the thick, glossy coat in the photo and more chocolate with every sip of coffee. It can soften in a warm room, though, and dipped biscotti do not stack well. A thin drizzle sets faster and packs neatly in tins, so it is the better choice for gifts or for a batch you want to keep the full two weeks. Either way, let the chocolate set at room temperature before you store them.
Espresso, Ricotta, and Other Ways to Serve Them
Espresso or a cappuccino is the natural partner. The cocoa sits well against the coffee, and a ¾ inch slice holds up to a long dunk. A homemade pistachio latte doubles down on the nut flavor. At holiday gatherings I also put out a small bowl of whipped ricotta for dipping.
For a mixed cookie tin, these crisp slices sit nicely next to softer bakes like pistachio cookies, pistachio ricotta cookies, or a few pistachio ganache truffles. If you want pistachio for breakfast instead, try pistachio muffins.
Keeping Pistachio Biscotti Crisp for Two Weeks
Cool them all the way before they go into a container. Warmth left inside turns to steam in a closed tin and softens the whole batch. Stored airtight at room temperature, they stay crisp for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze, pack them in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature. If they have lost their snap, 5 minutes in a 300°F oven brings it back. Keep the tin away from steamy spots like the kettle or the dishwasher.
Quick Answers on Pistachio Biscotti
How many biscotti does this recipe make?
28 biscotti, from two 12 by 2 inch logs sliced ¾ inch thick on the diagonal.
Are pistachio biscotti supposed to be hard?
They should be crisp and dry all the way through and snap when broken, but not so hard you need coffee to bite them. Rock hard biscotti were usually sliced too thin or baked too long the second time.
Can I leave out the chocolate?
Yes, skip the dark chocolate coating; the biscotti are fully finished without it. The chocolate chunks inside can also be left out, and the logs will just be a little smaller.
Pistachio Biscotti Recipe
This pistachio biscotti recipe makes crisp, twice-baked chocolate biscotti with whole pistachios, cocoa powder, semi-sweet chocolate chunks, eggs, and sugar, and no butter or oil. It takes about 70 minutes and makes 28 biscotti from two 12 by 2 inch logs. The logs bake at 350°F until firm and cracked, rest 10 to 15 minutes, then are sliced ¾ inch thick and dried at 300°F, so these chocolate pistachio biscotti snap instead of crumbling. Serve them with espresso or cappuccino, pack them in holiday cookie tins, or dip one end in dark chocolate for gifts. Drizzle instead if you want them to stack. They keep 2 weeks airtight and freeze for 2 months.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract (optional, but recommended)
- 1 ½ cups whole pistachios (shelled and unsalted)
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips
- FOR OPTIONAL CHOCOLATE COATING
- 4 oz dark chocolate, melted (for drizzling or dipping)
Instructions
- PREHEAT AND PREP: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine, then set aside.
- BEAT WET INGREDIENTS: In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract and almond extract if using.
- COMBINE WET AND DRY: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until a thick, slightly sticky dough forms. Fold in the pistachios and chocolate chunks until evenly distributed.
- SHAPE THE DOUGH: Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, shape each half into a log approximately 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Place both logs on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between them, and gently flatten the tops.
- FIRST BAKE: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the logs are firm to the touch and slightly cracked on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.
- SLICE AND SECOND BAKE: Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (150°C). Using a sharp serrated knife, slice the slightly cooled logs diagonally into ¾-inch thick pieces. Place each piece cut-side down back on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flip each biscotti, and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes.
- COOL COMPLETELY: Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and let them cool completely. They will continue to firm up and become crisp as they cool.
- OPTIONAL CHOCOLATE COATING: Once the biscotti have cooled, dip one end of each into melted dark chocolate or drizzle chocolate over the tops. Let them sit at room temperature until the chocolate is fully set.
Notes
Slice the logs after 10 to 15 minutes of cooling: a cold log crumbles around the pistachios and a hot one squashes. Use a serrated knife with long, firm strokes. The slices still feel slightly soft when they leave the oven and crisp up on the rack, so do not bake them until hard. Do not add extra flour to the sticky dough; use floured or damp hands to shape it. If you only have salted pistachios, reduce the salt to ¼ tsp. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Re-crisp in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes if needed.
Nutrition Information
Yield
28Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 159Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 20mgSodium 129mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 2gSugar 12gProtein 4g
