Pistachio Anise Biscotti Recipe
Biscotti is a crunchy, sweet, and twice baked delicious Italian cookies. Today we are making Pistachio Anise Biscotti, another variation of this famous Italian delight. A Biscotti tastes great when dipped in hot milk or coffee, it melts in your mouth.
All ingredients are mixed in one bowl; no stand mixer or hand mixer needed. I have used a whisk and a spatula to prepare the dough. In this post, you will find tips on how to make amazing Biscotti, how to make mini Biscotti, plus a video to teach you how to bake these Italian cookies to perfection!
If you have tried store bought Biscotti and didn’t like the taste, please try this Pistachio Anise Biscotti. I am sure that you will change your mind. Crunchy cookies are not at all bad, my Russian Tea Cakes, and melt in your mouth Middle Eastern cookies Ghraybeh are a standing proof!
What is Biscotti?
Biscotti is Italian cookies; the original recipe has no oil or butter. The only wet ingredient is eggs. However, in this recipe, we are using oil to make the Pistachio Anise Biscotti less dense.
Although Biscotti means baked twice, in reality, you will bake these beauties three times. First, you will bake the Biscotti as a whole log, then cut it into slices and bake the slices; lastly, flip the cookies and bake them for few more minutes to get that golden color and perfect crispy texture.
Ingredients in Pistachio Anise Biscotti
All-purpose flour: You can also make Biscotti using half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.
Oil: I have used oil instead of butter because there is a lot of flavor coming from pistachio and anise seeds. If you wish, you can use melted unsalted butter.
Sugar: I always use fine sugar when baking; the sugar dissolves quickly in the dough.
Eggs: Using eggs gives the Biscotti that golden color and helps it rise while baking.
Salt: To enhance the flavor.
Vanilla: In my humble opinion, vanilla goes well with pistachio and anise, but if you don’t have it, use almond extract or even orange zest.
Baking powder.
Pistachio: Use whole pistachios; they will be chopped while slicing the biscotti log. You can use salted pistachios.
Anise seeds: Awesome flavor and a hint of sweetness!
How to make one bowl Biscotti
Preparing the pistachio anise biscotti dough hardly takes 5 minutes, 20 to 25 minutes the first bake, and the additional 20 minutes is to bake the Biscotti from both sides.
In a bowl, add the eggs and vanilla, whisk until combined; we do not want to incorporate air to the eggs for this recipe.
Add the sugar and oil, whisk until combined.
Sif the flour, baking powder, and salt and add it to the wet ingredients. Mix the dough with a whisk then switch to a spatula.
Add the anise and pistachio and mix the dough to distribute both ingredients evenly in the dough.
Pour the sticky dough on a baking sheet that’s lined with parchment paper. Wet your hands or oil them; this will help you shape the dough into a log easily. Make an 8-inch-long log.
Bake the dough in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Take out the Biscotti from the oven and allow to cool before cutting it into slices.
Place the slices of the Biscotti on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, flip the Biscotti and bake again for 10 minutes.
Allow the Biscotti to cool and then serve.
What flavors and nuts to add to a Biscotti?
The biscotti dough is so forgiving. Orange zest, lemon zest, vanilla, rose water, and almond extract are great flavors to add, not only that, but you can also add different nuts, even dark chocolate, white chocolate, and raisins. Try my Almond Biscotti Cookies and perfect for breakfast Pecan and Raisins Biscotti.
How to store Biscotti?
You will be pleased to know that Biscotti can be stored at room temperature for up to two weeks if stored in an airtight container, and it won’t get stale. To store pistachio anise biscotti for up to 3 months, place the baked and cooled Biscotti in a freezer friendly bag and freeze them to enjoy later.
How to make mini Biscotti?
Cut the dough in half—form two logs after wetting your hands. Make sure the logs are 8 inches long.
Tips to make the best Biscotti
- Check the expiry date of the baking powder, pistachio, and anise seeds.
- Do not beat the eggs for a long time; we do not want to incorporate air in the eggs.
- Measure the flour by spooning it in the measuring cup and remove the excess by passing a butter knife to level off the top of the flour.
- Stop mixing the dough when the ingredients are well combined.
- Make sure the Biscotti is cool before cutting it into slices, or the Biscotti will crumble.
- Use a serrated knife to cut the Biscotti.
- Preheat the oven to the right temperature.
- Use parchment paper to prevent the dough from sticking to the baking pan.
Watch Me Make this Recipe
Pistachio Anise Biscotti Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup oil
- ½ cup of sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup whole shelled pistachios
- 1 tablespoon anise seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Keep aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and vanilla, beat until you can no longer see the white.
- Add the sugar and oil, beat until well combined.
- Sift the flour with salt and baking powder, add it to the wet ingredients, mix well using a whisk first and then switch to a spatula.
- Add the pistachios and anise seeds, mix until combined.
- Pour the dough on the previously prepared baking sheet. Wet or oil your hands and form an 8-inch-long log. You can also dust your hands with flour to shape the log, but I try to avoid adding more flour to the dough.
- Bake the dough for 20 to 25 minutes on the middle shelf of the preheated oven.
- Remove the biscotti from the oven and allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the Biscotti into 1-inch thick slices. Place the slices on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. You should get 10 biscotti cookies or 20 if you are making two logs from this dough.
- Flip the biscotti slices and bake them for 10 more minutes.
- Let the biscotti cool on a cooling rack and enjoy later with coffee or a glass of milk.
My wife loves biscotti with a cup of joe, we always get it from Costco. Never thought it could be made at home. Thanks fro sharing the recipe Muna, will definetly try
Hey! Thanks for stopping by, it’s been a long time :). It’s easy to make biscotti at home and you might like it better than store bought. Let me know what you think whenever you give this recipe a try.
A fuss free biscotti recipe, Muna, and I love the combo of pistachios and anise. Awesome flavours!
Oh yes, the flavor of anise and pistachio is great in the biscotti 🙂