Giada makes this look effortlessly chic on TV, while my kitchen usually ends up looking like a flour bomb exploded during holiday baking.
My friends aggressively cleared out the whole plate in five minutes, making these Italian Christmas cookies the star of every cookie exchange.
Just make sure to hide a few for yourself, because these homemade Christmas treats disappear faster than Giada can say buon appetito.
Giada’s Holiday Biscotti
EQUIPMENT (PAID LINKS)
- Stand Mixer
- Silicone baking mat
- Chef knife
- Cooling rack
- Small bowls
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 lemon for zest
- 2 large eggs
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup pistachios chopped
- 12 ounces white chocolate melted
- Red sanding sugar
- Green sanding sugar
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Beat one stick of room temperature unsalted butter, one cup of granulated sugar, and fresh lemon zest together in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy.1 stick unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 lemon for zest
- Add Eggs and Salt: Mix in two large eggs one at a time, allowing each to fully blend before adding the next, followed by a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.2 large eggs, Pinch of salt
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Sift or whisk together two cups of all-purpose flour and one and a half teaspoons of baking powder, then gradually add them to the butter mixture on low speed until just combined into a smooth dough.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- Fold in Fruits and Nuts: Gently fold in one cup of dried cranberries and one cup of chopped pistachios using a rubber spatula so they retain their natural shape throughout the dough.1 cup dried cranberries, 1 cup pistachios
- Shape and Bake Log: Form the dough into a long log shape on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.
- Slice and Second Bake: Remove the baked log from the oven, let it cool slightly, and slice it diagonally into half-inch to three-quarter-inch thick pieces, then return them to the oven to bake for another 15 minutes until crisp.
- Dip and Decorate: Dip one half of each cooled biscotti into melted white chocolate, place them on a wire rack, and immediately sprinkle them with red and green sanding sugar for a festive holiday sparkle.12 ounces white chocolate, Red sanding sugar, Green sanding sugar
The No-Stress Guide to Mastering Giada’s Holiday Biscotti
Look, if you’re going to bake something twice, you might as well learn how to cut every possible corner without ruining the batch. Consider this your cheat sheet to making these Italian dunkers without losing your mind or your thumb.
Soft Butter Isn’t Optional Unless You Enjoy Drama
If you forgot to pull your butter out of the fridge three hours ago, do not throw it in the microwave unless you want a puddle of sadness. Instead, pour boiling water into a glass pint, dump the water out, and invert the warm glass over your stick of butter for five minutes. It magically softens without turning into yellow soup, saving your creaming step from total disaster.
Don’t Waste Money on Whole Sanding Sugar
Paying five dollars for a tiny jar of colored sugar you’ll use once a year is a scam. Just throw plain white sugar into a Ziploc bag with one single drop of food coloring and massage it like you’re trying to get a knot out of your back. Boom, custom holiday sprinkle dust for literal pennies.
The Nut and Fruit Swap Matrix
If pistachios cost as much as a tank of gas in your zip code, pivot immediately. Slivered almonds or chopped pecans will work just as hard and won’t leave your wallet crying. The same rule applies to the fruit: dried cherries, chopped craisins, or even dried blueberries take to white chocolate like they were born for it.
White Chocolate Chips Are Your Secret Enemy
Real talk: standard baking chips are packed with stabilizers meant to keep their shape, which means they melt into a thick paste rather than a smooth dip. Buy a couple of decent white chocolate bars from the candy aisle instead and chop them up, or add half a teaspoon of coconut oil to your melted chips to get that silky, effortless dip.
The Bread Knife Saved My Biscotti
If you try slicing your baked log with a standard chef’s knife, you will end up with a pile of festive crumbs. Reach for a serrated bread knife and use a light sawing motion while the log is still slightly warm to keep those cute little diagonal slices intact without shattering the nuts.
Stash Them Like a Prepper
These things are basically delicious edible bricks, which means they hold up ridiculously well. Store them in a tin rather than plastic to keep them insanely crunchy, or freeze the un-dipped baked cookies for up to three months so you can whip out a fresh batch when unexpected guests drop by.
