Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti- THM S

This Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti is a delight to enjoy with a cup of coffee this holiday season! The tang of the cranberries paired with salty pistachios makes a lovely combination!

This recipe is based on a Christmas biscotti that our family has baked for years. When I was little we would have multiple days that were designated biscotti baking days for all of our friends and family. The process of baking biscotti involves two separate baking and drying times so it takes a while to make multiple batches. It definitely is a labor of love and everyone we have ever gifted it to has loved their biscotti!
The original recipe for the biscotti actually contains sugar cookie mix. No, it wasn’t natural but it was delicious! I thought long and hard about how I would bring that “sugar cookie” flavor into a recipe that has no sugar. What I finally decided was to add almond extract along with vanilla. The addition of a slight almond essence actually gives a very similar “sugar cookie” flavor.

12 Days of Healthy Holiday Recipes Posts

When I first started planning my 12 Days of Healthy Holiday Recipes series, I knew that I wanted to attempt to create a THM version of our old family favorite! Below is a list of delicious holiday recipes that are compatible with the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle. I feature them on my Instagram page where I have a short video so you can watch me make each recipe.

1. Salty and Sweet Holiday Fudge
2. Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer
3. Cranberry Orange Turkey Salad
4. Simple Old-Fashioned Eggnog
5. Snickerdoodle Cheesecake
6. Holiday Spice Iced Tea
7. Pumpkin Streusel Bars
8. Eggnog Scones
9. Gingerbread Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
10. Cinnamon Orange Sourdough Star Bread
11. Christmas Morning Quiche

How to bake Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti

Traditionally, biscotti undergoes a very specific process when being baked to give it that characteristic dry texture. The process may seem a little intimidating at first, however once you bake biscotti it won’t seem nearly as daunting the second go around. Below I have broken down the process step by step.

Mixing the Dough

• In a mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients except for the cranberries and pistachios.
• In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, egg, and extracts. Add natural food coloring now if desired.
• Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir together until all of the dry ingredients are combined and a dough has formed. Knead in the pistachios and cranberries with your hands.

Shaping and Slicing

• Form the dough into an oblong shape and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lay a second sheet of parchment paper on top and roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Remove the parchment paper and smooth the sides of the dough so it resembles a slightly rounded rectangle. (Refer to the picture below.)
• Slice the dough crosswise into 3/4-inch slices. Separate the slices by 1/4 inch to allow even baking.

Baking

• Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until the cookies are dry to the touch. Allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes to stiffen.
• Very gently turn the slices cut side down on the cookie sheet.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and flip them over to the other cut side and bake 20 minutes more. Allow the cookies to cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sweetener.

Note: These cookies, like most other low carb treats, taste best the day after being baked. This allows the flavors to meld together nicely and any “cooling effect” the erythritol has tends to lessen considerably.

What cranberries should I use?

In this recipe I call for unsweetened or stevia sweetened dried cranberries. You absolutely can use unsweetened dried cranberries if you like, however my family much prefers the tart cranberries to be balanced out with a little sweetness. I dehydrate my cranberries myself and sweeten them with THM Gentle Sweet or Super Sweet. Below are the steps for how I do this. This is a “dump and pour” kind of recipe, so I never use exact amounts. However, these are pretty forgiving and have always turned out well.

1. In a food processor I add about 3 cups of fresh or slightly thawed frozen cranberries and about 3 Tablespoons of THM Super Sweet or 6 Tablespoons of Gentle Sweet.
2. Next, I pulse the cranberries just until they are slightly chopped and coated in the sweetener.
3. Finally, I spread the berries out in a thin layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment and dehydrate them in my dehydrator for about 8-12 hours. I typically set the dehydrator between 140 and 150 degrees.

Trim Healthy Mama S

This is a Trim Healthy Mama S recipe which means it is low glycemic, full of healthy fats, and low in carbohydrates.

In this recipe I use the Trim Healthy Mama Brand Xylitol-Free Gentle Sweet Blend, Whole Husk Psyllium Flakes, and Baking Blend. I use their products on a daily basis and would highly recommend them. You can find those ingredients here.