Although these cantuccini require a bit of work, they are easy to put together and are well worth the effort. Traditional cantuccini are made with almonds, but these are made with dried cranberries, pistachios and a hint of anise.
This recipe is adapted from an old Bon Appétit recipe. If you would like more anise flavor, feel free to add a few drops of anise extract to the dough.
If you are looking for a quick, one-bowl cookie recipe I highly recommend making Leila Lindolm’s hazelnut balls.
Cranberry-Pistachio Cantuccini
- 280 g flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 90 g butter, at room temperature
- 130 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp aniseed
- 150 g dried cranberries
- 80 g shelled, salted pistachios
Preheat oven to 160°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. In an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, aniseed and anise extract (if using). Beat in flour mixture until combined, then add cranberries and pistachios. Divide dough into two balls and form each ball into a log and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake logs until almost firm but still pale, about 28 minutes. Cool logs on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transform the logs on the parchment paper to a cutting board and using a serrated bread knife carefully cut into thick 1 cm pieces. Place slices, cut side down on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 9 min. Remove the baking sheet, flip the cookies to the other side and bake for 9 minutes more. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.
Yummm! But what’s the difference between cantuccini and biscotti? They look the same.
Biscotti are cookies in general and cantuccini are the type of cookie shown here.