Introduction
Want a chocolate and pistachio biscotti recipe with a proper crunch? These twice-baked biscuits have chopped pistachios, chocolate chips and a crisp bite that’s made for dunking. The dough is made without eggs or dairy, and you can finish the cooled biscuits with more chocolate if you fancy it.
We’re big fans of a treat that brings both snap and flavour. At LoveRaw®, we’d happily pair these with coffee, pile them onto a sharing plate or tuck a few into a gift box. Once you’ve got the basic bake down, try the white chocolate and cranberry variation, too.
Chocolate And Pistachio Biscotti Recipe
This dough makes chocolate chip pistachio biscotti with a golden biscuit base. The pistachios add crunch throughout, while the chocolate softens slightly when you dunk a biscuit into a hot drink.
Serves: 10, making approximately 20 biscotti
Prep time: 25 minutes, plus cooling
Difficulty: Easy
Bake time: Approximately 45 to 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 260g plain flour, plus a little extra for shaping
- 140g caster sugar
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 90ml water
- 60ml neutral-flavoured oil
- 2 tbsp unsweetened plant-based milk, plus a little extra if needed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 90g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
- 80g dairy-free dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C conventional or 160°C fan. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Stir the ground flaxseed and water together in a small bowl. Leave for 10 minutes to thicken.
- Mix the flour, caster sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Stir the oil, plant-based milk and vanilla into the flaxseed mixture. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until a thick dough forms.
- Fold in the pistachios and chocolate chips. If the dough won’t come together, add plant-based milk a teaspoon at a time. It should be firm enough to shape, not runny.
- Divide the dough in two. With lightly floured hands, shape each half into a flattened log about 25cm long and 5cm wide. Leave space between them on the tray.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the logs are lightly golden and firm on top. Leave them on the tray until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes.
- Reduce the oven to 160°C conventional or 140°C fan. Transfer the logs to a board and use a serrated knife to cut them into slices about 1.5cm thick.
- Lay the slices cut-side down on the tray. Bake for 10 minutes, turn them over, then bake for another 8 to 12 minutes until dry at the edges.
- Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. They’ll firm up as they cool.
The dough differs from Sunday Baker’s pistachio and chocolate chip biscotti, which uses eggs, but the two-bake approach is the same. The first bake sets the logs; the second dries the slices for that signature crunch.
How To Get A Crisp Biscotti
Shape the logs rather than a loaf
Keep the logs fairly low and even. Tall, round logs take longer to bake through and can make oversized slices that are awkward to dry evenly.
The dough should hold its shape on the tray. If it sticks to your hands, dust them lightly with flour rather than working lots more flour into the mixture.
Let the first bake cool before slicing
A warm log can crumble if you cut it straight from the oven. Give it time to firm up, then use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion. A little crumbling around the pistachios is fine.
Cut the slices to a similar thickness so they bake at a similar speed. Slightly diagonal cuts give you longer biscotti, while straight cuts make shorter ones.
Adjust the second bake to your crunch preference
For a gentler bite, check the slices towards the shorter end of the second bake. For a drier, crunchier biscuit, leave them in a little longer, watching the edges so they don’t become too dark.
Cool one slice if you’re unsure about the texture. It’s easier to judge the crunch once it’s no longer warm.
Tip: If a cooled batch is softer than you’d like, return the slices to a low oven briefly, then let them cool again.
Pistachio And White Chocolate Biscotti
For a sweeter twist, swap the dark chocolate chips for dairy-free white chocolate chips. Check the label when choosing your chocolate, as white chocolate isn’t always made without dairy.
You can also dip plain pistachio biscotti after baking. Leave out the chocolate chips from the main dough, then melt about 100g dairy-free white chocolate. Dip one end of each completely cooled biscuit and place it on baking paper until the coating sets.
A small sprinkle of finely chopped pistachios looks especially good on the white chocolate. Add it while the coating is still wet so it sticks.
Cranberry, pistachio and white chocolate variation
For a tart contrast to the sweet coating, use 70g chopped pistachios and 70g dried cranberries in the main dough instead of the 90g pistachios and 80g dark chocolate chips. Bake and cool as directed, then dip in dairy-free white chocolate.
Chop any particularly large cranberries before adding them. Smaller pieces make the logs easier to slice and help distribute the fruit through the biscuits.
For a different finish, serve the biscotti alongside pieces of our White Choc Cre&m® Wafer Bar. Its wafer layers add another kind of crunch to the plate.
Choosing Your Chocolate And Pistachios
Chocolate chips are handy when you want small, evenly spaced pockets of chocolate. Chopped chocolate gives you a mix of little flecks and larger pieces. Either works, provided the pieces aren’t so big that they make slicing difficult.
For a deeper chocolate flavour, choose dark chocolate. White chocolate brings more sweetness, which is why we like pairing it with cranberries. If you’re making the recipe without dairy, check the chocolate and any decorative toppings you use.
Use shelled pistachios and give them a rough chop. Unsalted nuts let you control the salt in the dough; if yours are salted, you may want to leave out the added salt.
Pistachios and wheat are part of this recipe, so it isn’t suitable for someone avoiding those ingredients. Check the packaging of your chosen ingredients for full allergy information.
Serving, Storing And Gifting Biscotti
Serve the biscotti with coffee or a mug of hot chocolate. They’re also good beside a scoop of dairy-free ice cream, where the crisp biscuit gives you a contrast to the soft dessert.
For an extra chocolate hit, spread a little Hazelnut Cacao Spread "Choco Love" on a cooled biscuit just before serving. Prefer pistachio? Try Pistachio Spread "Pistachio Bliss" instead.
Let the biscotti cool completely before putting them in an airtight container. Store them at room temperature and enjoy them within a week. If you’ve dipped them in chocolate, let the coating set fully first and layer them between sheets of baking paper.
For gifting, pack the cooled biscuits in a box or bag that closes well. Keep chocolate-coated biscuits away from warmth, and let your recipient know that they contain pistachios and wheat.
More Chocolate And Pistachio Treats
Still have pistachios and chocolate left? These smaller ideas put the same flavour pairing to work without another batch of biscotti.
Chocolate-Dipped Pistachio Dates
Split 6 pitted dates lengthways, keeping one side attached. Spoon a little Pistachio Spread "Pistachio Bliss" into each, then press the dates gently closed.
Dip one side of each date into about 60g melted dairy-free dark chocolate. Scatter over chopped pistachios and leave on baking paper until the chocolate sets.
Chocolate And Pistachio Banana Bread
Mash 2 ripe bananas and mix with 80g caster sugar, 50ml neutral oil and 60ml plant-based milk. Fold in 180g plain flour, 1½ tsp baking powder, 60g chopped pistachios and 60g dairy-free chocolate chips.
Spoon into a lined loaf tin and bake at 180°C conventional or 160°C fan for approximately 45 to 55 minutes. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out without wet batter. Cool in the tin briefly, then transfer to a rack.
No-Bake Chocolate And Pistachio Tart
Mix 160g crushed dairy-free biscuits with 60g melted dairy-free baking spread. Press into the base and sides of a small tart tin, then chill while you make the filling.
Warm 100ml plant-based whipping cream until steaming, then pour it over 150g chopped dairy-free dark chocolate. Leave briefly, stir until smooth and pour into the base. Chill until set, then finish with chopped pistachios.
Pistachio Chocolate Truffles
Warm 80ml plant-based whipping cream until steaming and pour it over 150g chopped dairy-free dark chocolate. Leave briefly, then stir until smooth.
Chill until firm enough to scoop, roll into small balls and coat in finely chopped pistachios. Keep the truffles chilled until serving.
Chocolate And Pistachio Cheesecake
Mix 200g crushed dairy-free biscuits with 75g melted dairy-free baking spread. Press into the base of a small lined cake tin and chill.
Beat 300g plant-based soft cheese with 50g pistachio spread, then stir in 150g melted dairy-free dark chocolate that has cooled slightly. Spoon over the base and chill until set. Plant-based soft cheeses vary in texture, so expect a softer filling with some varieties.
Quick Chocolate And Pistachio Sauce
Warm 100ml plant-based milk in a small pan, then take it off the heat. Stir in 75g chopped dairy-free dark chocolate until smooth, followed by a spoonful of pistachio spread.
Add a splash more plant-based milk if you want a thinner sauce. Spoon it over pancakes or ice cream, or serve a little on the side for dipping biscotti.
Conclusion
Chocolate and pistachio biscotti are worth the second bake. Give the logs time to cool before slicing, then let the oven do the work of turning those slices crisp.
- Use chocolate chips for a classic bake or white chocolate for a sweeter finish.
- Add cranberries when you want a tart contrast.
- Cool the biscuits fully before dipping or packing them.
Key Takeaway: The second bake is your chance to choose how much crunch you want.
For another way to bring pistachio flavour to the table, try our Pistachio Spread "Pistachio Bliss".
FAQ
Can I make pistachio biscotti without eggs?
Yes. This recipe uses ground flaxseed mixed with water to help bring the dough together. Leave the mixture to thicken before adding it to the dry ingredients.
Why did my biscotti crumble when I sliced them?
The logs may have been too warm, or the knife may have pressed through large pieces of pistachio or chocolate. Let the logs cool until comfortable to handle, then use a serrated knife with a gentle sawing motion.
Can I use white chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate?
Yes. Swap them in for the dark chocolate chips in the same quantity. Choose a dairy-free white chocolate if you want to keep the recipe made without dairy.
Can I make biscotti ahead for a gift?
Yes. Bake them ahead, let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container. If you’ve dipped them in chocolate, wait until the coating sets before packing.
