Preheat oven to 350⁰ F. Grease or spray an 8-inch baking pan. Set aside
Put dried cranberries for brownies in a bowl and pour 1 cup boiling water over them. Let them sit for about 15 minutes to plump up and then squeeze excess liquid from cranberries. Set aside.
Melt bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder, and butter medium-sized pot over low heat on the stovetop and stir until well blended. Remove from heat. Add salt and sugar and stir until both are dissolved into the chocolate-butter mixture. Add two eggs, one at a top, mixing thoroughly after each. Stir in flour and vanilla and mix well. Fold in chopped pistachios, white chocolate chips, and cranberries.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake in a 350-degree oven for 18 minutes. (If you use a glass baking pan, reduce heat to 325⁰ and bake slightly longer.) Test with a cake tester and if brownies still seem too wet, bake for one minute longer. If they seem just right, turn off the oven and leave them in the oven for another minute. The brownies should be just slightly wet in the center when they are done baking.
Remove from oven and cool completely on rack.
Once completely cooled, spread frosting (recipe below) over the entire pan of brownies. Sprinkle dried cranberries and finely chopped pistachios evenly over frosting.
