Biscotti
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These are everything you want biscotti to be—buttery, lightly sweet, crunchy, and perfect for dunking any time of day!
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Inspired by the biscotti recipe from the renowned Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, these almond-studded Italian cookies are made by shaping a fragrant dough into loaves, partially baking it, slicing it, and then baking it again. The result is everything biscotti should be: buttery, lightly sweet, and crunchy without being tooth-shattering. Perfect with morning coffee, dessert wine, or afternoon tea, this biscotti recipe also pairs beautifully with sweets like vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, or hot fudge sundaes.
What You’ll Need To Make Biscotti
- All Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the biscotti. Measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Cornmeal: Adds a slight crunch and unique flavor.
- Baking Powder: Leavens the dough, giving it a light texture.
- Anise Seeds: Imparts a subtle licorice flavor that complements the almonds nicely. You can omit the anise seeds if you like, but I think it brings the cookies to life (and I’m not a fan of licorice!).
- Butter: Adds richness and moisture.
- Sugar: Sweetens the biscotti.
- Large Eggs: Binds the ingredients and adds richness.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the biscotti with its aromatic richness.
- Almond Extract: Intensifies the almond flavor of the dough.
- Slivered Almonds: The most common nut used in biscotti, almonds add crunch and flavor. Other nuts can also be used, such as hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios, and pecans.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Set the oven temperature to 350°F and place the oven racks in the upper and middle thirds of the oven. Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, anise seeds and salt in a medium or large bowl.
Whisk until well combined and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition, followed by the vanilla.
Add the chopped almonds and dry ingredients to the batter.
Mix on low speed until just combined.
Dust your hands with flour and form the dough into two even disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Divide each disk in half, and form the dough into logs about 2 inches wide and ¾-inch tall on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the dough is firm and golden around the edges.
Let the logs cool for about 15 minutes, then use a serrated knife to slice them diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces.
Place the biscotti cut side down back on the lined baking sheet and cook for 10 to 14 minutes more, flipping once in between. Cool biscotti completely on the baking sheet before serving. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month; freeze for longer storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, dried fruit can add a nice twist to your biscotti. You can add about 1 cup of dried cranberries, raisins, dried cherries along with the slivered almonds. If using dried fruit, consider also adding a teaspoon of lemon zest or orange zest to highlight the fruit flavor.
Absolutely! You can enhance the flavor of this biscotti recipe by adding spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, or even using different extracts such as coconut. Just be mindful of the quantities so the flavors don’t overwhelm the base. For recipe variations, be sure to check out my walnut cinnamon biscotti and chocolate biscotti.
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Almond Biscotti
These are everything you want biscotti to be—buttery, lightly sweet, crunchy, and perfect for dunking any time of day!
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with knife
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds, crushed with the back of a spoon into a powder
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1⅓ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1¾ cups slivered almonds, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set the oven racks in the upper and middle thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and crushed anise seeds.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as necessary. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the flour mixture and almonds and mix on low speed until just combined. Dust your hands lightly with flour and divide the dough into evenly into two disks; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide each disk into two equal pieces. Dust your hands with flour and form each portion into logs about 2-inches wide and ¾-inch tall directly on the lined baking sheets (if the dough is sticky, dust your hands with more flour as necessary). Leave about 4 inches of space between the logs to allow the dough to spread. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until the loaves are firm to the touch and golden around the bottom edges. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
- Once cool, transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife and a sawing motion, cut the logs diagonally into generous ½-inch slices. (They will look a little undercooked in the middle.) Arrange the cookies, cut side down, back on one of the lined baking sheets. It will be a tight squeeze; it's not necessary to leave any space between the cookies. Return to the oven on the middle rack and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly golden on the underside. Remove the pan from the oven, carefully flip the biscotti over and cook for 5 minutes more, until lightly golden all over. Let cool on the baking sheet completely before serving. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a month.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months: Shape the dough into logs, wrap each securely in plastic wrap, and place them in a sealable bag. When ready to bake, remove the logs from the freezer, thaw the dough until pliable, and then proceed with recipe. To freeze after baking: After the cookies are completely cooled, double-wrap them securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (48 servings)
- Serving size: 1 biscotti
- Calories: 93
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Sugar: 6g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Cholesterol: 14mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Jen, your recipe indicates that you have UPDATED it in November 2024. Could you please explain what changes you made? I made these biscotti last year and they were delicious so I hope there hasn’t been a drastic change.
Thanks!
Hi Di, I didn’t make any changes to the recipe itself; I just made a few changes to the format. Enjoy the biscotti!
Hi, Jen. I just spent the last 1/2 hour looking up recipes for a cherry & pistachio biscotti. Then I thought, “Jen’s recipes never fail me”. So…if I use your recipe for biscotti, what amount of pistachios and dried cherries would you suggest? And should I use vanilla instead of almond extract?
Hi Janice, I’d use one cup pistachios and one cup dried cherries. And the extract is up to you; I think either or vanilla would work well. Hope you enjoy!
I make this biscotti every year at Christmas time. I usually follow it exactly but this time I added about a third of a cup of crystalized ginger. Instead of shaping the dough into a disc, I spoon it out onto a piece of plastic wrap and roll it into a log just like when you make slice and bake cookies. I refrigerate it for the 15 minutes and then unwrap it right onto the parchment paper lined cookie sheet. No fuss, no sticky hands.
I was looking for a recipe that tastes like La Dolce Vita biscotti from Costco and this one is spot on! The only thing I changed was that I used whole almonds that I lightly toasted in a non-stick skillet before chopping them.
I’m baking a lot of sourdough and am wondering how I could incorporate starter or discard and still get a good result?
Gabriella, so glad you liked them and they were a good match with the ones you like from Costco! I honestly don’t know how you could incorporate sourdough starter here — I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Hey Jen, I just purchased your Weekday/Weekend cookbook, and am thinking of trying your Coconut Biscotti recipe. My absolute favourite recipe of yours is your Almond Biscotti recipe; I love the taste and texture. I’m wondering how the Coconut ones compare to the Almond ones….similar texture? I know that coconut oil bakes up differently than butter. Thoughts?
Hi Ella, thanks for your support of the cookbook! Glad you like the almond biscotti. The coconut biscotti are just a bit lighter in texture. Hope you enjoy if you try them!