Walnut & Cinnamon Biscotti
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These walnut and cinnamon biscotti are a perfect holiday treat—great for gifting, since they keep for up to a month, and wonderful with coffee, tea, or ice cream!
Many years ago, my Aunt Sharon gave me a lovely little cookbook that I’ve returned to time and again: Biscotti: Recipes from the Kitchen of the American Academy in Rome by Mona Talbott and Mirealla Misenti. It’s filled with delicious cookie recipes and charming stories that make you want to drop everything, fly to Rome, and bake in the Academy’s kitchen.
These biscotti were inspired by one of the book’s recipes, Cantucci di Noce e Cannella (Walnut and Cinnamon Cookies). They’re the perfect holiday treat, especially for gifting, as they keep for up to a month. Plus, they pair wonderfully with coffee, tea, or vanilla ice cream.
What You’ll Need To Make Walnut & Cinnamon Biscotti
- All-purpose flour: Forms the structure of the biscotti. To ensure accuracy, use the spoon-and-level method to measure.
- Cornmeal: Adds a slight crunch and unique texture to the biscotti.
- Baking powder: Helps the dough rise.
- Salt: Enhances flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Black pepper: Adds a subtle, unexpected warmth.
- Ground cinnamon: Infuses the biscotti with warm, holiday flavor.
- Unsalted butter: Creates a crisp-tender texture and rich flavor.
- Sugar: Sweetens the biscotti.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients and adds structure.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a warm, sweet aroma and rounds out the flavor.
- Walnuts: Add crunch and nutty flavor to every bite.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, pepper and cinnamon.
Whisk to combine.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture and walnuts.
Mix on low speed until just combined.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it in two. Directly on the lined baking sheet, form each portion into logs about 1½ inches wide and ¾-inch tall. Leave about 4 inches of space between the logs to allow the dough to spread.
Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Once cool, transfer the cookie 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 the lined baking sheet; return to the oven and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly golden on the underside. Remove the biscotti from the oven and flip over; cook 5 to 7 minutes more, until lightly golden all over.
Let cool on the baking sheet completely before serving. The biscotti will keep in an airtight container for up to a month; freeze for longer storage.
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Walnut & Cinnamon Biscotti
These walnut and cinnamon biscotti are a perfect holiday treat—great for gifting, since they keep for up to a month, and wonderful with coffee, tea, or ice cream!
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour, spooned into a measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (4 oz) walnuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, pepper and cinnamon.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture and walnuts and mix on low speed until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it in two. Directly on the lined baking sheet, form each portion into logs about 1½ inches wide and ¾-inch tall. (If the dough is sticky, dust your hands with flour.) Leave about 4 inches of space between the logs to allow the dough to spread. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Once cool, transfer the cookie 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 the lined baking sheet; return to the oven and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly golden on the underside. Remove the biscotti from the oven and flip over; cook 5 to 7 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: To freeze the dough: Shape 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 (32 servings)
- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 77
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Sugar: 4g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Cholesterol: 10mg
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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Best cookies !! Amazing recipe
Thank you so much for sharing it
I added a half teaspoon of green cardamom and used ceylon cinnamon. The spices married incredibly well!
I baked them a little too long, but for my first time baking biscotti, I am pretty happy with the results! Definitely looking forward to having these with my coffee in the morning!
Hi Jenn
I noticed all your biscotti recipes contain butter. Traditionally , I don’t think biscotti includes any fat but they are very dry hard. I might try your recipe except for the fact that it’s healthier without the butter. But I’m sure it’s way more tender and tasty
Thank you, Jenn! Delicious and so easy to make!!! I can’t wait to make the Vanilla ones!
If these are holiday cookies then every day should be a holiday. Awesome cinnamon flavor and since they have walnuts, my wife and I agreed that these qualify as a health food.
Followed your recipe to the letter and was rewarded by a great tasting, crunchy cookie.
You’re 2 for 2 as I made the double chocolate biscotti last week, which was also a home run. I’ll have to see what other biscotti recipes you have for this coming weekend.
Thank you for sharing these incredible recipes.
These are delicious! I made them for a friend who is gluten free and dairy free, so I substituted vegetable shortening for the butter and used Krusteaz GF flour. They turned out amazing! I can’t wait to make “regular” ones for the the next lunch. The addition of pepper added a nice little “something” to them. Thank you for the wonderful recipe:)
Fantastic recipe, thank you! The polenta gives such a delicious bite and the flavour is wonderful. A big hit! I’ll be making these again 😋
Hi! I am trying this recipe for the first time. I have added the cup of walnuts. Do you think it’s okay to also add white chocolate chips or will the dough not hold all of it together?
Hi Laura, adding chocolate chips should be fine. Please LMK how they turn out!