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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These just finished cooling off. First bite could not taste the cinnamon at all. I’m going to try again in a few days and up the cinnamon and add ground cloves in hopes of replicating my Grandmothers Greek Paximathia. Still a five star recipe. We’ll enjoy them with our morning coffee.
Hi Jenn,
Question about the cornmeal. In the recipe you had finely ground cornmeal but you show a picture of regular. Does it matter which one? Indian head brand doesn’t specify but there is a fine ground one in a different brand. Which one should I use? Thanks and love all your recipes no one else compares IMO!
Hi Abbie, So glad you like the recipes! I’m sorry about any confusion regarding this one. Any cornmeal will work here. I just removed the word “fine” from the ingredient list in the recipe. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy the biscotti!
With the cinnamon and walnuts these sound close to the Greek version my Grandmother would make. They are terrific with your morning coffee.
Hi Jenn, I hope you don’t mind my asking here about your coconut biscotti recipe from your OUAC Weeknight/Weekend cookbook. I have a couple bags of sweetened, flaked coconut but no unsweetened coconut as is called for in the recipe. Is there any way I can use the sweetened coconut instead?
We LOVE your new cookbook!
Hi Mary, I don’t mind it at all! Unfortunately, I don’t think sweetened coconut will work here as I’m concerned that it would burn. Sorry! (And so glad you like the new cookbook!!)
Thank you, Jenn. These are insane! I was intrigued by the black pepper, so I made these…and they are unbelievable. I baked them again and gave them out to friends and only told them there was a secret ingredient but not what it was… They all LOVED it. So far every recipe I’ve tried from you has been a real winner (the doughnut muffins are another win!). Keep ’em coming!
Did you add black pepper too? How was it
Hello Jenn – any chance of adding the metric measurements please – thank you, Claire.
I just added them! 🙂
Another amazing recipe as always! I just baked these this morning and I am enjoying one now with a French Vanilla Nespresso. I feel like I am in Italy again 🙂 Rather than splitting the dough into two logs, I baked one log to get large bakery sized Biscottis. I love the cinnamon and walnut combination. Thank you for sharing, and I am going to get another biscotti now ~.~
Love the cinnamon walnut biscotti so much I bought your cookbook. Such an easy recipe. Going to try your Peruvian chicken this weekend! Thank you for such easy, delicious recipes for busy people!
And thanks to you for your support of the cookbook! 🙂
I tried this yesterday and it turned out really good! My son doesn’t like nuts though. Do you think I could substitute the nuts with dried cranberries? Or would that make it too sweet? Thanks for your recipes! They never fail me and my family. ❤️
Glad you liked them! I think you could get away with dried cranberries here. Please LMK how they turn out this way. 🙂
I’ve made these without nuts and didn’t replace them with anything. Still fantastically delicious!
I wasn’t sure about trying this recipe but I really wanted cinnamon and walnut. I considered adapting one of my favorite recipes but I’m so glad I made this. This is MY NEW FAVORITE! It turned out so good I’m hiding them and not sharing. I just cooked them a little longer for extra crispy..