Biscotti
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Learn how to make classic biscotti with this simple, delicious recipe. I’ll teach you the traditional twice-baked technique for perfectly crisp, lightly sweet cookies that are tailor-made for dunking in your favorite warm beverage.
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. It’s everything you want biscotti to 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 & Almond Extract: Enhance the flavor of the biscotti. You can switch up the flavor by adding spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, use different extracts such as coconut, or add a teaspoon of citrus zest. For recipe variations, check out my walnut cinnamon biscotti and chocolate biscotti.
- 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
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, followed by the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the chopped almonds and dry ingredients to the batter and mix 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.
Want to add dried fruit? 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.
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Biscotti
Everything you want in biscotti—buttery, lightly sweet, irresistibly crunchy, and ready for dunking morning, noon, or night!
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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Outstanding! I’ve made other biscotti recipes with success but I love the texture and taste the cornmeal adds. I used sliced almonds (had on hand) and love how you can eat them either by dunking or not and not break a tooth! Funny story: I debated about using the Anise seeds because I too do not like the flavor of licorice but since I trust that you’ve perfected your recipes as is…I try my best to stay true to the recipe as written, especially the first time I’m making it. I assumed I would have no trouble tracking down Anise seed since I live among many international markets. I was wrong. I finally bought Star Anise and plucked out the seeds to equal what was needed. Then I looked at your picture of all the ingredients in the bowl ready to mix and realized that my seed looked nothing like yours. You should have seen me and my mom whacking each seed with the bottom of a measuring cup and hulling it to reach the inner bits…seeds shooting out from under the cups and flying all over the kitchen with us laughing hysterically!! Bottom line…it was totally worth it! I loved the bit of anise flavor and have ordered the Anise seed off Amazon for when I make them again!
Lol — that’s quite a visual! After all that, I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor of the anise seeds. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I’m a bit confused on recipe. So I should have 4 total logs, correct? 2 on each cookie sheet?
And I see the dimensions but about how long should they be?
Making these on Sunday, Dec. 18-I hope I hear back.
Hi Jacquie, Yes, you should have 2 logs on each cookie sheet. And I’m not sure how long the logs are, but if you shape them to be 2 inches wide and ¾ inch tall, then you can feel confident that they’re the right size. Hope that clarifies!
Hi Jenn,
Is it possible to make these Keto friendly?
Thanks 🙏
Hi Mily, I don’t know enough about keto requirements to give you guidance on it — I’m sorry!
This was my first try at making biscotti. This is a very tasty recipe! I was just a little unsure at the size (thickness) of my dough rolls before baking. I think I may have made them a bit thin. What should they measure before baking? Also, does it matter if I bake on convection or regular bake?
Glad you enjoyed it! The dimensions of the logs should be about 2-inches wide and 3/4-inch tall. And I always bake using the regular setting so I’d recommend that. 🙂
I’d love to make biscotti with pistachios and white chocolate. What changes do you recommend?
Hi Mary Ann, you can use both pistachios and white chocolate. Make sure that the pistachios are chopped a bit (if they are left whole, the biscotti will be difficult to slice). And it’s fine to add white chocolate chips to the biscotti as well. Alternatively, you could dip the biscotti in melted white chocolate. If you plan to do this, make sure that you get melting chocolate like this instead of chocolate morsels. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Hello Jen, Can I use avocado oil instead of butter? And how much ?
Hi Diana, Unfortunately, avocado oil won’t work here as you need something solid to cream with the sugar. You could use coconut oil if you’re trying to avoid butter.
I have made a lot of Biscotti and this recipe is hands down my new favorite. I love the addition of the cornmeal. The texture is perfect and the flavor is delicious. Thank you for sharing!
I have used this recipe quite often, it is always good. Can I make it without the nuts??
Yep 🙂
They were delicious
My first attempt at biscotti! I told my 7 year old grandson as we we’re making them, what could go wrong? His response-everything! Happy to report they turned out wonderful! Loved them.