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Biscotti are a great holiday cookie because they have a long shelf life, can have a variety of flavors, and truly, I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t enjoy a good biscotti! Biscotti, plural for “biscotto” in Italian, are a type of Italian twice-baked cookies that are known for their crisp and crunchy texture. The traditional method of making biscotti involves shaping the dough into logs, baking them until they are firm, slicing them into individual cookies, and then baking them again to achieve a dry and crisp texture. The double baking is what gives biscotti their characteristic crunchiness. Biscotti are often served with coffee, tea, or dessert wines. Their dry texture makes them ideal for dunking into hot beverages, softening slightly without falling apart!
This almond biscotti recipe is super simple but biscotti can come in a variety of flavors and can include ingredients like almonds, hazelnuts, anise seeds, and dried fruits. They can be flavored with vanilla, almond extract, citrus zest, chocolate or other spices! This almond biscotti recipe has vanilla, almond and anise in it, but if you don’t have anise extract you can also use 1/4 tsp ground anise.
Here are some quick tips on baking biscotti:
- Cooling: Allow biscotti to cool completely on a wire rack before storing. This helps ensure that they don’t fall apart when you slice them and helps them become fully crunchy.
- Storage: Store biscotti in an airtight container to maintain their texture. They can last for several weeks which makes them perfect for mailing to friends and family.
- Dipping: Optionally, dip one end or the bottom of the biscotti in melted chocolate for added flavor. I like to use Ghirardelli Melting wafers for this.
- Temperature: Pay attention to oven temperatures. Biscotti may become too hard if overbaked.
- Experiment: Biscotti are versatile; feel free to experiment with flavors, nuts, and add-ins to create unique variations. Some of my favorites include:
- Orange and Chocolate Biscotti
- Pistachio and White chocolate
- Cardamom, dried cherries and dark chocolate
- Cinnamon, dried apricot and white chocolate
- Hazelnut and dark chocolate
Remember that perfecting biscotti may take a bit of practice, so don’t be discouraged if your first batch isn’t flawless. Enjoy the process, and soon you’ll be baking delicious biscotti like a pro!
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Almond Biscotti
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Makes 12 biscotti
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (90 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg (or 3 tbsp heavy cream whisked with 1/2 tsp cornstarch)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 tsp anise extract (optional)
- 3/4 cups whole almonds
- melting chocolate for dipping
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- Add butter and sugar in a separate mixing bowl and mix on high speed for 2 minutes. Add egg, vanilla, almond, and anise extract and mix for another minute. Fold in the dry ingredients and once half the flour has been incorporated, add the almonds and mix well.
- Spoon the dough onto a prepared baking sheet pan and use damp hands to shape the dough into a 7×3 inch rectangle. Bake the dough for 30-35 minutes. Remove the biscotti slab and let it cool completely for about an hour before cutting.
- Cut logs diagonally into 1/2-inch thick cookies with a sharp knife. Place the cookies flat on their sides on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the cookies and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack until completely cool.
- You can dip the biscotti into melted dark chocolate to make them even sweeter!
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Italian
