Biscotti Recipe — These biscotti treats have just the right amount of sweet and are crunchy on the outside, firm yet soft enough to bite. Perfect as on-the-go snacks, coffee or tea dunking, and as giveaways.

When I’m at Costco or a coffee shop, I frequently buy biscotti. It is exactly the kind of snack that I am usually attracted to: sweet, crunchy, and perfect with coffee or tea.

Sometimes I buy the ones with all kinds of interesting seeds nuts or flavor to it. But my favorites are usually the simple ones that are crunchy but not too hard that your teeth would want to come off.

What is Biscotti?

Biscotti, as some of you may know, is an Italian word for “twice-cooked. They are the Italian version of biscuits (or more like cookies for me) that are oblong-shaped, dry, crunchy, and intended for tea or coffee dunking.

Fortunately, these biscottis are easy to make. I often had the notion that you needed a specialized gadget to make one of these. So not true. I started off making these snacks weekly so I could munch on them all week and I did. They are quite addictive too!

Recipe Ingredients

You won’t be needing any hard-to-find ingredients in this biscuit recipe. In fact, you may have all the ingredients sitting idly now in your pantry. For this recipe, you’ll need:

• butter (may replace with 2 small bananas)
• sugar
• eggs
• almond and vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour
• fine cornmeal (may replace with flour)
• salt
• grated orange
• baking powder
• mixed nuts

See what I’m talking about? With my biscotti obsession, I even discovered a less guilt-free version. Simply switch out the butter with bananas to help cut out some calories for those that are counting.

This does not mean, you have a “ carte blanche “ to indulge but it does give you the opportunity to have 2.. maybe 3… or 4 with less guilt.

The butter version offers a delicate crumbly texture with a buttery taste that would woe any café -goer-biscotti-seeker. While the banana version has a more pleasantly sweet taste, but not too overwhelming. Chewy, crunchy, and dunkable…just the way I like it!

Biscotti Variations

If this is your first time making biscotti, I would caution you towards the butter version before you graduate towards the banana version. If the dough is too sticky, just add a little bit of flour – biscotti dough is very forgiving.

You can also try different variations like Chocolate Chip Biscotti, Raisins-Nuts, Pistachio-Cranberry, and a whole lot more. 

You can grab the entire list of Biscotti flavors here. 

Is Biscotti Supposed to be Hard?

Yes! Since these babies are twice-baked, they should be hard and crunchy enough for dunking into your favorite hot drink!

How to Cut Biscotti Without Breaking Them?

Baking these cookies here twice is actually a matter of preference. If you want it crunchy, then put those biscotti back in the oven for another round of baking. Nevertheless, you may already enjoy these biscotti even after the first baking.

Now to cut them without breaking apart, simply allow them to cool down before slicing – about 10 minutes.

More Italian Recipes to Explore

Love more Italian treats? Check out my other recipes below.

• Tiramisu
• Chicken Calzones
• Easy Lasagna

How To Make Biscotti

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy about 2-3 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time until fully combined; beat in almond and vanilla extract.  Add flour, cornmeal, salt, grated orange. and baking powder to the butter mixture, stirring until well -blended. Finally, add nuts (if using any). Thoroughly mix. If the dough is sticky, add about 2 more tablespoons to the mixture to form a less sticky dough.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and flatten. Shape each portion into a 12 inch-long log with a 1-inch thickness. Place rolls about 4-5 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for about 25-30 minutes. Transfer the logs to a cutting board and let cool for 10 minutes. With a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into ½ inch slice. Arrange the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet. Lower the oven temperature to 300 F. Bake the biscotti about 10 minutes per side, turning once as you bake. Transfer biscotti to a wire rack. The biscotti will crisp as they cool.

Watch How To Make It

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This post was first published in October 2017 and has been updated with an additional writeup and a video.

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Biscotti

Banana Biscotti -- These biscotti treats have just the right amount of sweet and are crunchy on the outside, firm yet soft enough to bite. Perfect as on-the-go snacks, coffee or tea dunking, or as giveaways.

5 from 4 votes

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 50 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Italian

Servings 40 sticks

Ingredients

• ▢ 8 ounce (220grams) butter , (replace with 2 small bananas)
• ▢ 1 cup (200grams) sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon almond extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 ½ cups (300grams) all-purpose flour , (add more if dough too sticky)
• ▢ ½ cup (90 grams) fine cornmeal , (replace with flour)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoons grated orange , (optional)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¾ -1 cup (105-140grams) mixed nuts , almonds and pistachios

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy about 2-3 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time until fully combined; beat in almond and vanilla extract. 
• Add flour, cornmeal, salt, grated orange. and baking powder to the butter mixture, stirring until well -blended.
• Finally, add nuts (if using any). Thoroughly mix. If the dough is sticky, add about 2 more tablespoons to the mixture to form a less sticky dough.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and flatten. Shape each portion into a 12 inch-long log with a 1-inch thickness. Place rolls about 4-5 inches apart on a baking sheet.
• Bake at 350°F for about 25-30 minutes. Transfer the logs to a cutting board and let cool for 10 minutes.
• With a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into ½ inch slice. Arrange the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet. Lower the oven temperature to 300 F. Bake the biscotti about 10 minutes per side, turning once as you bake. Transfer biscotti to a wire rack. The biscotti will crisp as they cool.

Tips & Notes:

1. Banana version. Mash bananas with spoon or puree bananas in a food processor or blender. Then add eggs, vanilla, and almond. 
2. Allow all your ingredients to come to room temperature before starting the process. For eggs, you can place them in warm water for several seconds and pop the butter in the microwave for 10 seconds.
3. Do not over knead the dough. Mix and knead it lightly just until it comes together.
4. When forming the dough, dust your work surface first and your hands with flour for easy handling the dough.
5. You can make the dough ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for a day or two.
6. Allow the biscotti to cool down for 10 minutes after the first bake and don't leave them too long.
7. Always use a serrated knife to cut nice smooth clean slices. You may also spritz it lightly with lukewarm water so you can slice it easier.
8. After the second bake, allow the biscotti to cool down on a wire rack to crisp completely.
9. This is optional though, but if you want a glossier biscotti, brush them with a mixture of one egg yolk and a tablespoon of water or whisked milk before you bake them.
10. Store properly the biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature to keep its crispiness. For longer storage (which could last up to 2-3 months) place the airtight container in the freezer.
11. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

 

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 123kcal (6%)| Carbohydrates: 19g (6%)| Protein: 1g (2%)| Fat: 4g (6%)| Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)| Cholesterol: 20mg (7%)| Sodium: 58mg (3%)| Potassium: 39mg (1%)| Sugar: 6g (7%)| Vitamin A: 155IU (3%)| Calcium: 9mg (1%)| Iron: 0.8mg (4%)

Author: Imma

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Italian

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