This recipe turned me into a biscotti lover. Sweetened with brown sugar, flavored with toasted almonds, and dipped in chocolate puts this crunchy biscotti at the top of my coffee pairing list!
Recipe #7 for my Christmas Cookie Palooza is all about coffee’s cookie bestie.
Up until recently, I’ve turned my nose up on biscotti. Dry, boring, crumbly, crunchy, no. It’s the same way I felt about scones until I discovered just how tender, flaky, crumbly (in a good way!), and flavorful scones can be. Well, my friends, biscotti can be the same way. Maybe not “tender” but definitely enjoyable.
If you’ve got the right recipe, of course.
Biscotti is a traditional Italian cookie where the dough is formed into logs, baked, cooled slightly, and baked again in slices. I’ve learned that Italians use the word “biscotti” to refer to various types of cookies and Americans use the term to describe this particular long, crisp, twice-baked, sophisticated looking cookie. Biscotti’s crunchy texture and its flavor possibilities make it a coffee-pairing favorite.
If you do one thing this weekend, make this chocolate-dipped almond biscotti. Even if you don’t like biscotti, this recipe will change everything you know about it– really! Not all biscotti are created equal and there is no one perfect way to make it. My recipe uses several power ingredients to get the best possible texture. Think: crunchy without breaking your teeth. Crumbly without tasting sandy or dry. And when dipped into a steamy mug of coffee? Wow. It will just melt in your mouth. It’s a devilishly delicious Italian cookie. Let’s look into those power ingredients a little further.
Food Science // Nerd Alert
Traditionally, biscotti’s only wet ingredients are eggs. Many recipes these days call for butter and/or oil. The addition of these two fats makes biscotti a little more flavorful and rich, in my opinion. I use a little of both in my biscotti recipe. The butter is added the same exact way I add it to my crumbly-edged chocolate chip scones and my favorite flaky pie crust: very cold and cut into the dry ingredients. The very small amount of oil adds richness. It’s only 1 Tablespoon, but this Tablespoon does wonders. Really.
I use three eggs in my biscotti. The eggs have two jobs: structure and texture. They help the biscotti keep its shape and keep the biscotti from tasting too dry.
Flavors! I’m excited about all the flavors in this biscotti; they’re all important power ingredients, too. In addition to the butter, the toasted almonds give a ridiculous amount of flavor. Make sure you toast them; that’s where all the flavor comes from. I use all brown sugar to sweeten the biscotti. Brown sugar paired with toasty almonds = fragrant, tasty flavor explosions! Vanilla extract is another flavor you’ll add. Traditional biscotti often calls for anise extract, but I’m not a huge fan of its concentrated licorice flavor. I also don’t like pairing anise with chocolate.
Speaking of chocolate… DUNK!
I’m not going to lie, biscotti is a little time consuming. However, it’s not difficult. There is much more baking time than hands-on time. The dough is made in two bowls, there’s some light kneading with your hands, and then you shape the biscotti into slabs of dough.
Slabs…sounds tasty, right?
I would say that shaping the dough is the hardest part, but as long as you have a ruler and flour on your hands– you’re golden.
Don’t you worry, biscotti baker. I have plenty of step-by-step photos below this recipe. Use the photos as your guide. Remember, take your time and read through the written out recipe before you begin. Your coffee (and your platter of Christmas cookies!) will be happy about this toasty, brown sugared, chocolate dunked pairing. Happy weekend, merry christmas, let’s eat biscotti.
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Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This recipe turned me into a biscotti lover. Sweetened with brown sugar, flavored with toasted almonds, and dipped in chocolate puts this crunchy biscotti at the top of my coffee pairing list!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (175g) whole almonds
- 2 cups + 1 Tablespoon (258g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for your hands
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I prefer light here)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) canola or vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
- 8 ounces (226g) semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Read the recipe in full, as well as looking at the photos below this recipe, before beginning. Doing both will help get you started.
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Spread almonds on one sheet (keep the other one set aside) and toast for 15 minutes, stirring twice during that time. Remove toasted almonds from the oven and turn the oven up to 350°F (177°C). Rinse/wipe off the one baking sheet so you can use it again for the biscotti.
- Pulse the toasted almonds in a food processor or blender until very coarsely chopped. Set 1 cup of chopped toasted almonds aside. Pulse the remaining chopped toasted almonds until they are a little more fine. These will be what you sprinkle on top of the chocolate. Set them aside too.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Gently toss in the 1 cup of coarsely chopped almonds. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla together. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and gently mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until everything is just barely moistened.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and with floured hands, knead lightly until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, about 8-10 times. If it’s uncontrollably sticky, knead 1-2 more Tablespoon(s) of flour into the dough. With floured hands, divide the dough in two and place each half onto a baking sheet. Shape each half into an 8-9 inch long roll, patting down until each is about 1/2 inch thick. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top and sides of each biscotti slab with egg wash.
- Bake in batches (or together) for 25-26 minutes, or until the top and sides of the biscotti slabs are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Once the slabs are cool enough to handle, cut each into 1 inch thick slices. Set slices cut sides upright, ¼ inch apart, on the baking sheets. Return to the oven to continue baking for 9 minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake other side for 9 minutes. The cookies will be slightly soft in the centers with harder edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in chocolate. As the biscotti cools, it becomes crunchy. Save the baking sheets for the next step.
- Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl in the microwave (or use a double boiler). The key to melting chocolate in the microwave is to do it in small bursts and stir frequently. Chocolate seizes so fast, so easily. Melt in 15 second increments, stirring vigorously with a spoon after each increment, until completely melted and smooth. Dip one side of each biscotti cookie in the melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle with the remaining toasted almond crumbs. I do this over the sink to avoid a mess! Place the dipped biscotti back onto the baking sheets and allow chocolate to set in the refrigerator or at room temperature, about 30-45 minutes.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Store leftover biscotti in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Biscotti may be frozen up to 3 months, but I suggest freezing without the chocolate coating.
- Almonds: You can use salted or unsalted almonds, I prefer unsalted in this biscotti.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: dark chocolate almond biscotti, almond biscotti
First, let’s toast some unsalted almonds in a preheated 300F degree oven for 15 minutes, stirring twice during that time. Yep, you may use salted almonds instead but I prefer unsalted for this biscotti. Once toasted, pulse in a food processor until coarsely chopped up. Big chunks of toasted almonds in the biscotti is what you want. Anything powdery/flour-y will make your biscotti a little dry.
Like this:
Use 1 cup of the coarsely chopped toasted almonds in the biscotti cookie dough. Then, grind up the rest until they are more finely chopped. These will be the little sprinkle on top of the chocolate.
Next, make the biscotti dough. As described in the recipe above, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl then, using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Then toss in the toasted almonds. In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and gently mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until everything is just barely moistened.
On a floured surface, knead dough 8-10 times. Divide dough in half. Using floured hands (very floured hands!) pat 2 balls of dough down into slabs on your baking sheets, about 8-9 inch long. Pat down until each is about 1/2 inch thick. Brush the top and sides of each biscotti slab with egg wash.
You’re doing great so far. It’s so easy from here on out.
Per the written recipe above, bake in batches (or together) for 25-26 minutes, or until the top and sides of the biscotti slabs are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Once the slabs are cool enough to handle, cut each into 1 inch thick slices.
Set slices cut sides upright, 1/4 inch apart, on the baking sheets. Return to the oven to continue baking for 9 minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake other side for 9 minutes.
Remove biscotti from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in chocolate.
That’s it! You’re a biscotti pro.
This is the BEST biscotti recipe !
I have been making biscotti for years. Hands down, this is my go to recipe now.
★★★★★
Hi Sally. I was wondering if there is a way to turn these into chocolate almond biscotti (rather than dipping them). I know chocolate (cocoa powder) is a drying ingredient so I’m not sure how to adjust or how much to add. Your advice would be appreciated. We love chocolate but not super sweet things. Thanks!
Hi Shelly, you can use our recipe for mocha chip biscotti as the chocolate base (leaving out the instant coffee and swapping the chocolate chips for almonds). Let us know if you give it a try!
The biscotti are delicious, but the dough was really sticky, so I had to add flour. I chopped the almonds medium, instead of course. I also added 1 cup chopped chocolate chips. How much flour should I add to compensate for these adjustments. I omitted the chocolate dip this time. Thank you
★★★★★
I made these this week and like every Sally’s recipe – foolproof! I did swap out the cinnamon for Penzey’s Cake Spice. I added 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Next time I will do 1/2 teaspoon. As this is my first time making biscotti I under baked initially by 2 minutes and then did 8 minutes per side. I did not want them so crunchy that a tooth would break like some biscotti I have eaten. But these were perfect – so next time I will bake the full time listed. Delicious!
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I exclusively use this biscotti recipe and change up the add ins to change the flavors. I had a peanut butter biscotti at a local bakery and was wondering if you had any thoughts on how I could incorporate peanut butter into this dough without changing the texture (which is what makes this recipe perfect!)
Hi Julie! I’m so glad that you enjoy this biscotti recipe! Peanut butter is a drying ingredient, so it’s not super easy to add to cookie recipes without adjusting the ratios of wet to dry and the amounts used. I haven’t tested a peanut butter biscotti recipe, but if you do add some to the dough, I recommend slightly reducing the flour. Let me know if you test anything and thanks for giving me a new recipe idea!
Thank you for responding. I will give it a go and see what happens!
Hi there! I am in love with these, they go so well with black coffee, just like you said!! Any chance you provide nutritional and caloric information on your recipes?
Hi Chandre, we don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Delicious! I halved the brown sugar for the sake of a diabetic family member and they still turned out great! Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
I want to try making these with macadamia nuts, instead of almonds% should I still toast them?
Hi Kathy! You can use toasted or un-toasted macadamia nuts.
All hail, Sally! Your site has been my go-to baking site for a few years now. The Boston Cream Pie recipe was perfection. But this recipe is extraordinary, even by your high standards. Literally the best biscotti we have ever had.
Hi! I was wondering if I should still toast the almonds if my almonds are already roasted? I am afraid of having them taste too toasty! Let me know your thoughts. Thank you so much! Can’t wait to see how this turns out =)
Hi Stephanie, No need to re-toast them. Enjoy!
Thank you so much! Happy holidays!
This was my first time making biscotti and I’m sure glad I found this recipe. It was not too hard, just a little time consuming but that’s a part of the fun of baking. One thing is for my egg wash I misread the recipe and only used an egg white. It still turned out totally fine. This recipe is the best biscotti I’ve ever had. My mom is not a biscotti fan because it’s a harder texture. She loved this recipe because the texture was not too hard at all, just perfect. I can’t wait to give these to my friends and family for Christmas.
★★★★★
Hi there! I want to make these for my mom–I inadvertently purchased slivered almonds–will they still work? Also, do you suggest dipping in chocolate immediately, or can that be done later, like the next day (I’m avoiding going to the store if I can!)
Hi Rachel, Since you are pulsing the almonds in a food processor, that should still be fine! The sliced almonds will likely toast faster so keep your eye on them in the oven. The biscotti should be completely cool before dipping in the chocolate, so you are fine to make them before you get to the store to buy the chocolate!
Stephanie, thank you so much for your quick response! I sincerely appreciate it and can’t wait to make them!
How many biscotti does this recipe make about? Thank you
About 18!
Can I add orange zest? If so, how much would you recommend adding? Thx. Love your recipes!
Hi GT, Have you checked out our recipe for Dark Chocolate Orange Biscotti?
Super simple and delicious! I added a couple teaspoons almond extract along with the vanilla … perfect! Thank you for sharing so many delicious recipes!!
★★★★★
It was an absolute sticky mess to make, but the mixture smelt amazing (OK, and tasted amazing!!). But after going through all that mess to then find that it was cracked and crumbly when I sliced it, I was not happy! Not sure what I did wrong but would absolutely love this to have worked for me. I did follow the recipe exactly 🙁
★★★
Hi Fi, thank you so much for giving this biscotti recipe a try! The dough can be quite sticky, make sure to use plenty of flour on your hands and work surface. If the finished product was dry and crumbly, it could have been over-baked. An easy fix for next time!
This recipe is really good! Mine looks just like the picture on the recipe, and the taste is devine!
★★★★★
Hi, I noticed the other biscotti recipes have anywhere from 2 cups and 2 Tblsp. Flour to 2 and 1/4 c flour. This one has less than the others. Is that on purpose. I find when I make these I need to add significant more flour because the dough is unworkably sticky
Hi Julie, This is the best ratio of ingredients we have found to work for this recipe. We use 2 cups plus 1 TBS of flour and there is also a full cup of chopped almonds as another dry ingredient in the dough. If you decide to give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Thank you, that makes total sense. I realized after reading this that sometimes when I make these I don’t use a full cup of nuts (or chocolate chips) or whatever I mix in. That explains the extreme stickiness. I made these again today and used a full cup of chooser nuts and the dough was perfect.
★★★★★
Hi, I have made this recipe dozens of times and they always come out great. Everyone raves about them. For the first time I weighed the dry ingredients instead of measuring and the dough was really, really sticky. I needed to add a lot more flour. Are the grams in the recipe correct? They are still baking but I can tell the texture is not what it usually is. Any thoughts on why I needed so much more flour?
Hi Julie, We are happy this recipe has been such a hit! How did they turn out after you baked them this last time? Slightly different measurements for ingredients, different brands of ingredients, or even the humidity in the air, can all affect the dough. If it’s super sticky it’s ok to add a bit more flour until its the texture you are used to!
They came out ok..Tasted good but I thought they were denser than they normally are. Not sure how to describe the texture. More compact maybe?
Made these today. The stickiest dough ever. It was very hard to work with. That said, they turned out amazing! So delicious.
Hi, can you freeze/refrigerate the dough in its slab form to bake later? How long will would it be safe to keep frozen/refrigerated before baking?
Hi Gwen, I can’t see why not. I would freeze up to 3 months, thaw in the refrigerator then bake. Or you can refrigerate it up to 3 days.
Wow, I just made pathetic almond version. I accidentally put in one tablespoon of vanilla. No egg taste. They are delicious.
This sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it. What could I use in place of butter? I would like to make a dairy-free version. Thank you!
Hi Layle, we haven’t tested any replacements for butter in this recipe. You could try a plant-based butter, but we’re unsure of what the results would be. Let us know if you give anything a try!
This ahs been my go to Biscotti recipe for a couple of years, can I had a 1/2 a cup of coco to make them chocolate?
Hi Terry! The ingredients are a little different when making chocolate biscotti. Sally has a recipe in her cookbook, Sally’s Cookie Addiction, if you have a copy. She uses baking soda as well as a little more butter, plus the cocoa powder addition.
Do you think I could use blanched sliced almonds instead of whole almonds? i dont have a food processor haha
Hi Amanda, that should be fine — you may want to still roughly chop them a bit before using in the dough and sprinkling on top. Let us know how it goes!
OMG! THE. BEST. BISCOTTI. RECIPE! I’ve been stingy with butter or oil in the past, but the addition of these makes all the difference. The only downside which is with all biscotti recipes is that the egg flavor is pronounced, but I can live with that since the texture is perfecr.
★★★★★
These turned out heavy. Any suggestion on what would cause them to be dense?
★★★
Wow! Recipe was easy to follow and my child (my biggest critic…she’s lucky she’s so darn cute!) said these were the best thing I’ve ever baked. Was a little worried as my dough was quite sticky. I added flour until it was as described in recipe. Can’t wait to try the other flavors. Tonight I try and tackle your blueberry scones with lemon icing.
★★★★★
I made these yesterday and they are fabulous!!!! Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Can’t wait to try this tonight! Quick question: if I choose to bake in batches, does the second one just sit on the counter at room temperature for the entire time the first batch bakes, cools, then rebakes once cut up?
Correct– just let it sit on the counter until the oven is ready. (But you can refrigerate if desired instead– cold dough always holds its shape a bit better.)
Heyy. I wanted to make these for my vegetarian folks at home. Is there a way to replace the eggs?
Hi Kunal, we haven’t tried an egg-free version of this recipe, but let us know if you give anything a try.
Sally I love all your biscotti recipes! I love the texture of your biscotti’s. I am trying to make Anise biscotti so I was going to follow your Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti. I was going to leave out the 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and chocolate. I was going to add 1 tablespoons of anise extract and 2 tablespoons of anise seeds. Do you that will work?
Hi Dina, we haven’t tried this but please let us know how they turn out if you do!