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.
PrintChocolate-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 (spooned & 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 (4 Tbsp; 56g) 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 silicone 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.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Food Processor | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Pastry Brush | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler (optional for melting chocolate)
- 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 silicone 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.
Good however I would have preferred them a bit more crunchy, they were a bit chewy on the inside.
★★★★
Can I use almond flour?
Hi Karyn, I haven’t tested this recipe with almond flour. Let me know if you do and how it goes!
I made these over the weekend! They were SO good! Very fun to make and the recipe was so easy to follow! I think they taste even better on day 2. Yum!
★★★★★
I’ve been on a biscotti kick now that I’m home everyday and baking up a storm. I’ve convinced myself that biscotti is a less fattening treat. Whatever works! I’ve tried other recipes, but this is the best one yet. I made these this morning and hope I’m able to save some for my family when they arrive home from their essential jobs. Your recipes are great Sally. Everything I’ve made from your website has been a success. Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Sally!
I made these today, they are not like any biscotti I ever had!
Ny neice, who lives with me, turned her nose up when I said I was going to make these. She always hated biscotti for the same reason you did like them! Wellll, when she came home from work I said to her, just try one. She said; one bite!
Needless to say, she had biscotti for dinner!!!
I want to send you a picture but haven’t figured out exactly how yet.
Thanks again for your wonderful directions and pictures.
★★★★★
Hi Sally, Made these last night and turned out delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
★★★★★
So far, all of your recipes have been a huge hit! Thanks for such thorough instructions. I’ve probably made about 15 different recipes off of your site and everyone is always impressed by how great everything tastes and looks!
★★★★★
Perfect biscotti recipe And wonderful directions! I can’t tell you how many recipes I’ve went through. The only problem I had was I forgot to put the chocolate chips in! LOL so I’m just making more and will still eat all the other ones! Thank you so much Sally I will use all your recipes you’re right on
Wow, really great recipe. I forget that the kids are gone, so when I bake it’s just the hubby and I indulging. Gosh what a bummer! 😉 It also made me really curious how chocolatiers work chocolate when they’re making big batches chocolate based. I think I need to take a class!
Btw, the cinnamon was such a great note for the biscotti. Have you ever tried this recipe with Cayenne pepper? I’m not crazy about the combo, but living in San Francisco, I know that combo is really popular!
★★★★★
Hi Sally! Thanks for the recipe, I made these during the holidays last year and they were a HUGE hit. I am planning on whipping up a couple batches, but have some gluten free friends I would like to accomodate – do you think I could just substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free alternative?
I’m so glad they were a hit, Brooke! I have not tried this recipe with a gluten-free alternative, but you can certainly try – if you do, please let me know how they turn out!
I am allergic to almonds can I use walnuts pecans or hazel nuts
Absolutely! Same amount.
What can I do if I want the biscotti a softer biscotti that will hold together?
Hi Deborah! Biscotti is a twice baked cookie, so it’s very crunchy. Only baking once will yield a softer cookie but I don’t think they will hold very nicely.
Thanks do the recipe. My first try at biscotti and they completely exceeded expectation of what a biscotti can aspire to. a nice crunch but a bit chewy on the inside. The almonds went perfectly with the chocolate (I want to try some mint from my garden infused into the chocolate next time). I got nothing but WOW’s from my wife and son. Eating one now with my Christmas morning coffee
Can I sub out the almonds for chocolate chips to make a chocolate chip biscotti? 😀
Absolutely! Same amount.
Haven’t made biscotti in a few years, so I was a bit apprehensive in making these, but your directions and photos helped so much. They came out great and delicious! I bought some over to a friend who thought I bought them in a bakery! Thanks for helping me with this delicious recipe.
This recipe is genius, Sally! I was thrilled because I’ve tried making biscotti earlier and was so disappointed. This time it turned out so great! I used hazelnuts and dipped the biscotti in Nutella too, totally nuts 🙂
Do these (and other biscotti recipes on your page) spread? If so, how much? I am looking at making these as a present to be filled in a cookie jar which ain’t very tall. Thanks.
They don’t spread much at all.
I made these for my dad’s birthday on Saturday and he LOVED them! Wants me to make them again and again and again…and so on. haha:) They are the best and the first biscottis I’ve ever made!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, for the great recipe!! I bake a lot of cookies, and I have never been able to bake a decent biscotti. They always come out crumbly and bland no matter what recipe I use.They usually crumble when I cut them, theses cut beautifully. I think the reason is the oil. Cake decorators like recipes that use butter instead of butter because they stay soft even after they have been refrigerated. I was afraid to use the cinnomon but I did and do not regret it. I did make a few changes nothing crazy, I add a teaspoon of almond extract and divided the dough into four 8 inch long logs and pressed them down to about 1.5 inches. I adjusted the baking times down to compensate for the smaller size. I watched them like a hawk during both bakings to be careful not to over bake. This made 36 2-2.5 inch cookies, just the right size for a mixed cookie tray.
Perfect! I have never made biscotti before today. These are sooooooo good! Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this biscotti two weeks ago and everyone LOVED it, especially my mom! My mom insisted that I make it again, so I made another batch on Tuesday. I told her that I put 4 biscotti for her in the freezer to give to her the next time I see her. She told me thanks, but that she wanted the entire batch! One of my favorite of your recipes!
Sally I just baked these today and they were fabulous. Packed with crunch, love the way the chocolate melts when you dip it in a hot cup of espresso/tea.
I had trouble with the dough because it was really sticky but then I re-read the instructions and plopped it on the baking sheet and then pat it down and not the other way round
thinking of making white choc pistachio biscotti soon..
Thank You very much for the recipe. Love your blog.
Omg thank you for this! I LOVE biscotti, being Italian, having grown up on them and I’m in constant search of a recipe that has the right texture – crispy, crunchy, crumbly. It is a running joke in our family that my grandma left things out of her recipe cards on purpose and we’ve tried to make her old school biscotti recipe and they never come out the way hers did when she was alive. I’ve tried other recipes and something is always off about the texture or flavor. These biscotti have the texture I have been looking for! I made a batch and I love the flavor that the toasted almonds give them and I didn’t think I would like the cinnamon but it’s just enough to give it a spice without overkill. I like a classic biscotti so I didn’t dip them in chocolate, they are perfect even without all that jazz. I’m going to try them next with almond extract.
Looks delicious! Could I use hazelnuts in place of almonds??
Absolutely!
Oh my! You have renewed my faith in biscotti. I’ve tried making it before and it was a big crumbling mess, but I love your blog SO much, I decided to try your recipe out. And not only did it work, they taste AMAZING. Thank you for this recipe, and all your recipes, I know everything will turn out perfectly every time.
These are perfect! I also have never been a huge fan of biscotti but these are perfect! Having them with coffee is a must! The step by step instructions and tips helped a ton! Thanks for sharing!
Sally,
I made these biscotti this weekend… I have been on a biscotti mission the past few months and have tried multiple recipes that have left me unsatisfied. These were AMAZING! The toasted almonds were divine. I gave some away to friends and it got excellent remarks. No longer in the market for a good biscotti recipe 🙂 Thank you!!
Sally, these are AMAZING! I took them to a party and they were a hit! I successfully converted family and friends to become biscotti lovers!