Crunchy mocha flavored biscotti with chocolate chips, a chocolate dunk, and lots of hazelnuts. Have your coffee and eat it too!
Let me invite you into my coffee loving world. A world where my Keurig never gets a break, breakfast blend flows like water, the crew at DD know my coffee order (that’s embarrassing), and my french press gets more attention than the waffle maker on a Sunday. A world where this espresso chocolate chip cake exists. A world where it is not only acceptable to put coffee in cookies, but encouraged. A world where dipping said coffee flavored cookies into actual coffee is the norm.
Coffee drinkers, won’t you join me?
Ever since I made this chocolate-dipped almond biscotti, I’ve been dreaming up new flavors. I never even liked biscotti until I tried making it at home. Dry, boring, crunchy, just… not my cup of tea coffee. But that recipe, full of flavor and dipped in chocolate, made me a biscotti believer. Maybe it’s all the chocolate. Or the coffee soaked goodness? Whatever I freakin’ love biscotti.
Here’s how you make biscotti. The process isn’t very glamorous.
Biscotti is made from wet dough. Flour your hands and form it into two rectangular logs. Bake them, cool them slightly, slice them, and bake the slices. The double baking creates that crispy texture perfect for dunking into warm drinks.
Just like my chocolate-dipped almond biscotti, today’s mocha chip biscotti recipe uses a few power ingredients like eggs, cold butter, and oil to get the best possible texture and taste. The resulting cookie is buttery, rich, and crunchy without breaking your teeth or tasting like flavorless cardboard.
Speaking of flavor… for an unbelievable mocha flavor, we’ll add some coffee and cocoa powder. I use instant coffee mixed with very little water to flavor the dough. Espresso powder works as well, see the recipe notes. The cocoa taste is faint, but compliments the coffee wonderfully. Brown sugar sweetens the biscotti ever so slightly. In terms of flavor and moisture, I much prefer brown sugar over granulated sugar here. Let’s not forget all the mini chocolate chips! They’re speckled throughout each cookie.
Oh, and the chocolate dunked edge! And the hazelnuts! Flavor exclamation points!
You’re going to love these. Happy weekend, coffee cheers!
Follow me on Instagram and tag #sallysbakingaddiction so I can see all the SBA recipes you make. ♥
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Mocha Chip Biscotti
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Crunchy mocha flavored biscotti with chocolate chips, a chocolate dunk, and lots of crunchy hazelnuts. Have your coffee and eat it too!
Ingredients
Biscotti
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for your hands
- 1 Tablespoon (5g) unsweetened natural or dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I prefer light)
- 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
- 2 Tablespoons instant coffee dissolved in 2 Tablespoons warm water*
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) canola or vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180g) mini chocolate chips*
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
Topping
- 1/2 cup (56g) chopped hazelnuts
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, instant coffee mixture, 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. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- 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 more Tablespoon of flour into the dough. With floured hands, divide the dough into 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.
- Process the chopped hazelnuts in a food processor or blender until finely chopped. Alternatively, you can chop them up into smaller pieces with a knife. Set aside. 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 chopped hazelnuts. I do this over the sink to avoid a mess! Use any leftover chocolate to drizzle over the nuts. 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 | Glass Mixing Bowls | Wooden Spoon | Spatula | Food Processor (optional)
- Instant Coffee: Instead of instant coffee, you can use 1 teaspoon instant espresso dissolved in 1 Tablespoon warm water. I do not recommend using brewed coffee because you want a very, very concentrated flavor.
- Chocolate Chips: I prefer mini chocolate chips instead of regular size. Mini = more chips in each bite!
Keywords: mocha biscotti, homemade biscotti
Try my chocolate-dipped almond biscotti next!
This was my first time making biscotti so I only made a third of the recipe, and they came out great! The only adjustments needed were less oven time and eyeballing some of the measurements. As others have said, the dough was very wet and sticky. I tried to knead it a bit–which is another way of saying I unintentionally smeared it all over my work surface–then laughed, scooped it all up with two bench scrapers, and transferred it onto my silpat for shaping. Not ideal, but not a disaster. I used a mixture of dark and semi-sweet chocolate for dipping, chopped walnuts, and added flaked salt. It’s a nice little treat, thanks for the recipe!
★★★★
Can I make the dough in advance and refrigerate??? How long before it bakes should it be out of refrigerator before it goes in oven??
Hi Tricia, you can absolutely refrigerate the dough before baking. I would shape the biscotti into the 1/2-inch thick slabs, cover, and refrigerate them. You can refrigerate up to 5 days, like most cookie doughs. Then brush with egg wash and bake. You can bake it right from the refrigerator or bring up to room temperature for about 10-15 minutes as the oven preheats.
Can’t wait to make! But I have a question! Do you toast the hazelnuts before?
Hi Lisa, we don’t, but you can if you want to!
These are fantastic. I’ve made a lot of biscotti recipes over the years, and for me, these are perfection. Such an easy recipe that came together quickly. I used Nescafe Gold espresso powder which provides a wonderful coffee flavour. I also love the texture of these biscotti: they sliced really nicely without any crumbling apart and were great once twice baked. I will definitely make these again, and am even planning to make Sally’s vanilla bean biscotti next. Thank you!
★★★★★
I was underwhelmed by these. The recipe was easy to make and everything came together as it should, but my biscotti had a bitter, almost burnt flavor to them, although the individual biscotto were not burned. The only change I made was to include whole nuts into my dough. I’m thinking the bitter flavor came from too much heat on the chocolate chips during the final baking stage. The flavor makes the biscotti hard to eat. Other than that, they are good. I will try without the chocolate added next time. Do you think anything else could have caused the bitter taste?
★★★
Hi Erica, Thank you for trying this recipe. Did you change anything or make any substitutions in the recipe? If it was a bitter taste (not burnt) it could have been too much baking powder or cocoa powder, so if you try it again double check your measurements on those!
I really wanted to try this recipe – but apparently cocoa powder can’t be found around my place, what could be an alternative for this?
Hi Bilqees, What about Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti instead? It uses real chocolate to dip the biscotti instead of cocoa powder in the dough.
i was wondering if you could picture everything from the beging of the recipe to cutting them, and re baking them. i have never made these, would love to, but would also like to follow somekind of pics when doing it! thanks so much!
Hi Barbara, our vanilla bean biscotti recipe post has more step by step photos that you may find helpful! The same steps apply here.
could this be made without the coffee …..i just dont like it, even if its a mild taste?!
Hi Helen, you can leave out the instant coffee.
Hi Sally! I love using your site and recipes all the time. On this recipe I ran into a problem where the dough was inordinately sticky- even after adding 4-5 additional tablespoons of flour. I followed the recipe to a T until that point! I had to use a bench scraper to get the dough off my hands and the kneading surface, it was so sticky! And I have made other biscotti cookies of yours before, so I was a little confused as to the results of this.
They tasted great in the end, but the process was just a bit different than described.
★★★★
This dough was unworkable, very sticky even after I would say 2 cups more of flour. It wouldn’t “knead” at all and basically ended up all over my hands, counter, and washed off in the sink. My butter was cold like most of the comments mentioned but it was just way too wet. Sad to say that the dough ended up in the bin.
★
Hi Nicole, thanks for trying the biscotti recipe and for the feedback. It’s a wet dough, for sure, but it’s surprising the dough was still unworkable with a total of 4 cups of flour. Did you alter the recipe at all? Very cold butter is key, but it’s possible it was worked in too much. Thank you again.
Hey Sally! During the dough making process, the mixture was unbearably sticky. It stuck to EVERYTHING! Added about an additional 1/2 cup of flour and it was still very very sticky. I think most of my biscotti batter ended up stuck on my hands and washed off into the sink. Haha! I even used frozen unsalted butter and constantly popped the butter and crumbled flour mixture back into the fridge any chance I got.
These are so good, I am surprised at how easy they are to make for the amount of tasty got back. I made my totally dairy-free, with nutelex (dairy-free butter) and vegan dark chocolate, SOO GOOD, and worked perfectly for the writing group meet up I was hosting.
★★★★★
You have my go-to site for me. Recipes are the best and these biscotti came out wonderfully. But I have a question. Since these are Italian cookies and Italian cooks didn’t use butter is there a way to substitute olive oil. And how much
★★★★★
Hi Bob, thanks for trying the biscotti and reporting back. Glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t tested this recipe with oil– you may want to find another biscotti recipes that specifically calls for it.
As always Sally, your recipes are the best. For those of you who struggle with cutting in butter- I froze mine and grated. keeps the butter firm/cold and a lot easier to work into the dough IMO. I’m not sure if this would be an approved method for biscottis specifically, but mine turned out perfect.
★★★★★
I plan on making these this weekend but have a quick question before I do…..I need to bake the formed logs in two batches, so…does the second log need to be kept in the fridge while the other one is baking so the butter doesn’t get too warm, to prevent spreading?
Hi Amanda, Yes you can cover the second batch and store it in the refrigerator while the first batch is baking. I hope you love them!
That’s exactly what I did. They turned out so good. I will definitely be making these again.
★★★★★
This is my favorite dessert recipe site. Thanks! My dough didn’t have enough moisture to incorporate all the flour! I ended up adding probably a half tablespoon more liquid to get it to come together. Came out great though. Next time I will make the cookies smaller.
★★★★★
Is it possible to use cold brew coffee instead of the instant coffee? I made these a few months ago and they were awesome but I couldn’t get the smell of the instant coffee out of my nose. That was all I could smell especially when someone took a bite of one of these biscottis. Thank you.
Hi Cheryl- you could definitely try it, although I fear the flavor won’t be as intense. Let me know if you do!
I have made these a few times now, and they’re my favorite cookies (ever!). I love that they are softer than typical biscotti, yet still crunchy. The espresso and cocoa combination makes them so indulgent and satisfying. They are fairly simple to make, but the multi-step process makes me feel proud of them when they’re finished. I trust all of Sally’s recipes, but this one takes the crown for me.
Thanks, Sally – delicious as always!
I was never a big fan of biscotti, but as I read all the ingredients for this recipe, I just knew I had to try it. The hints of cocoa powder and espresso especially intrigued me! I just tried the finished product and it was absolutely delicious! I found the recipe very easy to follow and had no problem working with the dough. I used half a teaspoon of espresso powder and it was perfect.
I showed my Grandma my copy of Sally’s Cookie Addiction and the recipe she wanted to try the most was your peppermint biscotti, and now I feel prepared to do that over the holidays! 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful recipe, and for anyone who’s on the fence about it, go for it!
There must be something wrong with the measurements.
The dry mixture was not at all crumbly. The small portion of butter disappeared and I had a moist sand consistency, not nearly wet enough to form crumbles.
The final mixture was way too sticky, even after two extra tablespoons of flour. I just poured it into the sheet and luckily it didn’t spread too much to make the biscotti too thin.
The end result did come out alright, although I would prefer them a bit more dry-crunchy (even after over-baking them for 2 mins at each stage!). Also I do not taste the coffee.
I believe it is a good base to fine-tune it into great biscotti, but the measurements need retouching.
Thank you,
D.
The measurements are correct. If the dry mixture was moist from the butter, the butter was not cold enough when you were cutting it in. It will be cold with a few butter crumbles.
Hi Sally! Thank you for sharing all your delicious recipes. I’ve enjoyed baking so many of your yummy treats. They turn out spectacular and are a big hit!
But, I did come across some issues when making this biscotti today- the dough was very sticky (so sticky that I ended up pouring it into a brownie pan and made brownies, even after I added lots of flour. The brownies were actually yummy though!)
I think I may have over kneaded or mixed the dough? I’m not really sure. Is there any advice you could give me to ensure a not-as-sticky dough next time?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Sally, I made this recipe recently and the dough was very unmanageable. I mean sticking to every surface and every finger. I had to add another + 1/2 cup of flour to be able to work with the dough. The biscotti came out delicious. Not as crunchy in the center though.
Do you think my butter was too soft? Also to make more crisp, was it the extra flour that made it soft or should I bake them for a little bit longer? Love your site!
Hi Brooke! It could have very well been the butter. That’s easy to fix for next time. For crunchier biscotti, bake longer. (It wasn’t the extra flour!)
I make this and your almond biscotti almost weekend-ly because my mom is a biscotti lover. The flavor is amazing!! Just a question – I follow the recipe to a T but my dough is always ridiculously sticky, even with the extra flour. Any idea why?
Was there extra moisture in the air? Weather has everything to do with it. Well, usually. I’m glad you love the flavor– don’t be afraid to add just a little more flour if you need to. Some stickiness is OK.
Hi Sally
On Saturday, my Almond biscotti was such a huge hit that on Sunday I made these. This time, I dared to work with sticky hands and did not need to add the extra flour. They were fabulous again!
I think I am going to be making this very often!
If you have other variations, please let us know! 🙂
Thanks for re-introducing biscotti to me and my family!
Hi Sally, I’m looking at my two little logs baking in the oven and it looks like they flattened & spread out a lot 🙁 My dough was quite sticky but manageable so I only added 1tbspn extra of flour, as suggested in the recipe. What do you think went wrong? Should I have added more flour? Can you please share your thoughts? Could you also maybe provide more details on how the dough should feel & come together for biscotti? Thank you.
Faye, how did the finished biscotti taste? The dough is supposed to be a little sticky. I wonder if your butter was firm enough? You can add a couple more Tablespoons of flour if need be.
Finished product tasted ah-mazing Sally! Maybe my butter got too soft. I’ll definitely try again & gauge the dough real carefully this time 🙂
Instead of dipping one end in chocolate, I simply spread the melted choc on one side of the biscotti and sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts. They were all devoured within a couple of days! 🙂
Made these and your nutella cookies in the past 3 days and I definitely found my new favorite blog for dessert recipes! I love the coffee flavor so much and they taste great with pecans instead of hazelnuts on top! Thanks Sally.
These look amazing! I was wondering if I could add some almonds to the dough? Would it still come out right? I saw your almond biscotti recipe too but I love the mocha version. Just curious how would it taste with some added almonds.
Absolutely! Almonds may be added to the biscotti dough. I suggest toasting them first for the best flavor (just as I do in the almond version).
I find if you second bake these on a rack they turn out great and you needn’t turn them
Thanks for the great recipes!