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vanilla bean biscotti dipped in white chocolate

Sweet Vanilla Bean Biscotti

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.6 from 25 reviews
  • Author: Sally
  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
  • Yield: 18 cookies
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Italian

Description

A twice-baked cookie with a deliciously crunchy bite, these vanilla biscotti have sweet vanilla flavor and taste exceptionally indulgent with a dip in white chocolate.


Ingredients

  • 2 and 1/4 cups (281gall-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for work surface + hands
  • 1 cup (200g) vanilla sugar or granulated sugar* (see note before starting)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56gunsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
  • optional: two 4 ounce (226g) white chocolate bars, coarsely chopped*

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the 3 eggs, oil, and vanilla extract together. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and gently mix together with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until everything is just barely moistened. It will be very crumbly, see photo above for a visual.
  3. 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 sticking all over your hands, knead 1-2 more Tablespoon(s) of flour into the dough. Divide the dough in two and place each half onto a baking sheet. Shape each half into an 8-9 inch long slab, 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.
  4. 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 wide slices. Set slices cut sides upright, ¼ inch apart, on the baking sheets. (It’s tricky to set the end slices upright, so just turn them over.) Return to the oven to continue baking for 8 minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake other side for 8 minutes. The cookies will be slightly soft in the centers with harder edges.
  5. Remove from the oven and cool the biscotti for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in white chocolate. The biscotti becomes more and more crunchy as it cools. It’s helpful to save the baking sheets for the next step.
  6. Optional White Chocolate: Melt the chopped white chocolate in a double boiler or carefully use the microwave. For the microwave, place the white chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate and place back onto the baking sheets. Allow chocolate to set in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
  7. Biscotti stays fresh covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

Notes

  1. Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled biscotti can be frozen for up to 3 months, with or without chocolate. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before dipping in white chocolate and/or serving. You can also freeze the slabs of dough before brushing with egg wash and baking. If doing this, I recommend patting down/flattening the dough slabs directly on a piece of plastic wrap or aluminum foil so you don’t have to transfer it. Wrap it up in the plastic wrap/foil, then freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before brushing with egg wash and baking.
  2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Pastry Brush | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler
  3. Vanilla Sugar/Sugar: I strongly recommend making this biscotti with vanilla sugar. What exceptional flavor it adds! Vanilla sugar is very easy to make and you can find my tutorial in my vanilla sugar post. If you don’t have or don’t want to make vanilla sugar, use regular granulated sugar. For pronounced vanilla flavor, though, add the seeds scraped from half of a vanilla bean. Whisk the seeds in with the 3 eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. If you have vanilla bean paste, you can use that instead of vanilla bean. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste with the vanilla extract. If you want to replace the vanilla extract with vanilla bean paste too, use 1 Tablespoon paste and whisk it in with the 3 eggs + oil.
  4. Reduce Sweetness: These are relatively sweet biscotti, so feel free to reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup (100g) if you’d like. If doing so, I recommend adding 2 Tablespoons (16g) of all-purpose flour. The biscotti will taste a little plain.
  5. White Chocolate: Use pure white chocolate baking bars. You can find them right next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. They are sold in 4 ounce bars, so you’ll need 2. I like Bakers or Ghirardelli brands. I use and recommend white chocolate so it doesn’t overpower the vanilla, but you can semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate instead.
  6. Want an add-in in this biscotti? When you’re finished step 2 and before you turn the dough out onto a work surface to shape, fold in 1 cup of any of the following: dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, chopped hazelnuts, pecans, or walnuts, cinnamon chips, or semi-sweet chocolate chips.