Biscotti

Biscotti are twice-baked Italian cookies and the perfect little sweet treat to dip into a cup of coffee, tea, or more traditionally, sweet Italian wine. My biscotti recipe features pistachios and a creamy drizzle of white chocolate, but you can use your favorite add-ins to create your preferred flavor for these light, crisp cookies!

The Twice-Baked and Delectably Dunk-able Italian Cookies

Biscotti are an Italian cookie, with the word “biscotti” actually being derived from the latin word “biscoctus”, which means twice baked or twice cooked. So basically, biscotti are twice-baked cookies, which makes them light, crisp and crunchy, perfect for dipping in coffee, or in Vin Santo, a sweet Italian wine.

I myself happen to love the flavor of chocolate dipped and nut-filled biscotti, enjoying their light and crisp texture that makes them an utter treat to indulge in, perfect as a pick-me-up in the afternoon.

And while it's the store-bought biscotti that I've been enjoying, often tossing a package as an impulse buy into my shopping cart, I recently realized that I'd like to start preparing my own homemade biscotti to have on hand instead, because they're such a fun and simple cookie to prepare.

After all, homemade goodies always taste best, at least in my opinion. And when it comes to biscotti cookies, once there's a basic recipe to follow, the add-ins can change based on the flavor profile one is craving at the moment!

What's your favorite flavor of biscotti to enjoy?

How to Make Biscotti

Biscotti are actually quite easy to mix up and bake at home. And because they're so versatile, they're fun to prepare in a myriad of ways with varying types of nuts, chocolates, or dried fruits. The possibilities with these cookies are endless! 🙂

While traditional Italian biscotti cookies do not use any butter or oil, no added fat apart from the eggs called for, the more American-style of biscotti does.

My biscotti recipe here is a bit of a hybrid between the Italian and the American version, as I use about half the amount of butter called for in the American-style biscotti recipes. This small amount of butter adds some richer flavor, while allowing the cookies to remain light and crisp when baked the second time, rather than more soft in the middle from a greater amount of butter.

For my recipe, I chose to add some chopped pistachios into my biscotti dough, and then drizzled the finished cookies with white chocolate. This is just one version, and you can substitute your preferred add-ins, or the type of chocolate coating (if any at all), as desired.

Here's a glance at my biscotti recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To begin, I whisk together my dry ingredients, then set that mixture aside.
2. Next, I beat together my wet ingredients, then slowly add in my flour mixture, followed by my chopped pistachios.
3. Now that everything is incorporated, I turn the sticky dough out onto my prepared baking sheet, shape it, then bake it for the first time at 350° for about 30 minutes.
4. After the initial baking, I allow the biscotti to cool before slicing it into individual biscotti cookies. I then bake the biscotti at a reduced oven temp of 325° for an additional 27 minutes, until golden and crisp.
5. Next, I allow the biscotti to completely cool on a wire rack before drizzling with melted white chocolate. And once the chocolate is completely set up, the biscotti can be enjoyed!

Recipe

Biscotti

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These biscotti with white chocolate and pistachios are deliciously light and crisp, and an extra special treat when dipped into coffee or tea!

Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Yield: 14 biscotti

Nutrition Info: 252 calories per biscotti

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 57 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 17 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup almond meal
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temp
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon pure almond extract
• ¾ cup pistachios, chopped (or almonds)
• 1 egg white, whisked
• ¾ cup good quality white chocolate chips (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°, and line a (roughly) 17 by 12 inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt, and set aside for a moment.
3. To the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the room temperature butter and the sugar, and beat these together for a couple of minutes until well combined and fluffy. Add in the whole eggs one at a time, until completely combined. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts, and beat those in until combined as well.
4. Next, slowly add in the flour/almond meal mixture until just barely combined, then add the chopped pistachios and blend those in just until everything is well combined, taking care not to over mix.
5. Using a spatula, scoop the biscotti batter onto the prepared baking sheet (the batter will be quite sticky), and using slightly water-moistened hands, shape the dough into a rectangle shape that is roughly 9 by 5 inches in size, about ¾ inch thick. (A silicone spatula helps to shape the sticky dough nicely as well.)
6. Brush on a thin layer of the whisked egg white over the entire biscotti rectangle, then place into the oven to bake for 30 minutes, until a pale golden color (I turn mine halfway through the baking for even baking).
7. Then, remove the biscotti rectangle from the oven, and reduce the oven temp to 325°.
8. Allow the biscotti rectangle to cool for 15 minutes; then, using a large serrated knife, cut the biscotti (on the 5 inch side) into individual biscotti cookies that are between ½ – ¾ inch thick, and lay these cookies cut-side up on your baking sheet once again.Place into the oven to bake on the first side for 12 minutes, then flip the biscotti and bake for an additional 15 minutes (or until nice and golden) on the second side.
9. Allow the biscotti cookies to completely cool on a wire rack for about 45 minutes to 1 hour; then, using either your microwave or a double boiler, slowly melt your white chocolate chips until completely smooth and creamy.
10. Using a spoon, decoratively drizzle a little white chocolate over each biscotti cookie, and place the cookies onto a wire rack so that the white chocolate completely sets up before enjoying, about an hour.

Tips & Tidbits for my Biscotti:

• Feel free to leave all nuts out: If you have a nut allergy, or simply prefer to leave the nut ingredients out of the recipe, you absolutely can without any issue. I use a bit of almond meal in the dough as this adds some rich, nutty flavor and texture, but you can leave it out without problem, and the same goes for the pistachios.
• Terrific add-ins for biscotti cookies: Other add-in options to change up this recipe here would include almonds or hazelnuts in place of the pistachios. You could substitute finely chopped dried apricots, or dried cherries, cranberries, or even currents for the nuts, and add some lemon or orange zest for a citrusy note. Just substitute the same amount of ingredient(s) listed in the recipe as a guide. Also, dark or even semi-sweet melted chocolate for dipping (or drizzling) in place of the white chocolate is absolutely delicious as well!
• Use a sharp, serrated knife when slicing: When ready to slice your baked biscotti rectangle, use a sharp serrated knife in a back and forth slicing motion to cut through evenly. You want the individual biscotti cookies to be between a ½ inch to ¾ inches thick, no more. It is normal to get some crumbling, so don't worry about that—these biscotti are nice and rustic. 😉
• How to store biscotti: Once completely cooled, biscotti are best stored in a metal cookie tin or glass covered container, with parchment paper between the layers. They stay crisp and fresh for quite a while if kept covered.

Craving more delectable cookie recipes? Check out these Chocolate Chip Cookies with Roasted Hazelnuts, these Chocolate and Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies, these Chubby Hubby Cookies, or these Pancakes 'n' Bacon Cookies!