These Classic Biscotti are crispy and crunchy and melt in your mouth with a little help from some hot cocoa or coffee. Dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sliced almonds, this fun treat is perfect for sharing with friends on a cold day!
I love making baked goods in the colder months! Warming up the house with my oven and filling the room with sweet smells just makes me happy. I love whipping up a batch of Italian Christmas cookies, or some Cherry Pie bars, or one of my favorites, Apple Danish!
Classic Almond Biscotti
A classic biscotti is an Italian biscuit that usually has almond flavoring and almonds in the dough. They are super easy to make and a winter tradition at my house! They are so yummy and have a great crunch to them. If you want to, you can dip them in chocolate. There are so many flavors of biscotti, but this recipe is just for the classic almond version. To this dough, you could add cranberry, pistachios, or orange zest. You are going to love them every way!
I love dunking mine in a nice warm hot chocolate because the biscuit gets a little softer and just melts in your mouth. They also go perfectly with your morning coffee or latte. Biscottis are a great thing to add to your Christmas dessert charcuterie board, or packaged up with some toffee and caramels to make a cute little gift for friends. They really are so fun to share and eat with others!
Ingredients
These classic biscotti are made up of really simple ingredients. What gives them their crunchy texture is the baking process. You bake them once in a loaf, then cut them up and bake them again. That makes them really dry and crunchy, and so good! You can find exact measurements below in the recipe card.
- All-Purpose Flour: All purpose flour works great for this recipe, and I recommend you use it.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the biscottis to rise.
- Salt: You will want to add salt to this recipe to bring out all the nice flavors in the biscuit.
- Sugar: This is a sweet biscuit, so you should add sugar to the dough. I haven’t experimented with using honey or alternative sweeteners, but I’m sure they could work!
- Butter: You will want to use unsalted butter, and leave it out at room temperature for a few hours before you begin baking. You will want it soft so that it will blend with the sugars.
- Eggs: I always use large grade A eggs in my recipes. They don’t have to be room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds a little extra vanilla flavor, and helps to boost the other flavors.
- Almond Extract: Almond extract has a sweet almost cherry like flavor, and it is the traditional flavor in these biscottis. You could experiment with other flavors like anise extract or orange extract!
- Sliced Almonds: Sliced almonds give the biscuit a nice crunch when you are chewing it. I like to put them in the dough, and then add them to the chocolate at the end.
Classic Biscotti Recipe
Biscottis are such a great treat to know how to whip up. They are really simple to make too! You do have to bake them twice, so they will spend about 45 minutes in the oven. Classic biscotti are so yummy, you are going to love how they turn out!
- Prep and Whisk: Preheat your oven to 400℉ and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. In a medium bowl whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Whip: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, whip together your butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Mix in your eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Whip together.
- Add Flour: With the mixer on a low speed add in your flour mixture, about ¼ cup at a time. Mix until just combined. Finally fold in your almonds.
- Shape Dough: On a lightly floured surface, shape your dough into a rough square. Cut the dough into 4 evenly sized rectangles and roll each rectangle into 6 inch long logs and place on the prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced so the logs aren’t touching.
- Bake: Bake at 400℉ for 20-25 minutes. Logs should be a light golden color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for only 5 minutes.
- Lower Temp: Lower oven temperature to 325℉, cut each log into about 1 inch slices, lay the slices flat on the sheet pan and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. The biscotti should feel dry and be very golden.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack until they have reached room temperature and enjoy!
- Optional Garnish: For a lovely garnish you can dip the biscotti in some chocolate, or drizzle on top!
Tips for Making Classic Biscotti
They are a pretty simple treat to make! The trick is making sure they are crunchy enough, without making them too hard. Here are my tips to help you become a biscotti pro!
- Cooling Between Bakes: It is important that you let the biscotti cool for about 5 minutes. This is what helps them get nice and crispy. After cooling for 5 minutes, they should be cool enough for you to cut them without them falling apart.
- Cutting The Loaf: You don’t want to crush the biscotti when you are cutting them, so I recommend using a cerrated knife and working slowly. You can cut them long ways for a classic biscotti that you have probably seen at a coffee shop, or cut them short ways like you see I did. They are tasty either way!
- Cooling Biscotti After Final Bake: Make sure that you let your biscotti cool on a wire rack after your final bake. This keeps the bottom from getting too hard or soft. You want the biscuit to be able to breath on all sides so it stays evenly crunchy.
- Adding Flavors: You can easily fold in more additions to this simple recipe, try dried fruits, chocolate, or any nut of your choice! You can add up to two cups of additional flavors.
Saving Your Leftovers
Classic biscotti make great leftovers. You don’t have to worry about them too much, and they keep for longer than your average treat!
- On the Counter: You can store your cooled biscotti for up to two weeks on the counter in an airtight container. If you dipped them in chocolate, you will want to put some parchment paper in between layers so they don’t stick together.
- In the Freezer: Biscottis are a great thing to store in the freezer! You can keep them in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag for up to 3 months. Set them out on the counter and let them come to room temperature before eating.
Other Winter Treats to Try
Desserts
Banana Coffee Cake
Cookies
Pizookie Recipe
Desserts
Incredible Homemade Peach Pie
Desserts
Old Fashioned Apple Cobbler
Classic Biscotti
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅔ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 400℉ and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. In a medium bowl whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt.
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In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, whip together your butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Mix in your eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Whip together.
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With the mixer on a low speed add in your flour mixture, about ¼ cup at a time. Mix until just combined. Finally fold in your almonds.
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On a lightly floured surface, shape your dough into a rough square. Cut the dough into 4 evenly sized rectangles and roll each rectangle into 6 inch long logs and place on the prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced so the logs aren’t touching.
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Bake at 400℉ for 20-25 minutes. Logs should be a light golden color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for only 5 minutes.
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Lower oven temperature to 325℉, cut each log into about 1 inch slices, lay the slices flat on the sheet pan and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. The biscotti should feel dry and be very golden.
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Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack until they have reached room temperature and enjoy!
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Optional: For a lovely garnish you can dip the biscotti in some chocolate, or drizzle on top!
