The Best Easy and Classic Biscotti Recipe

If you’re looking for something sweet to enjoy with your coffee, Biscotti is the cookie for the job! This Italian cookie recipe is delightfully crunchy, and can be customized with your favorite add-ins.

I also have a fun Cake Mix Biscotti Recipe on my site too if you love a short cut!

Why You’ll Love This Biscotti Recipe

• Classic and Easy! Biscotti is a cookie that is a favorite for the ages. It’s a super easy cookie recipe, and is perfect to dunk in a cup of hot coffee, tea, or even hot chocolate! 
• Customizable. One of the best things about biscotti is it is open to customizing. You can easily switch up the flavor with extracts, dried fruits, nuts, and chocolate to name a few ideas. 
• Perfect For Gifting. Packaging up a bag of biscotti with a ribbon is an amazing holiday or hostess gift.
• Make Ahead. This recipe makes a large batch, which is perfect for making in advance and enjoying throughout the month. And they freeze well too, so you can enjoy them for months to come!

What is Biscotti?

Biscotti aren’t my usual soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookie, but I’m a huge fan anyway. These crunchy, crispy Italian cookies are a must when you’ve got a hot cup of coffee brewing in the morning. After all, though I love my coffee cake as much as the next gal, sometimes I don’t want a treat that is overly sweet.

Biscotti are classic Italian cookies that are super crunchy, and thus good for dunking in coffee if you’re an adult, and milk if you have kiddos. These cookies are also twice-baked; once in the form of a log, and again after they are sliced into individual cookies, which is why they are harder than most cookies.

Recipe Ingredients

Time to go over cookie ingredients. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredient list and printable recipe. Everything you need is most likely in your pantry already, but here’s a list to check over:

• Sugar: I used granulated sugar in these cookies.
• Vegetable Oil: Unsalted butter could be substituted for vegetable oil, but keep in mind the texture and flavor will not be the same. 
• Eggs: These act as a binding agent for the cookie mixture. I use large eggs in all my baking recipes. 
• Extract: I used both almond and vanilla, which provided the flavor.
• Salt: To balance out some of the sweetness and enhance the flavor.
• Baking Powder: Helps the cookie log rise.
• Flour: All purpose flour will thicken up your cookie mixture so that the log holds its form.
• Nuts: I used chopped pecans as my add-in.

How to Make Biscotti

Making and baking these cookies won’t take you long at all. Once you have the cookie dough mixed and the logs formed, all that’s left to do is bake them, slice them, and then bake them again!

Make the Dough: In the large bowl of your stand mixer mix together the sugar, oil, eggs, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Add in the salt and baking powder and mix to incorporate, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. You can also use a hand-help electric mixer of you prefer. Turn the mixer to low speed and add in the flour, mixing until just combined. The dough will be very sticky.

Then form the biscotti dough into 2 long logs on a parchment lined baking sheet allowing at least 3- inches in between the two logs to allow for spreading.

Bake the Biscotti Twice: Bake for 25 – 30 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven until golden brown. Then remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the logs to cool for 5 minutes. Then using a knife or a bench scraper, cut the biscotti into 1- inch slices. I prefer a straight edge knife over a serrated knife to get a clean edge. 

Then lay the sliced biscotti flat on the baking sheet back again in the oven for 8 minutes, flipping the biscotti over once halfway through. This ensures that the biscotti are crunchy on all slides!

Tips for Success

And that’s all there is to it! Here are a couple of tips that will help you perfect your biscotti-making techniques:

• Use a Stand Mixer: You can stir the mixture by hand, but the process goes a lot more quickly when you use the mixer.
• If You Want Softer Cookies: Don’t bake them for as long the second time. Pull them out early and, while they will still crisp up a little, they will be softer. On the other hand, if you want them crispier, leave the cookies in a little longer, but be sure not to let them burn.
• Don’t Slice the Logs While Hot: If the cookie logs haven’t cooled completely, they will crumble when you try to cut them.
• Switch Up the Add-Ins/: I like to put in chopped pecans, but you can do chocolate chips, dried cranberries, almond slivers, etc.
• Use Different Extracts: Extracts are an easy way to change the flavor profile. Try rum extract, lemon, vanilla, or coconut! 
• Add in spice or zest! Adding in a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or anise to name a few! Zest in some orange zest, or lime or lemon zest as another layer of flavor!

How Do You Eat Biscotti?

Biscotti are best when served with a mug of tea or coffee! As mentioned above, they’re great for dunking. I also like to drizzle them with chocolate or white chocolate sometimes before eating. You can even serve them with a dessert wine after dinner for a nice light treat.

How to Store Homemade Biscotti

Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If you decide to dip them in chocolate, it is best to keep them in the fridge.

Can I Freeze These?

Biscotti freeze well in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 90 days (about 3 months) for best freshness.

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More Cookie Recipes to Try

Want to bake some more easy cookie recipes? Check out these:

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