How To Make Almond Biscotti

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This recipe turned me into a biscotti lover. Sweetened with chocolate-brown sugar, flavored with toasted almonds, and dipped in chocolate puts this crunchy biscotti at the peak of my coffee pairing list!

almond biscotti with part of each cookie dipped in chocolate on a white plate

Recipe #7 for my Christmas Cookie Palooza is all near coffee'due south cookie bestie.

Up until recently, I've turned my olfactory organ upward on biscotti. Dry, boring, crumbly, crunchy, no. Information technology'southward the same fashion I felt nigh scones until I discovered but how tender, flaky, crumbly (in a good way!), and flavorful scones can exist. Well, my friends, biscotti can be the same way. Maybe not "tender" simply definitely enjoyable.

If you lot've got the right recipe, of course.

2 almond biscotti cookies with part of each cookie dipped in chocolate resting on top of a white cup of coffee

Biscotti is a traditional Italian cookie where the dough is formed into logs, baked, cooled slightly, and baked again in slices. I've learned that Italians utilize the give-and-take "biscotti" to refer to various types of cookies and Americans use the term to describe this detail long, crisp, twice-broiled, sophisticated looking cookie. Biscotti'south crunchy texture and its flavor possibilities brand information technology a coffee-pairing favorite.

If you do one thing this weekend, make this chocolate-dipped almond biscotti. Even if yous don't like biscotti, this recipe will change everything yous know about it– really! Non all biscotti are created equal and in that location is no one perfect manner to brand it. My recipe uses several power ingredients to become the best possible texture. Think: crunchy without breaking your teeth. Crumbly without tasting sandy or dry. And when dipped into a steamy mug of coffee? Wow. It volition just cook in your mouth. It's a devilishly delicious Italian cookie. Permit's look into those power ingredients a footling farther.

Food Science // Nerd Warning

Traditionally, biscotti's only wet ingredients are eggs. Many recipes these days call for butter and/or oil. The improver of these two fats makes biscotti a piddling more than flavorful and rich, in my opinion. I use a niggling of both in my biscotti recipe. The butter is added the same exact way I add it to my crumbly-edged scones and my favorite flaky pie crust: very common cold and cut into the dry ingredients. The very small corporeality of oil adds richness. It's simply i Tablespoon, but this Tablespoon does wonders. Really.

I use three eggs in my biscotti. The eggs have ii jobs: structure and texture. They assistance the biscotti keep its shape and go on the biscotti from tasting too dry.

Flavors! I'm excited about all the flavors in this biscotti; they're all important power ingredients, besides. In improver to the butter, the toasted almonds give a ridiculous corporeality of flavor. Make certain you toast them; that'south where all the flavour comes from. I use all brown sugar to sweeten the biscotti. Brown sugar paired with toasty almonds = fragrant, tasty flavor explosions! Vanilla extract is another flavor you lot'll add together. Traditional biscotti ofttimes calls for anise extract, but I'm not a huge fan of its full-bodied licorice flavour. I also don't like pairing anise with chocolate.

Speaking of chocolate… Dunk!

hand dipping almond biscotti into a glass bowl of melted chocolate

I'm not going to lie, biscotti is a piddling fourth dimension consuming. However, information technology'due south not difficult. There is much more than blistering time than hands-on time. The dough is made in two bowls, there'due south some light kneading with your hands, and and so y'all shape the biscotti into slabs of dough.

Slabs…sounds tasty, correct?

I would say that shaping the dough is the hardest function, just as long equally you have a ruler and flour on your hands– yous're golden.

almond biscotti with part of each cookie dipped in chocolate with a bite taken from one biscotti showing the inside

Don't y'all worry, biscotti bakery. I have plenty of footstep-past-step photos beneath this recipe. Use the photos as your guide. Remember, take your fourth dimension and read through the written out recipe earlier you brainstorm. Your java will be happy near this toasty, brown sugared, chocolate dunked pairing. Happy weekend, merry christmas, permit's eat biscotti.

Impress

Description

This recipe turned me into a biscotti lover. Sweetened with brown sugar, flavored with toasted almonds, and dipped in chocolate puts this crunchy biscotti at the top of my coffee pairing list!

1 and 1/4 cups (175g) whole almonds
ii cups + i Tablespoon (258g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for your hands
1 cup (200g) packed light or nighttime brownish sugar (I adopt low-cal here)
i teaspoon baking pulverisation
one/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
ane/2 teaspoon salt
1/four cup (60g) unsalted butter, common cold and cubed
3 big eggs
ane Tablespoon (15ml) canola or vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
i teaspoon pure vanilla extract
egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
viii ounces (226g) semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Read the recipe in total, also as looking at the photos below this recipe, before beginning. Doing both will help go you started.
Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Spread almonds on one sail (keep the other one fix bated) and toast for 15 minutes, stirring twice during that time. Remove toasted almonds from the oven and plough the oven up to 350°F (177°C). Rinse/wipe off the one blistering canvas so you can use it once more for the biscotti.
Pulse the toasted almonds in a nutrient processor or blender until very coarsely chopped. Set 1 cup of chopped toasted almonds bated. Pulse the remaining chopped toasted almonds until they are a petty more fine. These will be what you sprinkle on elevation of the chocolate. Set them aside too.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cutting in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Gently toss in the one cup of coarsely chopped almonds. Fix bated. In a medium basin, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla together. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and gently mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until everything is simply barely moistened.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and with floured hands, knead lightly until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, nigh 8-ten times. If it'due south uncontrollably pasty, knead 1-2 more Tablespoon(south) of flour into the dough. With floured hands, carve up the dough in ii and place each one-half onto a blistering sheet. Shape each half into an 8-9 inch long curl, patting down until each is well-nigh 1/2 inch thick. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the superlative 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, just do not plow off the heat. Allow to cool for ten minutes. One time the slabs are cool enough to handle, cutting each into 1 inch thick slices. Prepare slices cut sides upright, ¼ inch apart, on the baking sheets. Return to the oven to go on baking for nine minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake other side for 9 minutes. The cookies will exist slightly soft in the centers with harder edges. Remove from the oven and permit to absurd for 5 minutes on the baking canvass. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in chocolate. As the biscotti cools, it becomes crunchy. Save the blistering sheets for the next pace.
Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl in the microwave (or utilise a double banality). The cardinal to melting chocolate in the microwave is to do it in small bursts and stir oft. Chocolate seizes so fast, so easily. Melt in 15 2nd 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 remaining toasted almond crumbs. I do this over the sink to avoid a mess! Identify the dipped biscotti back onto the baking sheets and allow chocolate to prepare in the refrigerator or at room temperature, about xxx-45 minutes.

Notes

Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Shop leftover biscotti in an closed container for up to 2 weeks. Biscotti may exist frozen up to 3 months, merely I suggest freezing without the chocolate coating.
Almonds: You can use salted or unsalted almonds, I adopt unsalted in this biscotti.
Be sure to check out my top v cookie baking tips AND these are my ten must-have cookie baking tools.

Keywords: nighttime chocolate almond biscotti, almond biscotti

Kickoff, let's toast some unsalted almonds in a preheated 300F degree oven for 15 minutes, stirring twice during that fourth dimension. Yep, y'all may use salted almonds instead simply I adopt unsalted for this biscotti. Once toasted, pulse in a nutrient processor until coarsely chopped upwardly. Large chunks of toasted almonds in the biscotti is what yous want. Annihilation powdery/flour-y will make your biscotti a footling dry.

Like this:

almonds in a food processor

Use 1 loving cup of the coarsely chopped toasted almonds in the biscotti cookie dough. Then, grind up the rest until they are more finely chopped. These will be the petty sprinkle on meridian of the chocolate.

Next, make the biscotti dough. As described in the recipe above, combine the dry ingredients in a big basin and then, using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. And then toss in the toasted almonds. In a medium bowl, whisk the moisture ingredients. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and gently mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until everything is only barely moistened.

collage of 3 images of stages of almond biscotti dough in a purple bowl

On a floured surface, knead dough 8-10 times. Split up dough in half. Using floured hands (very floured hands!) pat 2 assurance of dough downwards into slabs on your baking sheets, about 8-9 inch long. Pat downwardly until each is most 1/2 inch thick. Brush the top and sides of each biscotti slab with egg wash.

2 images of a ball of almond biscotti dough on a silpat baking mat and brushing egg wash onto biscotti dough

Y'all're doing great so far. It'southward so easy from here on out.

Per the written recipe above, broil in batches (or together) for 25-26 minutes, or until the tiptop and sides of the biscotti slabs are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the oestrus. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. One time the slabs are cool plenty to handle, cutting each into ane inch thick slices.

2 images of almond biscotti dough on a silpat baking mat and a hand using a knife to cut biscotti dough into strips

Prepare slices cut sides upright, 1/4 inch apart, on the baking sheets. Return to the oven to go along blistering for 9 minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake other side for 9 minutes.

2 images of almond biscotti on silpat baking mats

Remove biscotti from the oven and allow to cool for five minutes on the blistering canvas. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in chocolate.

That's it! You're a biscotti pro.

almond biscotti with part of each cookie dipped in chocolate