The perfect accompaniment to your cup of coffee. Follow my easy, step by step instructions for Classic Almond Biscotti with variations such as cranberry-pistachio and chocolate-hazelnut!
Biscotti are classic Italian cookies typically made with almonds. Along with other Italian cookies such as amaretti; lemon glazed cookies; orange juice cookies or pizzelle, they are all dunk worthy!
The word biscotti in Italian (which is the plural of biscotto) means twice baked. These cookies are baked, cooled, sliced and baked a second time in order to give them their crisp texture.
Biscotti are one of those simple Italian cookies that I didn’t quite appreciate growing up when my mom made them. These dry, crunchy cookies had little appeal for me until the first time I taught this recipe in a cooking class.
My mother’s recipe for biscotti is easy to make as no special equipment is required. A bowl, a couple of baking sheets and your hands!
These cookies are not too sweet (just as I like them) and can be flavored with endless add-in combinations. And best of all, they were appreciated by all!
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed, printable recipe card.
How to make Classic Almond Biscotti with Variations:
Prepare the dough:
In a large bowl whisk together eggs; sugar; vegetable oil and orange zest.
Sift together all-purpose flour; baking powder and a pinch of salt. Use a wooden spoon to gradually incorporate all of the flour into the egg mixture until a soft, sticky dough is formed.
Scrape out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide in 3.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Incorporate add-ins of your choice:
At this point, knead in the add-ins of your choice. This recipe makes 3 logs of biscotti so you may choose to make all 3 variations (almond; pistachio and cranberry; and chocolate hazelnut). Precise amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card below.
Knead in the ingredients of your choice into the dough until evenly dispersed. The dough will be sticky. Avoid adding too much extra flour and use a bench scraper and/or damp hands to help you.
Chopped almonds:
Whole, unsalted pistachios and dried cranberries:
Whole roasted hazelnuts (with skins removed) and chocolate chips or chunks:
Once the add-ins are kneaded into the dough, roll the dough into a log, then flatten into a rectangle shaped approximately 8 x 30 cm long. It is easiest to roll into a log, transfer it to the prepared baking sheet and then shape.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15-20 minutes. 
Use a serrated knife to slice 1-cm thick biscotti. 
Place the biscotti on the baking sheet once again, reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes, flipping cookies halfway through. 
Let cool before serving.
Tips for making Classic Almond Biscotti with Variations
- 1-2 tsps. of vanilla extract may also be added to the dough for extra flavor.
- The dough is very sticky. Slightly damp hands as well as a bench scraper will help handle the dough in order to shape into logs.
- Please note that baking time may vary slightly according to your oven. Bake until golden brown both on top and underneath.
How to prevent the biscotti from crumbling when slicing them:
Use a sharp, serrated knife. The key is to slice them when they’re cool enough to handle. If they are too cold, they tend to crumble more when slicing.
How long do biscotti keep?
- Since biscotti are twice baked they have very little moisture in them. Therefore they can be stored at room temperature in a cool dry place for several weeks.
Can biscotti be frozen?
- Since they keep well for a long period at room temperature, I don’t usually freeze my biscotti. However, they can be frozen well sealed in a freezer bag or air tight container for months.
If you give this recipe a try, please let me know how much you enjoyed them by rating them in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin this recipe for later. Buon appetito!
Here are a few other of my favorite cookie recipes you might enjoy!
- Italian Lemon Glazed Cookies
- Sheet Pan Almond Biscotti
- Chewy Amaretti
- Italian Orange Juice Cookies
- Pistachio Amaretti
- Chocolate Espresso Amaretti
- Italian Breakfast Cookies
- Tetu (Sicilian Chocolate Spice Cookies)
Ingredients
- 7 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- grated zest of 1 orange or lemon
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 6 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch salt
Variations (amount of ingredients for the entire recipe)
Classic almond
- 2 cups cups coarsely chopped almonds
Pistachio and cranberry
- 1 cup shelled, unsalted pistachios
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Chocolate Hazelnut
- 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks
- 1 cup roasted hazelnuts, skins removed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs; sugar; vegetable oil and orange zest.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. The mixture will resemble a very soft bread dough.
- Scrape out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into into three pieces.
- If you are making all 3 variations, see *note below.
- Knead in the ingredients of your choice into the dough until evenly dispersed. The dough will be sticky. Avoid adding too much extra flour and use a bench scraper and/or damp hands to help you.
- Roll each piece into a log, transfer onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten into a 30 cm by 8 cm rectangle.
- Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 15-20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 275F.
- Place each log on a cutting board. With a serrated knife, slice each log into 1 cm biscotti. Transfer the biscotti back onto the baking sheets and continue baking for 30 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool before serving.
*Note
- If you are trying all 3 variations, divide the dough into 3. Kneed in 2/3 cup of almonds in the first dough; 1/3 cup each pistachios and cranberries in the second; and 1/3 cup each hazelnuts and chocolate chips in the third piece of dough.
Notes
- 1-2 tsps. of vanilla extract may also be added to the dough for extra flavor.
- The dough is very sticky. Slightly damp hands as well as a bench scraper will help handle the dough in order to shape into logs.
- Please note that baking time may vary slightly according to your oven. Bake until golden brown both on top and underneath.
- Since biscotti are twice baked they have no moisture left in them. Therefore they can be stored at room temperature in a cool dry place for 2 weeks.
- They can also be frozen well sealed in plastic wrap for months.
- Please note that the nutritional information is not necessarily accurate as it may vary according to the ingredients you choose to add to your biscotti.
my friends mother ses electric knife 2 cut hers.
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Hi Sharon, that sounds like a good idea! I don’t have one so I’ve never tried it but glad to hear it works. Thanks for your comment!
That seems a lot of baking powder. Is 6 teaspoons correct?
Hi Mirella, yes you read correctly! It seems like a lot but it works, you will see the biscotti loaves puff up nicely while baking. Hope you enjoy them!
How much extract would you use in place of the orange zest? Do you think 1 tsp. would be enough, like anise, almond, vanilla?
Hello Toni, adding extract would be a great idea. I’ve never tried it with extract however, given the amount of eggs and flour in this recipe I think I would try it with 2 tsp in order for you to be able to taste it. You may have to experiment to get the exact flavor you’re looking for. Please let me know how they turn out and thanks for stopping by my blog!
The hard part is that when I cut them, they break up. I tried when they are still warm and when they are totally cold. When do I cut them?
Hi Caramelle, yes that can be tricky. I wait about 15 minutes so they’re still a bit warm. Make sure you have a good large knife as well. Occasionally 1 or 2 might crumble but generally they should stay intact. Hope this helps!
I made your pistachio/cranberry biscotti yesterday and they are absolutly wonderful! This was the first time I have ever attempted to make them and I was so pleasantly surprised at how easy they are to make. My Italian husband also loves them. Thank you!
Hi Carol, so glad you and your husband enjoyed them! They are indeed quite easy to make. Thanks for your feedback!
I’ve been looking for a recipe for biscotti like my Grandmother’s and this is it. So easy and delicious. Thank you.
Hi Natalie, so glad you enjoyed the biscotti! Thank you for your precious feedback!
Chocolate chips and cherries work great. And kids love the combination.
Hi Chris, that sounds fantastic! A new combination to try, thanks for the suggestion!
I live in Arizona you can not find good Italian cookies here. Thank you for these. I will make them. I cant wait. I love all these.
Hi Connie, they are truly a breeze to make, let me know how you like them. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Biscotti are my absolute favourite indulgence. I’ e never tried them with oil before, will have to give them a go! Beautiful pictures Nadia????
Thanks Marisa! My mom has always used oil in hers. What do you use?
Delicious!
Cannot wait to try them at home !
Thanks, hope you enjoy them!
For sure!!!