“Biscotti” means “twice-baked” in Italian, and these delightful, crispy cookies are meant to be enjoyed by dipping them in your favorite beverage. Whether you choose hot cocoa, coffee, tea, or vin santo as the Italians do, this treat is the perfect way to take a peaceful pause. These are not hard to make but do take a little time. But once made, they will keep for weeks if you store them airtight. Here are two recipes, inspired by the Baking with Julia (Child) cookbook.
Hazelnut Biscotti
Preheat oven to 350F. Put parchment or a Silpat on a baking sheet. In one bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients:
1 2/3 cups AP flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
In another bowl, mix together your wet ingredients:
2 large eggs
2 tsp hazelnut liqueur or brandy (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup sugar
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix together. You might need to get your hands into it as it is a stiffer dough. Mix in:
2/3 cup roasted skinless hazelnuts, roughly chopped.
You can substitute almonds or macadamia nuts. Where I live, I couldn’t find hazelnuts, also known as filberts, in a local store. So I ordered mine online.
Split the dough in half and form each half into a log on your baking sheet, a few inches apart. Each log should be about 12 inches long and narrow. As it bakes, it will level itself out. Bake for 35 minutes at 350F degrees. Here’s a picture of one log after baking:
Let the logs cool. You can pause at this step for a few days if you wish. Once cool, use a sharp serrated knife and slice the logs into ¼ to ½ inch slices. You can go diagonally if you want a larger cookie. Place the slices back on your lined cookie sheet and bake at 325F for 10 to 15 minutes at least. I turn mine over at this point and bake again on the other side. It’s even better if you have a rack to bake them on, so there is air circulation underneath. My oven can be slow, but the idea is to bake them until they are very hard and there is no “give” in them. You don’t want to brown them, just dry them out. Store the twice-baked cookies airtight for a month or more.
The trick to enjoying them is knowing how long to let them soak in your warm drink. Too short and they are crunchy, too long and they fall apart into your drink. But once you dial it in, they are so delicious!
Chocolate Almond Biscotti
This uses the same technique as the above recipe, so I won’t repeat all the details.
Preheat your oven to 350F, line a baking sheet. In a bowl, mix your dry ingredients:
2 cups AP flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, either natural or dutch
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
In another bowl, whisk together:
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp amaretto liqueur (optional)
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Add:
1 ½ cup unblanched whole almonds (don’t chop them first)
As with the previous recipe, form into 2 logs and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Once the logs are cool, slice into individual cookies and bake again at 350F for 10 to 15 minutes at least, or until crisp. Store airtight and enjoy.