Almond Biscotti

Quick answer

Total time: 60 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 24 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Biscotti - meaning 'twice-cooked' in Italian - originated in the Tuscan city of Prato, where they have been produced since at least the 14th century.

They were originally designed as provisions for long sea voyages: the double baking drives out nearly all moisture, producing a cookie that resists spoilage for weeks without refrigeration. The dough is shaped into a flat log and baked once until firm throughout, then sliced on the diagonal and returned to the oven at a lower temperature until each piece is completely dry and hard. Whole almonds embedded in the crumb provide a contrasting crunch and a toasted, slightly bitter quality that plays against the vanilla-scented dough. The result is deliberately too hard to eat comfortably on its own - biscotti are made to be dipped. Dunked into espresso, Vin Santo, or strong black coffee, the outer layer softens immediately while the dense interior holds its structure, creating a texture that alternates between giving and crisp with each bite. In Prato, where the cookie is also called 'cantuccini' or 'pratesi,' the traditional pairing is with locally produced Vin Santo dessert wine.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

all-purpose flour250 gg

sugar150 gg

eggs3 eaea

baking powder1½ tsptsp

salt1 gg

whole almonds120 gg

vanilla extract1 tsptsp

lemon zest1 tsptsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Preheat the oven to 170°C and prepare a baking sheet.

Toast the 120g whole almonds for about 5 minutes, just until fragrant, then let them cool so they stay crisp in the dough.
2

Season

Place 3 eggs and 150g sugar in a bowl and whisk lightly, avoiding excess foam.

Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest, then mix until the aroma is evenly distributed through the egg mixture.
3

Season

Sift in the 250g all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the cooled almonds and fold with a spatula only until no dry flour remains, keeping the dough dense rather than elastic.
4

Heat

Divide the dough in two and shape each piece into a flat log about 5cm wide.

Place them apart on the baking sheet and bake at 170°C for 25 minutes, until firm and pale golden.
5

Prep

Remove the logs and cool them for 10 minutes so the crumb stabilizes.

Do not slice while very hot, or they may crumble; use a serrated knife to cut diagonal 1.5cm slices.
6

Finish

Arrange the slices again with the cut sides facing up.

Bake at 150°C for 15-20 minutes to drive off moisture, then cool completely and serve with espresso or Vin Santo.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Almond Biscotti are twice-baked for a hard snap that holds up when dipped into hot coffee.
Finish cue: Place them apart on the baking sheet and bake at 170°C for 25 minutes, until firm and pale golden.
Avoid this: Do not slice while very hot, or they may crumble; use a serrated knife to cut diagonal 1.5cm slices.
Storage and reheating: They were originally designed as provisions for long sea voyages: the double baking drives out nearly all moisture, producing a cookie that resists spoilage for weeks without refrigeration.