This almond biscotti recipe is the best ever! So perfect and delicious, it has always been a big hit. It is great as a treat or for holiday gifts. I have also included a version made with honey.
Table of Contents
What is Biscotti?
Biscotti are an Italian treat, and literally means ‘twice-cooked’. It is first baked as a log, then sliced and baked again into a dry and crunchy cookie.
Almond biscotti is my all time favorite snack to bake and eat. And this is a time tested and never fail recipe. Literally everyone who knows me has given me their seal of approval and asked for the almond biscotti recipe and cookies.
They keep well for a long time, and so are great for holiday baking, like the famous lebkuchen (German gingerbread cookies).
Anise Almond Biscotti
Here I am sharing a traditional anise almond biscotti recipe and also a version made with honey instead of sugar. There are many ways to customize this cookie to your taste or lifestyle needs. Read further for ideas.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Flour: I use all purpose flour. For a healthier version, use whole wheat pastry flour.
- Butter: The recipe here uses butter, but avocado oil or olive oil works well.
- Sugar: Traditional recipes use regular sugar, but I have also included a recipe using honey in the recipe notes. I use some raw or turbinado sugar to sprinkle on the dough.
- Eggs: We use large eggs, so be sure to check the size of eggs. For egg wash, I prefer to use egg whites. It browns the top well and there is no eggy flavor.
- Almonds: They are the star of this recipe. So I use chopped almonds for the dough and layer sliced almonds on the rolled out dough for appearance and taste.
- Anise Seeds: This works great in combination with the other flavors.
- Almond Flavor: Only a hint of this is sufficient and it rounds of that amazing flavor.
- Vanilla Flavor: For a background flavor and brings together the overall taste.
- Salt: To enhance the sweetness and balance flavor.
- Baking Powder: To check if it is active, take ½ teaspoon baking powder in a small bowl and pour ¼ cup of hot water over. If it foams up, then the baking powder is active.
How To Make the Best Biscotti
Brief overview below. *Full recipe at the end of blog post.
This really is the best almond biscotti recipe and gets rave reviews.
- Make Dough: Combine wet Ingredients with flavors. Sift dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients. Stir until well combined. Mix in chopped almonds.
- Shape Logs: Divide dough and shape into two logs on baking sheet, spacing them apart.
- Topping: Brush egg white on top. Scatter almond slices, raw sugar and press down gently.
- First Bake: Bake logs until golden brown, cool completely and cut slices.
- Second Bake: Lower oven temperature. Arrange cookie slices on baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes. Flip cookies and bake other side, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Store: Transfer to rack and cool. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
Top Tips
- If the dough is sticky, refrigerate for an hour to firm it up.
- Pay attention to the dimensions of your shaped logs and the spacing in between before baking. This will influence the size and shape of your biscotti.
- After the first bake, biscotti loaves should be light golden brown, firm but not hard. They should be easy to slice through.
- Allow to cool the baked logs completely for some hours or overnight. This step is important and will help firm up the loaves which have lots of nuts for cutting even slices.
How To Enjoy Biscotti
- With Coffee: This is the classic way but you can also try it with tea, milk or hot chocolate.
- Gifts: Fill them in beautiful cookie containers or decorative bags to make nice gifts. Everyone one loves these biscotti!
Make Ahead
Measure ingredients and have them ready. Chop almonds and grind anise seeds. Sift flour with baking powder and salt.
Storage and Leftovers
Almond biscotti keep very well for at least 2 to 3 weeks. Make a big batch of this almond biscotti recipe and store it for later in an airtight container, and place parchment paper in between biscotti if they are dipped in chocolate.
Variations
These are some suggestions for this almond biscotti recipe, but I have not tried all of them.
- Vegan: Try to substitute regular eggs with flax eggs. Use oil instead of butter.
- Dairy Free: Replace butter with oil.
- Egg Free: Use flax eggs as mentioned above.
- Gluten Free: Experiment with gluten free flour and/or almond flour. Some adjustments may be needed with wet ingredients.
- No Added Sugar: Try using allulose instead of sugar.
- No Refined Sugar: I have a version made with honey in the recipe notes section.
- Flavor Variation: A combination of almonds, pista & chopped dried fruit (apricots, raisins or cranberries) gives a very colorful appearance.
- With Chocolate: Add chocolate chips or dip the biscotti edges in melted chocolate and allow it to set.
- Healthier Version: I have a variation with whole wheat pastry flour, honey and olive oil in recipe notes. Using honey with some sugar in the recipe gives best results. Biscotti made with oil tastes really good, so it is a great substitution.
Olive oil is used to bake biscotti cookies in some parts of the Mediterranean.
Recipe FAQs
A good biscotti is neither too thick nor too thin, very crunchy, but easy to eat and made from dough that has risen appropriately. The cookie flavors are nicely balanced.
Both oil and butter work well for a biscotti recipe. There is a slight flavor difference. And oil biscotti may taste a bit lighter.
If the biscotti are not crunchy or crisp, it is because they were not baked sufficiently in the second-bake stage. Using a longer bake time and a lower temperature will give the best results. The biscotti will turn crunchy while not browning too much on the top.
Every oven is different. So, for the second-bake step, I test between 275 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 to 15 minutes to find what is optimal for a dry crispness. Also check to make sure your oven is calibrated properly.
If biscotti turn softer during storage or after a freeze-thaw cycle, then bake it again like we do for the second-bake stage.
Nutrition Facts
This version of biscotti is loaded with almonds, which are a great source of vitamins, minerals, protein, unsaturated fats and fiber.
Research has shown that consumption of almonds can boost plasma vitamin E levels and thereby protect against the artery clogging oxidation of cholesterol.
These nuts are also associated with reduced risk of colon cancer and coronary heart disease; and improved blood lipid profile.
More Almond Recipes
- Chocolate Almond Cake Recipe (Gluten Free)
- Almond Granola Bars (Energy Bars)
- Apricot Almond Marzipan Stollen
- Almond Pound Cake
★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
Best Almond Biscotti Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, or 6½ tablespoon oil
- 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoon more if not using raw sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon ground anise seeds or less as per taste
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 3¼ cups all purpose flour
or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon
salt
- 1 cup whole almonds coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons egg white
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
Instructions
- Prep: Position the rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
- Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine melted butter and sugar. Then add eggs, ground aniseed, vanilla extract, almond extract and combine.
- Dough: Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and add to the wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Finally mix in chopped almonds.
- Tip: If the dough is sticky, refrigerate for an hour to firm it up.
- Make Logs: Divide dough in two portions. With floured hands, roll each portion into a cylindrical log about 10 inches long.
- Shape Logs: Carefully transfer both logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Gently flatten and shape each portion into a 12 inch long and 3½ inch wide log and make sure they are about 3 inches apart on the baking sheet, as the logs will spread while baking.
- Topping: Whisk egg white in a small bowl and brush over top and sides of the logs. Scatter almond slices and raw sugar on the top and press down gently.
- First Bake: Bake logs until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Allow the baked logs to cool down completely, about couple hours or more.
- Slice Loaves: Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer baked logs to a wooden cutting board. Using a sharp and long serrated knife, cut logs in a back and forth motion, diagonally into ½ inch thick slices.
- Second Bake: Place the slices on baking sheet, cut side down. Bake about 10 minutes, then flip the cookies gently and bake the other side until just beginning to color, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Store: Transfer to rack and cool. The biscotti should be very dry and crunchy. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- Testing: The baking times may vary slightly with the oven. Test the time and temperature for your oven. You can easily make half the recipe for testing.
- Storage: Almond biscotti keep very well for at least 2 to 3 weeks. Make a big batch and store it for later in an airtight container, and place parchment paper in between biscotti if they are dipped in chocolate.
- For more information on ingredients, variations, recipe FAQs and serving suggestions, scroll up the page to the blog post.
- Biscotti with honey
- 6½ tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 5 tablespoons honey
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 small eggs
- 1 tablespoon ground anise seeds, or less as per taste
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 3¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour, (or sub 50% with all purpose flour)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole almonds, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons egg whites
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar, optional
- The baking temperature should be lower when the dough is prepared with honey. Use 325 degrees Fahrenheit for the first-bake and 300 degrees Fahrenheit for the second bake cycle.
Nutrition
More Cookie Recipes
This post was first published on April 13th 2016 and has been updated with improvements in recipe, pictures, tips, FAQs and additional enhancements.
CAT
Would I be able to use almond flour instead of wheat flour with allulose as my sweetener? Thank you!
Roxana Begum
That would require some testing and adjusting especially for almond flour. Lowering the oil or butter used and likely some adjustment with the amount of eggs used to make a dough. May be 2 eggs and about half the butter, but testing would reveal final adjustments.
Kari Richmond
These are delicious and a wonderful texture - crunchy but not dry. Excellent dipped in coffee, tea, or milk, but also excellent dry! Excited to add these to our holiday recipe file!
Roxana Begum
Hi Kari. Thanks for your lovely feedback. And so happy you liked it.
Debbra
Excellent post. I used to be checking continuously this blog and I'm impressed!
Very useful info specially the closing part :) I deal with such info much.
I was looking for this certain info for a long time.
Thanks and best of luck.
Roxana
I really appreciate it. Thanks for the encouragement.