Ah biscotti; crunchy, delicate, and lovely when dipped into a sweet wine, or a brewed coffee if that’s your preference! If you love buying these dry cookies at your favorite coffee shop and you think you’d like to try your hand at them, you’re in the right place! These two classic biscotti recipes will take you to Tuscany and make you wonder why you haven’t tried to make homemade biscotti sooner!
Biscotti are dry almond biscuits. They are oblong shaped, hard and crunchy, and usually contain almonds or other nuts. The classic way to eat biscotti, is not with coffee, contrary to what we’re often made to believe! Biscotti is traditionally dipped into a drink such as Vin Santo or “holy wine” which is an Italian dessert wine.
Vin Santo hails from Tuscany and traditionally features white grape variations such as Malvasia and Trebbiano. The freshly harvested grapes are dried on straw mats, and usually in warm areas; therefore these wines are sometimes referred to as “straw wines”.
The process of drying grapes to make wine has been around for centuries. But where did this wine get its name? The name Vin Santo, or “holy wine” is believed to have originated in the historic use of sweet wines in Catholic Mass. This style of wine made its way to Santorini, Greece and then to Russia to be used in Mass at the Russian Orthodox Church.
The proper way to eat biscotti according to Italians, is to dip it into Vin Santo, not coffee. A sweet note of the Vin Santo on the dry biscotti is all that’s needed for the perfect taste.
Biscotto, originating from the Latin word biscoctus, refers to a cookie or biscuit and means “twice cooked”. The purpose of having a biscuit or cookie twice cooked was not just to achieve a crunchy texture. Twice baked goods were common during wars, and journeys for their extended shelf life. Biscotto were twice cooked to become extra dry, so that they could be stored for long periods of time. Because of this, biscotti were a staple food for Roman Legions.
The original name for biscotti is cantuccio, meaning “nook” or “corner”. This same word was also used to describe a small piece of bread with lots of crust. The small outer pieces of a loaf of bread were considered cantuccio. However over time, biscotti became the modern Italian way of referring to these twice cooked biscuits.
Speaking of biscotti’s origin, yes you likely guessed it; the birth of biscotti is Prato, a Tuscan town in Italy. Today in Tuscany, biscotti are more commonly referred to as cantuccio.
What are biscotti made of? Traditional biscotti is composed to only four ingredients: flour, eggs, sugar, and almonds. Today the accepted traditional recipe for biscotti comes to us from Antonio Mattei, a chef from Prato who rediscovered the original recipe.
Modern biscotti recipes contain a variation of nuts; almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and pistachios are most commonly used. Today spices and herbs such as cinnamon and star anise may be added to biscotti. Baking powder and other spices may be added to the flour.
Many people like to dip their biscotti into chocolate. So I figured, since biscotti is so versatile and you can really play around with the flavors, why not try two ways to make biscotti? A classic almond biscotto needs a chocolate biscotto companion!
Classic Almond Biscotti
What You Need:
3 tbsp butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup almonds (chopped)
Instructions:
Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Now it’s time to get messy!
In one bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until smooth. Beat in eggs. I’d recommend using an electric mixer for this job to ensure creaminess. Now we can add our vanilla and almond extracts and mix.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually and beat on low speed until well combined. Fold in almonds.
It helps to separate the dough into two. Then mold the dough into two logs about 8 inches long. The logs should be approximately 3/4 or 1 inch thick so use your fingers to press them down and flatten.
Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Allow the logs to cool for 45 minutes and then use a super sharp knife to cut the log on a diagonal into biscotti pieces. Bake again for 13-15 minutes for the “twice baked” crunchiness. Biscotti may be stored for 1-2 weeks in an air tight container.
Chocolate Biscotti
What You Need:
3 tbsp butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup macadamia nuts (chopped)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In one bowl, combine sugar and butter and use an electric mixer to combine until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients: all purpose flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Gradually combine the wet and dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts.
Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Allow the logs to cool for 45 minutes and then use a super sharp knife to cut the log on a diagonal into biscotti pieces. Bake again for 13-15 minutes for the “twice baked” crunchiness. Biscotti may be stored for 1-2 weeks in an air tight container.
So here we have two yummy ways to make classic biscotti. But you don’t have to stop here; there are countless ingredients, spices, and additions you can use when making biscotti at home. With the actual method and recipe being so simple, don’t be afraid to experiment with flavors and textures!
A few other favorite biscotti flavors of mine are cranberry and orange biscotti, cranberry and pistachio biscotti, even white chocolate chip biscotti!
If you’ve ever felt intimidated by biscotti, I hope I’ve shown you just how easy and simple it is to make, and how versatile it can be! Enjoy!