Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti

This recipe turned me into a biscotti lover. Sweetened with brown sugar, flavored with toasted almonds, and dipped in chocolate puts this crunchy biscotti at the top of my coffee pairing list!

Recipe #7 for my Christmas Cookie Palooza is all about coffee’s cookie bestie.

Up until recently, I’ve turned my nose up on biscotti. Dry, boring, crumbly, crunchy, no. It’s the same way I felt about scones until I discovered just how tender, flaky, crumbly (in a good way!), and flavorful scones can be. Well, my friends, biscotti can be the same way. Maybe not “tender” but definitely enjoyable.

If you’ve got the right recipe, of course.

Biscotti is a traditional Italian cookie where the dough is formed into logs, baked, cooled slightly, and baked again in slices. I’ve learned that Italians use the word “biscotti” to refer to various types of cookies and Americans use the term to describe this particular long, crisp, twice-baked, sophisticated looking cookie. Biscotti’s crunchy texture and its flavor possibilities make it a coffee-pairing favorite.

If you do one thing this weekend, make this chocolate-dipped almond biscotti. Even if you don’t like biscotti, this recipe will change everything you know about it—really! Not all biscotti are created equal and there is no one perfect way to make it. My recipe uses several power ingredients to get the best possible texture. Think: crunchy without breaking your teeth. Crumbly without tasting sandy or dry. And when dipped into a steamy mug of coffee? Wow. It will just melt in your mouth. It’s a devilishly delicious Italian cookie. Let’s look into those power ingredients a little further.

Food Science // Nerd Alert

Traditionally, biscotti’s only wet ingredients are eggs. Many recipes these days call for butter and/or oil. The addition of these two fats makes biscotti a little more flavorful and rich, in my opinion. I use a little of both in my biscotti recipe. The butter is added the same exact way I add it to my crumbly-edged chocolate chip scones and my favorite flaky pie crust: very cold and cut into the dry ingredients. The very small amount of oil adds richness. It’s only 1 Tablespoon, but this Tablespoon does wonders. Really.

I use three eggs in my biscotti. The eggs have two jobs: structure and texture. They help the biscotti keep its shape and keep the biscotti from tasting too dry.

Flavors! I’m excited about all the flavors in this biscotti; they’re all important power ingredients, too. In addition to the butter, the toasted almonds give a ridiculous amount of flavor. Make sure you toast them; that’s where all the flavor comes from. I use all brown sugar to sweeten the biscotti. Brown sugar paired with toasty almonds = fragrant, tasty flavor explosions! Vanilla extract is another flavor you’ll add. Traditional biscotti often calls for anise extract, but I’m not a huge fan of its concentrated licorice flavor. I also don’t like pairing anise with chocolate.

Speaking of chocolate… DUNK!

I’m not going to lie, biscotti is a little time consuming. However, it’s not difficult. There is much more baking time than hands-on time. The dough is made in two bowls, there’s some light kneading with your hands, and then you shape the biscotti into slabs of dough.

Slabs…sounds tasty, right?

I would say that shaping the dough is the hardest part, but as long as you have a ruler and flour on your hands—you’re golden.

Don’t you worry, biscotti baker. I have plenty of step-by-step photos below this recipe. Use the photos as your guide. Remember, take your time and read through the written out recipe before you begin. Your coffee (and your platter of Christmas cookies!) will be happy about this toasty, brown sugared, chocolate dunked pairing. Happy weekend, merry Christmas, let’s eat biscotti.

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First, let’s toast some unsalted almonds in a preheated 300F degree oven for 15 minutes, stirring twice during that time. Yep, you may use salted almonds instead but I prefer unsalted for this biscotti. Once toasted, pulse in a food processor until coarsely chopped up. Big chunks of toasted almonds in the biscotti is what you want. Anything powdery/flour-y will make your biscotti a little dry.

Like this:

Use 1 cup of the coarsely chopped toasted almonds in the biscotti cookie dough. Then, grind up the rest until they are more finely chopped. These will be the little sprinkle on top of the chocolate.

Next, make the biscotti dough. As described in the recipe above, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl then, using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Then toss in the toasted almonds. In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and gently mix with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula until everything is just barely moistened.

On a floured surface, knead dough 8-10 times. Divide dough in half. Using floured hands (very floured hands!) pat 2 balls of dough down into slabs on your baking sheets, about 8-9 inch long. Pat down until each is about 1/2 inch thick. Brush the top and sides of each biscotti slab with egg wash.

You’re doing great so far. It’s so easy from here on out.

Per the written recipe above, bake in batches (or together) for 25-26 minutes, or until the top and sides of the biscotti slabs are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Once the slabs are cool enough to handle, cut each into 1 inch thick slices.

Set slices cut sides upright, 1/4 inch apart, on the baking sheets. Return to the oven to continue baking for 9 minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake other side for 9 minutes.

Remove biscotti from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in chocolate.

That’s it! You’re a biscotti pro.