If you agree that chocolate and almonds are just about the best thing ever, you will also want to check out our Chocolate Marshmallow Almond Rocky Road Cookies and Burnt Almond Fudge Ice Cream! One of my very favorite treats during the wintertime when it’s cold is a steaming mug of hot chocolate with a piece of crunchy, almond biscotti for dunking. The dry, hard texture of these Italian cookies is what gives biscotti the ability to soak up whatever you dip it into and convey it to your mouth. And when you take almond biscotti and drizzle or dip them in melted dark chocolate, it becomes an even more impressive and special treat that is perfect for wrapping in cellophane and gifting to teachers, co-workers, and neighbors along with a cute mug and some hot chocolate mix.
Why This Recipe Works
It’s packed with plenty of toasted almond chunks, not just a few sad slivers of sliced almonds. There is lots of crunch in every bite. We stick with the traditional method of using no oil or butter for a crunchier cookie with a longer shelf-life and greater ability to stand up to dunking in your favorite beverage of choice. Most people like them with coffee, tea, or even just milk.
What is biscotti?
The word biscotti actually refers to more than one type of cookie in Italian. But the one most Americans think of as biscotti are these long, crisp, twice-baked cookies that I’m sharing here. It’s an Italian cookie from the Tuscany region that has been around since at least the 14th century and there are endless flavor variations. But this almond biscotti recipe is my favorite of them all. Traditionally, biscotti is made without butter or oil and only uses eggs to bind the rest of the ingredients. I was dubious about the ability of 3 eggs to hold together the flour called for in many of the traditional biscotti recipes I looked at when developing this recipe. But after lots of testing, including less traditional versions that call for butter or oil, and multiple batches of biscotti, I kept going back to using only eggs with no extra added fat because it was the kind I liked best!
December Christmas Sweet Challenge
I would LOVE it if you would share on social media using the hashtag #houseofnasheats and tagging me (@houseofnasheats), but it’s not required for entry. The challenge is open to anyone and ends on December 30th at 10pm PST. The winner will be randomly selected and on here with a post update on December 31st, 2021. I will reach out via email or DM to notify the winner.
Ingredient Notes
Almonds: You want whole, raw almonds for this recipe so you can toast them to bring out their rich nuttiness. I buy mine in bulk from Costco and store them in the freezer where they will be good for up to 2 years. Eggs: These play an important role in binding the biscotti together as they provide the only liquid and fat (from the yolks) in this almond biscotti recipe. Chocolate: While dipping your biscotti cookies in chocolate isn’t necessary, it makes them extra fancy and special, especially for gift-giving. I like using the Ghiradelli dark chocolate melting wafers, but any good quality chocolate will work.
How to Make This Recipe
When making chocolate-dipped almond biscotti, the first step is to toast the whole almonds for 12-15 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Then transfer the nuts to a cutting board and roughly chop them. One of my favorite things about this biscotti is the fantastic crunch of barely chopped, practically whole almonds pebbled throughout the biscotti. The next step is to beat the eggs and sugar until light and creamy. You will actually see the color lighten a bit as this happens over about 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extract (to boost that wonderful almond flavor!) and stir to combine. Then mix in the flour, baking powder, salt, and chopped almonds just until combined. You should be able to do this using a spatula, but if you are struggling to get everything to come together, just dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times. Dust your hands with a little flour, then divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape into two logs approximately 9-inches by 3-inches long and wide, and 1/2-inch tall-ish. I just do the shaping on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat and make sure there are a few inches between the two logs so they have room to spread. Then bake until the loaf of biscotti starts to brown around the edges and on the bottom, about 25-30 minutes in the preheated 350 degree F oven. Now the fun part happens. Pull the biscotti from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cutting board and slicing into 9-10 slices per log using a sharp knife. Some people like to slice on the diagonal, but I think straight across is easier and just as pretty. Lay all of the sliced biscotti cut-side down on the baking sheet, then pop back in the oven for another 10-12 minutes on both sides for a total 20-24 minutes additional cooking time until golden brown. The purpose of the second baking is to dry out the biscotti. It’s what hardens them until they are nice and crunchy so they can stand up to a good dunking. After cooling completely on the counter, the biscotti will harden into crunchy cookies that are just right for drizzling or dunking in melted chocolate. If you find that your biscotti haven’t hardened as much as you would like, just pop them back in the oven for a bit to dry them out more. Adding a chocolate coating to almond biscotti is an American adaptation that I don’t do every time or even with a whole batch of biscotti, but man alive does a good coating of dark chocolate and sprinkle of chopped almonds dress things up! I usually do about half the batch with chocolate and leave the rest plain. Just melt your chocolate carefully in the microwave, then use a spoon to drizzle it over the biscotti or dunk ½ of each biscotti in the melted chocolate and sprinkle with a few reserved chopped, toasted almonds for decoration.
Recipe Tips
Allow the loaves to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing so you don’t burn your fingers cutting them into individual biscotti. Start with room temperature eggs. Since they are your only binding ingredient in this recipe, this is important because they will whip up better at room temperature than if they are cold. Cool the biscotti completely, then store the baked biscotti in an airtight container for up to 1 month. If your dough is too dry and crumbly to hold together, just add another beaten egg. But this issue can typically be avoided by measuring your flour properly. Flavor variations: You can easily change up the flavor profile of your biscotti by swapping out the almonds for another nut like pistachios, hazelnuts, or pine nuts, or adding in dried fruit or zest like cranberries and orange.
More Great Giftable Holiday Treats
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods Grandma Nash’s Best Butter Almond English Toffee Whipped Cinnamon Honey Butter Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
This post was originally published in December, 2018. The photos and content were updated in December, 2021. Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
