“When I was growing up, biscotti was a hard sell,” says Carla Lalli Music. “Compared with all the other holiday cookies, the rock-hard one that you dipped in licorice-flavored liqueur was grouped under Things Adults Like That Make No Sense. Now that I’m grown, though, I’ve embraced biscotti as the anti-gooey-chewy cookie that can be packed with my preferred dessert flavors: coffee, chocolate, and nuts. Mine come out crisp but tender, and they’re sturdy enough to dunk in amaro, bourbon, or cold milk—because even in adulthood, I don’t understand sambuca.” An extra egg yolk and plenty of butter help these biscotti stay tender even after being baked twice.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 22
Ingredients
⅔
3
2
2
2
1
½
1
2
3
Preparation
Step 1
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool, then very coarsely chop. Reduce oven heat to 325°.
Step 2
Separate yolk from 1 egg over a small bowl to catch egg white. Place yolk in another small bowl. Set egg white aside for brushing dough. Crack remaining 2 eggs into bowl with yolk. Add espresso powder and beat with a fork to combine and dissolve.
Step 3
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 cup (200 g) sugar until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add egg yolk mixture and coffee extract; beat just to combine. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. Add hazelnuts and chocolate and mix just to evenly distribute. Divide dough evenly between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Run your hands under cold water, then shape each dough mound into a 5" square about 1" thick. Beat reserved egg white with a fork until foamy and brush over loaves (you won’t need all of it). Sprinkle very generously with sugar.
Step 4
Bake loaves, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until firm in the center and starting to crisp at the edges, 30–35 minutes. (They will spread quite a bit as they bake.) Transfer baking sheets to wire racks; let loaves cool 15 minutes.
Step 5
Working one at a time, carefully transfer loaves to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice ½" thick. Arrange biscotti cut side down on baking sheets and bake, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until dry and crisp, 30–35 minutes. Transfer baking sheets back to racks and let biscotti cool.
Do ahead: Biscotti can be baked 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
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Reviews (84)
Back to TopGreat base recipe, but I really didn't get much of the coffee flavor. Could have been the brand I used maybe? This recipe still made a good nutty chocolate chip biscotti though 🤷🏻♀️
Anonymous
Boston, MA
12/24/2021
Okay guys I've made biscotti for several years and this one once again was an easy recipe to make. I followed it and I have a few comments to make. It is a good biscotti however I would suggest that you make your loaves much longer than 5 in square because after my biscotti cooked it was 8 in in length which is a little bit long for biscotti. And I want to thank whoever said to use that electric knife because you are an angel. I dug out my old electric knife and it works like a charm ladies no problems. However because I did not want an 8 in biscotti I simply cut them in half and then put them on the tray for my second baking. Now you're saying that's not going to be as pretty well that's true but I also dipped my biscotti in chocolate on that end. So it was a nice trade-off. Also it is so simple if you will simply transfer your parchment paper with your biscotti on it to your rack let it sit a little bit and then take a metal spatula and loosen it a little bit and you can very easily transfer your biscotti using your parchment paper as a guide over onto your chopping board. No problem there I did not find that mine was too delicate. Now for the flavor I did do what one lady suggested and I put two tablespoons of cocoa into my batter and I will say that it probably helped. It is not an extremely strong flavor as I thought it would be when I tasted it raw but it is a good flavor. And of course being dipped in chocolate always helps. Enjoy your baking ladies
Granny7
Paducah, KY
12/15/2021
Hello Can I substitute the dry espresso coffee crystals with real espresso coffee, very short, and if so, must I increase the flour or other dry ingredients? Thank you for getting back to me soonest. I plan to make these on Thursday as holiday giveaways. Merci!
Marie Fabiola BOLDUC
Montreal, Québec CANADA
12/8/2021
These are just very dry cookies without the crunchy character of biscotti and the flavor is bland. I followed the recipe using espresso powder, vanilla extract, regular semisweet chocolate and hazelnuts. I've made biscotti many times but wouldn't make this recipe again.
Anonymous
Queens, NY
12/5/2021
I swapped walnuts for hazelnuts because I never can find hazelnuts at the store and these still rocked. Great for seasonal cookie boxes. That espresso powder really packs a punch.
Anonymous
Culpeper va
11/21/2021
I had high hopes for this recipe and it exceeded my expectations! My friends think these are the best biscotti ever. This recipe won't disappoint if you like coffee & chocolate.
Liz B
southampton, ny
9/25/2021
I made these recently, and they are absolutely fantastic! I had no problems at all with the recipe. They are light, crunchy, and the flavor is heavenly. Well worth the work involved! I had never made biscotti, so this was a first effort, and definitely I'll be making them again. The combination of flavors is just perfect. Best recipe ever!
Ingrid H.
Eugene, OR
9/24/2021