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Almond biscotti have a crisp texture, a clear almond flavor and are firm enough to hold up when dunked in coffee, tea or your drink of choice. A touch of orange zest in these classic Italian biscotti adds a fruity touch and complements the nutty flavor. I like the split of whole and chopped almonds here for easier slicing. One of the best-loved traditional Italian recipes, classic almond biscotti are known all over the world for their distinctive texture, flavor and dunkability.
Why You’ll Love It
Almond biscotti are firm, crisp cookies with almonds and a touch of orange zest in the dough.
Firm crisp texture: The double bake gives these the dry crunch biscotti are supposed to have, so they don’t turn into a regular almond cookie.
Bold almond flavor: Almond extract gives the dough a stronger almond taste than nuts alone would.
Not too sweet: If you find most cookies too sweet, try these. The sugar level is enough for biscotti, but the cookies still taste more of almonds than plain sweetness.
Made for dunking: These hold together in coffee or tea because the texture is dry and firm.
If you like these, you may also enjoy my pistachio biscotti, canestrelli cookies, cranberry orange biscotti, and black and white cookies.
Almond Biscotti Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Flour: This gives the classic Italian cookies their structure.
Baking powder: To keep the crumb from becoming too dense.
Granulated sugar: This sweetens the dough and helps the slices dry out in the oven.
Butter: Butter adds richness and keeps the crumb from turning chalky. Don’t use melted butter here, because it won’t cream properly with the sugar. Do make sure it’s softened though – leave it on the counter for half an hour before mixing.
Eggs: These bind the Italian biscotti dough and help the logs hold together.
Flavor extracts: Vanilla extract fills things out, while almond extract gives the Italian almond biscotti a stronger almond flavor.
Orange zest: This adds a light citrus note that cuts through the sweetness.
Whole and chopped almonds: I like to roughly chop half the almonds to help with slicing the biscotti. Whole almonds give you larger pieces in the slice. Chopped almonds fill the gaps, so the nuts are spread more evenly through the dough. Use raw almonds, not toasted almonds or roasted almonds, as they will be toasted in the oven during cooking and might go too dark.
How to Make Almond Biscotti
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
Beat the butter and sugar: Mix until creamy and pale in a large bowl.
Add the eggs and flavorings: Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla, almond extract and orange zest.
Add the dry mixture: Add flour mixture and mix until combined.
Fold in the almonds: Stir in the whole and chopped almonds with a spatula.
Shape the logs: Lightly flour your hands, divide the dough in half and shape it into 2 biscotti loaves or logs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
First bake: Bake until the logs are lightly golden and firm through the middle.
Cool briefly: Let the logs sit until warm. If they’re too hot, they can break when sliced.
Slice: Use a serrated knife and cut the logs diagonally into cookies.
Second bake: Return the slices to the tray, bake one side, flip and bake again until golden brown, dry and crisp.
Substitutions and Variations
Lemon zest swap: Lemon zest can replace the orange zest if you want a sharper citrus note.
Salted butter switch: If you use salted butter, reduce the added salt to ¼ teaspoon. You might be wondering about olive oil, but I don’t recommend that because the dough would be loose, resulting in overly dense biscotti.
Less almond extract: Reduce it a little if you want the nut flavor to come more from the almonds themselves.
Softer biscotti texture option: Shorten the second bake by a couple of minutes if you want a slightly less hard cookie.
Optional add-ins: Mini dark chocolate chips, anise seeds or dried fruit would work.
Serving Suggestions
With coffee: Biscotti go well with a pistachio latte, cinnamon dolce latte or espresso. You might also like this iced shaken oat milk espresso if you want something different.
With tea: If tea’s more your thing, consider peach black tea lemonade or medicine ball tea.
With wine: Pair a crunchy cookie with a glass of Vin Santo, the Tuscan way to serve cantucci! Fruity or citrusy biscotti are also good with Moscato d’Asti, Marsala wine or your preferred fortified, sweet wine. Another delicious dunking idea is my homemade limoncello!
How to Store
Store: Once cooled, store biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Freeze: Freeze homemade biscotti in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Let them thaw at room temperature until fully defrosted.
Top Tips
Use a serrated knife: It cuts through the almonds more cleanly than a straight blade. I like to sharpen mine first!
Flour your hands lightly: That helps with shaping without drying out the dough.
Slice while warm: I find that warm logs are easier to cut than very hot or fully cold ones.
Watch the second bake: That stage changes the final texture more than anything else. I recommend that you keep an eye on the cookies so they don’t brown too much.
Biscotti/Cantucci FAQs
Cantucci is the term for the traditional Tuscan almond cookies. Biscotti is the broader Italian word for any twice-baked cookies. In practice, almond biscotti like these are often called cantucci, but not every biscotti is cantucci, as there are many biscotti versions, not all of which are limited to almonds only.
It has butter and eggs in it, so it’s softer than many cookie doughs. A little flour on your hands usually solves that. You don’t need to chill the dough unless your kitchen is very warm, the dough feels very loose and won’t hold together or your butter got too soft. If any of those apply, chill it for 20 to 30 minutes before the first bake.
Straight from the oven, the crumb is still too soft. A short rest gives you cleaner cuts.
Almond Biscotti Recipe
Almond Biscotti
Equipment
- Baking Sheet Large
- Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Teaspoon baking powder
- ½ Teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- ½ Cup unsalted butter, 1 Stick, softened
- 2 eggs, large
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Teaspoon almond extract
- 1 Teaspoon orange zest
- 1 Cup raw almonds, ½ Cup whole and ½ Cup roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the Biscotti Dough
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt until evenly combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and creamy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated.
- Mix in the vanilla extract, almond extract and orange zest until smooth and fragrant.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl in 2 additions, mixing on low speed just until the dough comes together. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky but should hold together.
- Fold in all the almonds using a spatula until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Shape the Dough into Logs
- Lightly flour a clean dry surface. Place the dough onto the surface.
- Flour your hands and form the dough into a big ball.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.
- Shape each portion into a log 8 or 9 inches long, 2 to 3 inches wide, and about an inch thick.
- Place the logs on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 3 to 4 inches between each log.
Bake the Almond Biscotti
- Bake the logs for 30 minutes until lightly golden and set in the center.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the logs cool for 15 to 20 minutes, until they firm up slightly but are still warm.
Slice into Cookies
- Transfer the logs to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to slice them diagonally into about ¾-inch-thick cookies.
Bake Them again
- Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, back on the baking sheet and return them to the oven.
- Bake for 7 minutes.
- Flip each biscotti over and bake an additional 6 minutes until dry and lightly crisp.
Let Them Cool
- Allow the biscotti to cool completely on the baking sheet. The cookies will continue to crisp as they cool.
- Serve with coffee, espresso or tea for delicious dunking!
Notes
Flour your hands lightly: That helps with shaping without drying out the dough.
Slice while warm: I find that warm logs are easier to cut than very hot or fully cold ones.
Watch the second bake: That stage changes the final texture more than anything else. I recommend that you keep an eye on the cookies so they don’t brown too much.
Nutrition
This classic italian almond cookie recipe gives you cookies that are hard, crisp and full of almonds. The dough gets most of its flavor from almond extract, with orange zest there for a hint of fruitiness. Using whole and chopped almonds helps distribute the nuts more evenly through each slice, so that’s my go-to method now. The finished cookies are dry and traditional, with that perfect biscotti texture.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
