Here is an easy recipe for biscotti. This vanilla biscotti recipe is the perfect base to add all types of flavor variations. I have listed out ingredient variations from almonds to cranberries so you can create your own unique recipe.
Make this delicious classic Italian treat easily at home with this vanilla biscotti recipe. Get baking and add in your favorite flavors and spices to make your own delicious homemade biscotti.
What is biscotti?
Biscotti is a crunchy cookie that is baked twice and most often paired with coffee. Coffee and cookies…Yes Please!
This classic combination of coffee and cookies is an absolute treat. Biscotti means “twice cooked” in Italian, and this tasty treat embodies what makes it so special.
Biscotti is crunchier than other cookies due to its double baking process, which also gives it a longer shelf life. This makes the biscotti a perfect pairing with coffee, tea, or espresso since its crunch will hold up in the hot liquid.
Whether you enjoy it with a latte or just by itself as a snack, biscotti is a delicious treat that can bring a little bit of cozy comfort to any day.
Easy Biscotti Baking Tips
Follow these tips for making the best biscotti.
- Biscotti is actually really simple to make. It is just like making cookies. You just have to bake it twice to get it nice and crunchy.
- You can use a Biscotti Pan
- Using a rubber spatula (because the dough is sticky) and a rolling pin I formed the dough into an oblong shape and rolled the dough starting from the outside edges and rolling towards the middle. This formed the classic biscotti oblong shape.
- It is very important to let the biscotti completely cool before slicing it otherwise it will crumble.
Easy Biscotti Recipe Ingredients
As mentioned before, these are just the base ingredients for vanilla biscotti. There are so many ways you can flavor biscotti.
- 6 Tbs butter
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
If you don’t have butter you can substitute it with vegetable oil.
Easy Biscotti Recipe Directions
Learn how to make a classic Italian treat with this step-by-step guide.
First, get prepped. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease one large cookie sheet orBiscotti Pan. You will also want to gather your ingredients and measure them out.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and baking powder until the mixture is smooth.
Mix in any additional ingredients you desire. This could be chopped nuts or spices like cinnamon. See the list below for all variations.
Next, beat in the eggs. The batter may look curdled. Put your mixer on low speed and add the flour, stirring until smooth.
Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Shape the dough into one oblong log or divide the dough for shorter biscotti cookies.
Straighten the logs, and smooth their tops and sides with a rubber spatula and rolling pin.
Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven heat to 325F. While the oven heat is reducing let the dough cool on the counter.
Once the dough has cooled down use a serrated knife and cut the dough into 1/2-inch wide slices.
Separate the biscotti slices and place them back in the oven. Bake for 30 more minutes at the reduced temperature.
Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool and store in an airtight container.
Variations:
You can add kinds of fruits, nuts, and spices to your biscotti recipe. Since this is a basic vanilla biscotti recipe here are some variations to try.
- Dried fruit: Apple pieces, cranberry, figs, cherry
- Nuts: Almonds, pistachio, walnuts, hazelnut
- Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, anise
- Extracts: Almond, lemon, orange.
- Chocolate: Melt the chocolate and dip the biscotti or mix in chocolate chips.
A Note about adding other ingredients:
- A good starting point when adding spices is with one teaspoon.
- When adding dried fruit or nuts a good amount is 1/4 cup.
- Adding additional extracts start with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.
After you get used to making homemade biscotti and experimenting with flavors you can add more to your taste.
How to Shape the Biscotti Dough by hand
- Lightly grease the largest size cookie pan you have. I shaped the dough directly on the pan.
- The shape you want is a rectangle with rounded corners. With the dough slightly higher down the middle. Like a little hill.
- The dough is sticky so I use a rolling pin and a rubber spatula.
- With the rubber spatula, I keep the rectangle sides straight. I use the rolling pin to smooth out the dough starting from the outside working in. This pushes the dough to the center to create the little hill.
Easy Vanilla Biscotti Recipe
Easy Vanilla Biscotti
Yield: 16
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Make this delicious classic Italian treat easily at home with this vanilla biscotti recipe. Get baking and add in your favorite flavors and spices to make your own delicious homemade biscotti.
Ingredients
- 6 Tbs butter
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease one large cookie sheet or Biscotti Pan.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and baking powder until the mixture is smooth.
- Mix in any additional ingredients you desire. *See notes below.
- Beat in the eggs. The batter may look curdled.
- Put your mixer on a low speed and add the flour, stirring until smooth.
- Place dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Shape the dough into one log or two depending on how big you want your biscotti.
- Straighten the logs, and smooth their tops and sides with a rubber spatula and rolling pin.
- Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Reduce the heat to 325F. While the oven heat is reducing let the dough cool on the counter.
- Once cooled down use a serrated knife and cut the dough into 1/2 inch wide slices.
- Separate the biscotti slices and place back in the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Place on a rack to cool and store in an airtight container.
Notes
Since this is a basic biscotti recipe here are variations.
Dried fruit: Apple pieces, cranberry, figs, cherry
Nuts: Almonds, pistachio, walnuts, hazelnut
Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, anise
Extracts: Almond, lemon, orange
Chocolate: Melt the chocolate and dip the biscotti or mix in chocolate chips.
ANoteabout adding other ingredients:
A good starting point when adding spices is with one teaspoon.
When adding dried fruit or nuts a good amount is 1/4 cup.
Adding additional extracts start with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.
Read the article above for all tips and tricks for making the perfect biscotti.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 139Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 162mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g
All amounts are estimates and DailyAppetite takes no responsibility for actual figures since calculations vary by packaging and supplier.
