Chocolate Almond Biscotti
Chocolate Almond Biscotti, also known as Cantucci, a twice baked Italian cookie, this traditional Italian Chocolate Cookie is made with whole roasted almonds. A definite holiday treat.
a special treat in our house, always made during the Christmas season.
I have been perfecting these Almond Biscotti for awhile now, the first few batches I made with butter and no honey, one completely fell apart after the first bake and one batch I was so fed up with, I made it into one big log.
Not a good idea!
But then after having a couple of conversations with some of my Italian family members and friends I discovered that true biscotti has no butter and yes a teaspoon or two of honey is recommended.
Did you know that honey gives these Cantucci the crunchiness that they are famous for. More honey more crunchiness. But I think a teaspoon or a teaspoon and a half is all you really need.
Our friend told us that when his father made them he would add so much honey that they would almost break your teeth. That I don’t need.
These biscuits originated from Prato a city in Tuscany, and are usually served with an Italian Dessert wine, called Vin Santo. But we like them dipped in regular wine or a strong espresso.
Or why not dip them in some melted chocolate and call them Double Chocolate Biscotti!
More Chocolate Desserts you may enjoy!
- Easy Chocolate Chip Whipped Shortbread
- Italian Chocolate Pastry Cream
- Big Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Chocolate Torrone
- Nutella Chocolate Layer Cake
What you will need to make these Chocolate Almond Biscotti
- Wire Rack – When making cookies a wire rack is must have.
- Hand Beater – This is something I use constantly. Nothing like a good hand beater.
- Pastry Brush – Perfect for brushing on an egg wash or milk.
- Honey – A must ingredient in Biscotti.
Whether you call these Traditional Italian Chocolate Almond Biscotti, Cantucci or Biscotti, I think you will find them very tasty and so easy to make. They are a perfectly delicious addition to your holiday baking. Enjoy!
Chocolate Almond Biscotti
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole skinned almonds
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 – 1½ teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- zest from 1/2 orange
- 3½ ounces dark chocolate (good quality)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F/180C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- On an unlined cookie sheet toast almonds for approximately 5 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Remove from oven, move to a small bowl and let cool.
- In a medium bowl beat eggs and sugar to combine, then add flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, honey, vanilla and zest and combine with a wooden spoon, then fold in the almonds.
- Move to a lightly floured flat surface and gently knead into a soft dough.
- Divide into 2-3 parts and form into 2-3 logs (I found 3 logs to be just right). Approximately 8-10 inches long, place on prepared cookie sheet and brush with beaten egg (a small egg), bake for approximately 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, let sit 5 minutes and then cut each log into 1/4 inch slices on the diagonal, place cut side up on the cookie sheet and bake again for approximately 5-10 minutes or until dry. Let cool completely before dipping in melted chocolate. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
How To Store Homemade Biscotti
Once the pistachio biscotti are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep well for up to two weeks at room temperature.Can Biscotti Be Frozen?
Biscotti can be frozen. Once the cookies have cooled completely, place them in a freezer bag or container. The cookies will last up to three months in the freezer. You can also freeze the raw biscotti logs. Wrap in plastic and place in a freezer bag. They will keep for about a month in the freezer. Be sure to let them thaw in the fridge before proceeding with the recipe.Nutrition
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There was no oil in this recipe, so I added 4 tablespoons of melted butter. It made a better dough – otherwise it was crumbly. Also – I think the baking times are wrong – not baking enough for each bake. Recipe did not mention to flip the cut cookies and bake equal times. Nothing about melting the chocolate for dipping, so I just added the chips to the dough.
The recipe popped up with this: “NaN teaspoons honey.” Honey much honey?
Hi Michele, sorry about that, I did fix and I have no idea why it does that. It should be 1 -1 1/2 teaspoons. Take care.
Dough was very dry and crumbly. I had to bake it much longer than the recipe stated. The flavor was bland. I’ve made much better biscotti.
If the dough is dry then add more butter. Hope that helps.
The recipe I saw did not state to use butter, but I did.
Hi Ione, authentic Italian biscotti do not include butter or oil. 🙂
Hi can u use chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate in the mix ? And how much ?
Hi Marisa, yes you could, probably about a 1/4-1/3 cup would work. Let me know how it goes. Take care!
IMHO:
If substituting for the cocoa I would melt the chocolate, let it cool, and add it to the wet ingredients; then increase the flour a tablespoon or two as needed to avoid a too sticky dough or if add chocolate chips (not melted) as they are I would increase the vanilla extract to two teaspoons.or swap out the vanilla – in part or all for almond extract.
Can’t wait to try this! I once bought an issue of Gourmet magazine that had an entire article on biscotti. And like your recipe, NONE of them used butter. They were fantastic. And of course, I managed to lose the magazine while moving. So I’m glad to have come across your recipe!
Hi Allan, thanks so much, I hope you enjoy them. Let me know. Take care and have a great week!
Can these be frozen?
Hi Rosie, yes they can be frozen, freeze in a freezer safe bag or container. They will keep for up to 3 months. Take care!
Hello, is the calorie count of 89 with or without chocolate dip? Great recipe by the way 😉
Hi Alana, I included the chocolate in the calorie count, as long as you only use 3 1/2 ounces. 🙂
These were amazing! I following the directions exactly and am thrilled! Making a triple batch today to send to relatives for Christmas…
Hi Noora, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Merry Christmas.
I made these, in haste, as I needed a gift for a friends [grand]baby birth! I filled two cellophane gift bags and… the leftover biscotti? I ate them all by myself and I’m not normally a sweet eater. These are the best biscotti ever!! I added cranberries and the new mum, grandparents and family loved them so. Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s now my biscotti ‘go to.’ P. S I’m about to make another batch as my family complained that they’d missed out!! Thank you again x
Hi Chris, thanks so much, so glad everyone liked them. Take care.
Fabulous recipe! I’m enjoying one now with a cup of espresso , and it is delightful. Most of the batch went as a birthday treat to a friend who recently recovered from coronavirus.
I took the liberty to experiment a little – I added a Tbsp of brewed espresso, and ground the almonds. I’ll try your classic version next time. Many thanks!
Hi Pamela, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed them. And all the best to your friend. Take care.
Very helpful recipe. I will make them tonight
I fatto questi biscotti buonissimi Gracie 🍈
Ciao Bernardina, grazie mille.:)
I tried this recipe and distributed to my housemates and everyone was very pleased! The flavours are delicious and the texture is perfect! They were also very easy to make and didn’t take nearly as long as some other biscotti recipes! Next time I might make two loaves instead of 3 to get bigger pieces but these were a good size for dunking in a hot drink. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Emily, thanks so much so glad everyone like them. Have a great weekend.
We all loved these biscotti. I overbaked them initially as I thought that they were not hard enough but soon realized that upon drying and cooling they harden quite a bit. But then I made the dough again but changed the cacao for equal part extra flour and instead of almonds did pistachios and also added dried cherries. I decided to flatten the loaf a big so the biscotti came out longer once sliced . I also had good success with two loaves as a post to three.They too were delicious! Thank you
Hi Maria, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed them and great idea with the change up. If you like them even harder just add a little more honey and a little less sugar. 🙂