Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 6 g baking powder
- 2 g fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients & Sugar
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 55 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 5 ml almond extract
- 1 lemon zest, freshly grated
Mix-ins
- 120 g pistachios, shelled, unsalted, raw
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 113 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 16 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 65 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 20 mg
- Potassium
- 69 mg
- Calcium
- 25 mg
- Iron
- 0.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 9 mg
- Phosphorus
- 50 mg
- Zinc
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 24 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 0 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.03 mg
- Niacin
- 0.2 mg
- Folate
- 7 mcg
- Water
- 5 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt until fully aerated and combined.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the granulated sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon zest together using an electric mixer or whisk until pale and slightly thickened.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. A few streaks of flour remaining is acceptable at this stage.
Fold the shelled pistachios into the dough until evenly distributed. The dough will be sticky and thick.
Divide the dough in half. With lightly floured hands, shape each half into a log about 25cm (10 inches) long and 5cm (2 inches) wide on the prepared baking sheet, leaving generous space between them to allow for spreading.
Bake the logs in the preheated oven at 175°C (350°F) for 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and firm to the touch.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the logs to a wire cooling rack. Let them cool for exactly 15 minutes. Do not turn off the oven, but reduce the temperature to 150°C (300°F).
Transfer the warm logs to a cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the logs diagonally into 1.5cm (0.5 inch) thick slices, using a gentle sawing motion to prevent crumbling.
Arrange the biscotti slices cut-side down on the same parchment-lined baking sheet. They will not spread anymore, so they can be placed somewhat close together.
Bake the slices at the reduced temperature of 150°C (300°F) for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip each slice over, and bake for an additional 10 minutes until deeply golden and crisp.
Transfer the twice-baked biscotti to the wire cooling rack and allow them to cool completely to room temperature. They will achieve their final crisp texture once fully cooled.
Chef's Notes
- Dough stickiness is normal; lightly flouring your hands rather than adding flour to the dough will keep the biscotti from becoming dense and tough.
- The 15-minute cooling window before slicing is critical. If sliced immediately, the dough turns to mush; if cooled completely, the logs shatter under the knife.
- For the cleanest cuts through the whole pistachios, use a high-quality serrated knife and let the teeth of the blade do the work without applying heavy downward pressure.
- To enhance the lemon flavor, rub the lemon zest directly into the granulated sugar with your fingertips before adding the other wet ingredients to release the essential citrus oils.
Storage
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze baked cookies in airtight freezer bags. Thaw at room temperature.
Troubleshooting
Logs crumble excessively when slicing
Cause: The logs were sliced while too hot, or a smooth-edged knife was used instead of serrated
Fix: Cannot be fixed once broken, but the broken pieces will still bake into delicious crumbles.
Prevention: Allow the logs to cool for at least 15 minutes until warm but firm to the touch. Always use a serrated bread knife with a gentle, slow sawing motion rather than pressing down.
Biscotti are too hard to bite without dunking
Cause: The second bake was too long or the oven temperature was too high
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but can still be enjoyed as intended by dunking in a hot beverage.
Prevention: Reduce the second bake time by 5 minutes next attempt, or remove them when lightly golden rather than deeply browned.
Cultural Context
Biscotti, known in Italy as 'cantucci' when made with almonds, originate from the Tuscan city of Prato. The word 'biscotti' literally translates to 'twice-cooked' (bis + cotto), a method developed historically to completely draw out moisture. This made the enduring cookies an essential staple for Roman legions and sailors embarking on long maritime journeys. Today, they are traditionally served at the end of a meal accompanied by Vin Santo, a sweet dessert wine meant for dunking.
