Chocolate Biscotti Recipe

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Most people assume that making a Chocolate Biscotti recipe is going to be a long, drawn-out, and complicated process. But I’m here to tell you, it’s not. It’s no different than baking cookies!

The only difference? you simply bake them twice. In fact, that’s what the word “Biscotti” means. “Twice baked”. “Bis”, meaning twice, and “cotti”, meaning cooked.

A blue bowl filled with upright biscotti sit on a wooden table.

What Is Biscotti?

Biscotti are Italian cookies that are very hard and crisp due to being baked twice. These cookies are meant for dunking in a cup of coffee or tea to help soften them enough to eat.

The first bake is meant to harden the biscotti loaf enough to cut it. The second time you bake it is when you dry them out to get them truly hard and crunchy

What Does Biscotti Taste Like?

Biscotti tastes like any flavor you add to it. In this case, a chocolate cookie. Imagine a regular chocolate cookie, but super hard and made for dunking.

What Makes A Good Biscotti?

Two things make a good biscotti.

  1. Good flavor – Add ins, extracts and powders will help you achieve a great biscotti flavor.
  2. Good crunch – Proper baking and cooling will do the trick here. Your biscotti should be hard when properly made and cooled. It should only be soft after being dunked into a drink.

Are Biscotti Healthy?

Biscotti is a cookie. And as with any cookie, it will all depend on what you put into it. In this case, you probably won’t find a biscotti that is much healthier than this. It uses whole food ingredients with nothing processed or pre-made. So, as far as cookies go, this is pretty healthy. But at the end of the day, it’s still a cookie. So use your good judgment here.

Why Are My Biscotti So Hard?

Biscotti is supposed to be hard. They are meant to be dunked and softened in liquid. Trying to eat them without something to drink could result in a broken tooth. So definitely serve these with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.

Once they get dunked, they become quite enjoyable and chewable.

Why Is Biscotti Not Crunchy?

If your biscotti is not hard and crunchy, then they were not baked long enough in the second bake. You can return them to the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes if you wish, but watch them closely so they don’t burn.

Which Flour Is Best For Biscotti?

Different bakers will give you different answers here. But I have heard really great arguments for using white whole wheat flour. The only reason I used whole wheat pastry flour here is because it tends to give the texture closest to using regular, all-purpose flour.

An overhead view looking down at an angle at a bowl of chocolate biscotti standing on end in.

Why Is My Biscotti Dough So Sticky?

If your biscotti dough is sticky like mine was, there are two possible reasons.

  1. You didn’t use enough flour for your dough. The way to know if this is the case is if you can actually form a loaf or not. Sticky dough is different from dough that won’t hold together or falls apart on you.
  2. You added additions to the dough that were sticky, such as dried fruits or chocolate chips. In the case of chocolate chips, it would be because the chips are starting to melt in a warmer dough. To avoid this, place your dough into the fridge for a bit to harden the chocolate before proceeding.

How Do You Tell If Biscotti Is Done?

After the first baking, you know it’s done if the loaf is firm, not hard. Once it cools a little, it should be easy to lift the loaf off the prepared baking sheet.

After the second baking, you will get a much better idea of the doneness once the biscotti has fully cooled. If it’s nice and hard, you did good. If it’s still chewy, then you can return it to the oven or some additional baking time.

Is Biscotti Better With Oil Or Butter?

There are three options for added fat in a biscotti recipe.

  1. Oil
  2. Butter
  3. Eggs

While oil and butter are perfectly fine to use, the biscotti won’t last as long and will be a bit softer.

Eggs generally get you the texture you are looking for in a good biscotti, and your biscotti will have a longer shelf life. But any of those three options will work.

Why Did My Biscotti Burn?

If you find that your biscotti is burnt, there are a couple of things to check.

  1. Place an oven thermometer inside your oven to be sure it’s baking at the temperature you set it to.
  2. Your baking pans may be too thin. Opt for thicker, sturdier baking pans. Very thin ones will burn the bottom of your biscotti every time.

Do Biscotti Harden As They Cool?

While they should be pretty hard coming out of the second bake, biscotti definitely does harden more as it cools.

Do You Knead Biscotti Dough?

Yes. And the best way to do this is with an electric mixer, like a KitchenAid. Use the paddle attachment and mix at low-medium to medium speed. High speed is not recommended. If the dough starts to put a strain on your mixer, you can switch to the dough hook.

However, if you don’t have a mixer, you can definitely still do this by hand. The majority of the kneading is really just about adding in any additions you want to add.

If you do this by hand, use a large mixing bowl. A medium or small bowl won’t be enough. You want to go big here for ease of use.

How To Eat Biscotti

As mentioned above, these cookies are meant for dunking. But what do you dunk them in? Here are some suggestions:

  • Hot chocolate
  • Coffee
  • Fruit tea or hibiscus tea
  • Milk, warm or cold
  • Non-dairy milk

Biscotti Recipes

While this was my first time making biscotti of any kind, you can bet there will be a next time. Biscotti is such a fun cookie and it’s perfect for the fall and winter months.

Double Chocolate Biscotti

If you want to make these extra chocolatey, you can add chocolate chips to the dough. You can also melt a few and drizzle them over the cooled, finished biscotti, and then cool them in the fridge before storing them.

A side view of a blue bowl filled with chocolate biscotti sit on a wooden table.

Tips For Making Perfect Biscotti

  1. Use a sharp serrated knife for cutting the loaf. And don’t just press down into the loaf. Use a sawing motion to cut the biscotti for the best and smoothest cut.
  2. Let your loaf rest for a few minutes before cutting. You want to slice the loaf while it’s warm, but not hot or cold.
  3. Slice your biscotti loaf at an angle. This will give you those nice long dunkers that you buy at a bakery

Ingredient Checklist

1 ⅔ cup whole wheat pastry flour – If you can’t locate whole wheat pastry flour, the next best thing is white whole wheat flour. It’s readily available in many stores. Despite the word “white”, it’s a whole grain wheat flour made from spring wheat instead of winter wheat.

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder – Make sure this is unsweetened.

1 tsp. baking soda – Make sure this is of the fresher variety. Older baking soda won’t work as well here.

¼ tsp. sea salt – I used pink Himalayan salt for this, but use whatever you normally use for cooking and baking.

1 whole egg – This is best at room temperature.

2 egg whites – As with the whole egg, these should be at room temperature.

1 cup honey – Seems like a lot, but I promise it’s worth it.

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract – Make sure you are using the real stuff. No flavoring or imitation vanilla.

1 cup additions – These are optional but tasty. They also help to make the texture more pleasing. Try nuts, dried fruits, or dark chocolate chips. Though this recipe will work fine without any additions too.

How To Make Chocolate Biscotti

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients being sure to blend them very well.

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine all your wet ingredients. Use an electric mixer and mix for 2 minutes. You’ll see the color of the mixture lighten up when mixing. This doesn’t happen if you simply use a whisk.

Slowly mix the flour mixture, a little at a time, into the wet ingredients, whisking the whole time. As the mixture thickens, you may have to switch to a spatula or wooden spoon to continue mixing. If using an electric mixer, you may have to switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook.

Scoop the mixture out onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and shape dough into either a log shape or a somewhat rectangular shape. If you find that the chocolate is sticking to your hands, you can either place the dough in the fridge for an hour to harden it, or you can use a spatula or wooden spoon to do the shaping. You want it to be about 1-2 inches in thickness. (Divide dough in half to make two smaller loaves if you want smaller or “mini” biscotti.)

The biscotti loaf cooling on a sheet pan.


Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to the point when you can handle it with your hands without burning yourself. Do not let your loaf get cold. This must be sliced while warm.

Cutting the biscotti loaf into slices on a wooden cutting board.

Place the loaf on a cutting board or flat, cut-safe work surface and slice into ½ inch slices to create the biscotti. If you want longer, fancier biscotti, slice your loaf at an angle.

Cooling biscotti, just out of the oven.


Place slices on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325° F. Place the biscotti in the oven and cover loosely with foil. Set your timer for 15 minutes.

When the timer goes off, flip your biscotti to bake on the other side. Recover with the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

The sliced biscotti laying on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, ready for the second baking.

Remove from oven and cool the biscotti on a wire rack. The biscotti will get harder as they cool.

OPTIONAL TOPPING: If you want to make your biscotti truly fancy, drizzle some melted chocolate over the cool biscotti and allow it to harden before transferring to storage.

Package in a Ziploc bag or airtight container. Keep in the freezer if you will be storing for longer than 2-3 days.

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Chocolate Biscotti Recipe

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A blue bowl filled with upright biscotti sit on a wooden table.

Chocolate Biscotti Recipe

Delicious biscotti that's easy to make and great for homemade gifts!
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 1 entire recipe
Calories: 2036kcal

Equipment

  • Electric mixer
  • Baking pans (thick ones – thin ones will burn your biscotti)

Ingredients

  • 1⅔ cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 cup honey
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup additions (Optional – such as nuts, dried fruits or dark chocolate chips. This recipe will work fine without any additions too.)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
    In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients being sure to blend them very well.
    In a separate large mixing bowl, combine all your wet ingredients. Use an electric mixer and mix for 2 minutes. You’ll see the color of the mixture lighten up when mixing. This doesn’t happen if you simply use a whisk.
    Slowly mix the flour mixture, a little at a time, into the wet ingredients, whisking the whole time. As the mixture thickens, you may have to switch to a spatula or wooden spoon to continue mixing. If using an electric mixer, you may have to switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook.
    Scoop the mixture out onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and shape dough into either a log shape, or a somewhat rectangular shape. If you find that the chocolate is sticking to your hands, you can either place the dough in the fridge for an hour to harden it, or you can use a spatula or wooden spoon to do the shaping. You want it to be about 1-2 inches in thickness. (Divide dough in half to make two smaller loaves if you want smaller or "mini" biscotti.)
    Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to the point when you can handle it with your hands without burning yourself. Do not let your loaf get cold. This must be sliced while warm.
    The biscotti loaf cooling on a sheet pan.
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 325° F.
    Place the loaf on a cutting board or flat, cut-safe work surface and slice into ½ inch slices to create the biscotti. If you want longer, fancier biscotti, slice your loaf at an angle. Place slices on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer.
    Cutting the biscotti loaf into slices on a wooden cutting board.
  • Place the biscotti in the oven and cover loosely with foil. Set your timer for 15 minutes.
    When the timer goes off, flip your biscotti to bake on the other side. Re-cover loosely with the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.
    Remove from oven and cool the biscotti on a wire rack. They will harden as they cool on the rack, but will harden further in the fridge.
    OPTIONAL TOPPING: If you want to make your biscotti truly fancy, drizzle some melted chocolate over the cool biscotti and allow to harden before transferring to storage.
    Package in a Ziploc bag or airtight container. Keep in the freezer if you will be storing for longer than 2-3 days.
    The sliced biscotti laying on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, ready for the second baking.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible. Data does not include optional drizzle or add-ins. This data is for the entire recipe. The number of servings will depend on the size of the biscotti you cut. Divide this data by the number you end up with.

Nutrition

Serving: 1entire recipe | Calories: 2036kcal | Carbohydrates: 475g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 1893mg | Potassium: 2401mg | Fiber: 51g | Sugar: 282g | Vitamin A: 288IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 232mg | Iron: 21mg

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4 Comments

  1. Marvina Johnson says:

    I would like to know if there is a substitute for pastry flour?

    1. Marvina – The next best thing is White Whole Wheat Flour. It’s a little bit easier to find then pastry flour, and it will give you about the same texture. But it must be the white version. It’s a spring wheat instead of a winter wheat, which makes it more like pastry flour. Hope that helps!

      1. Marvina Johnson says:

        Thank you try making this weekend.