If you like a crunchy cookie that’s perfect for dipping in coffee and tea—sweet, but not too sweet—both lemony and nutty, then Italian lemon hazelnut biscotti is for you!
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Biscotti was popularized back in the Roman empire as a biscuit made primarily from flour and water. It resisted spoilage so the army could use it for sustenance during long expeditions.
Their biscotti didn’t spoil because it was twice-baked to dry it out. No water means no spoilage.
It’s actually the same with modern processed foods today. When foods are dry they don’t spoil as easily, and that’s what gives them a long shelf life.
To this day, biscotti is still twice-baked. Actually, it’s baked three times, but not to the point of being completely dry.
These lemon biscotti are crunchy for sure, and that’s the delight.
You will definitely get that crunch factor (and the urge to dip it in something creamy), but a bit of softness will still be there due to the addition of butter and eggs.
Believe me, today’s biscotti is much improved over the previous era. It’s also much, much tastier!
Hot drink pairings for biscotti
Whenever you have biscotti, you’ll naturally think about dunking it in coffee or tea. Below are 6 perfect pairing suggestions.
- Latte or cappuccino. That frothy creamy coffee infused milk is the perfect match for lemon biscotti. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
- Masala chai is loaded with heady warming spices, and it would blend splendidly with biscotti.
- Warm milk with cinnamon or nutmeg. I often advise people to try warm spiced milk in the afternoon or evening before bed. It’s very soothing, and I believe this lemon biscotti would make for a great snack along with.
- Black tea with milk. Again, we’re on the milk theme here. There’s just something about milk that screams biscotti. It doesn’t have to be cow’s milk. Plant-based milk will do just as well.
- Finally, we’ll go with black coffee or tea. Caffeine is a nice pairing with biscotti. Maybe it’s because it’s Italian, and Italy is known for it’s strong coffee.
- If you’re going to go herbal for your hot drink, try a licorice tea, which is on the sweeter side.
Ingredients
BUTTER: Your best salted butter adds plenty of flavor. Melting the butter before creaming it with the sugar contributes to a desirable dense texture in the cookie.
SUGAR: Whenever creaming butter and sugar together, I like using fine granulated organic cane sugar. It’s actually hard (or expensive) to get fine cane sugar, also known as castor sugar, in the U.S., so I make my own by blending granulated sugar in a food processor to make it finer. The fine texture helps the sugar melt into the butter.
VANILLA: For the best flavor, select a quality vanilla extract, such as Madagascar vanilla.
EGGS: Add flavor and act as a binding agent, giving structure to the cookie.
LEMON JUICE & ZEST: Delivers the dominant lemony flavor profile of this simple cookie. Don’t skimp on the lemon!
ALMONDS: Almonds are a traditional ingredient hailing back to Roman times. Sliced or roasted slivered almonds are the best options. Whole almonds would need to be chopped, and this way you could make them work. Don’t forget to use roasted almonds for better flavor.
HAZELNUTS: Hazelnuts are equally a traditional food of Italy, having grown in popularity when Napoleon banned the importation of chocolate from England, and hazelnuts were used as a substitute. Unlike the subtle sweet character of almonds, hazelnut’s complex burst of nutty sweet, astringent and bitter tastes adds personality to our biscotti.
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR: All-purpose flour, which has medium protein content, will give you a firm biscotti. The batch in my photos was actually made with pastry flour, a low-protein flour, and the biscotti was more delicate and crumbly. Using a flour with gluten is important to achieve that dry, dense cookie structure.
Top Tips
Use room temperature ingredients to make the batter.
Allow the biscotti logs to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
Due to the whole hazelnuts and slivered almonds in the cookie, it’s critical to use a sharp serrated knife to slice the biscotti. Otherwise, the nuts will get nudged out of place and cause your cookies to crumble.
How long you bake after slicing is a personal preference. The longer you bake, the drier and crunchier the biscotti will get.
Italian Lemon Hazelnut Biscotti
Helpful Kitchen Tools:
- baking sheet
Ingredients
to prepare
- ½ cup hazelnuts, roasted
- ½ cup slivered or sliced almonds, roasted
in a large bowl
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted and cooled to solid again
- ¾ cup fine granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
in a medium bowl
- ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt , (use a little more if unsalted butter was used)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- zest 1-2 lemons
Instructions
to prepare
- If you purchased roasted nuts, use them. If you need to roast your nuts for this recipe, place the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. It is important to bake each nut separately as they will bake at different rates.
- Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit pre-heated oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until they are lightly golden. Always pay attention and watch your nuts carefully as they burn easily.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a clean bowl to cool. They will continue to bake if left on the hot sheet.
to make the batter
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together butter (melted and cooled) and sugar until well combined (about 1-2 minutes).
- Add vanilla and eggs. Beat to combine, then add the lemon juice and beat to combine.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and zest.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and incorporate gently with a spatula. When almost fully mixed, sprinkle in the nuts and evenly incorporate.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
to cook the biscotti
- Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Move the batter to a lightly floured flat surface, divide it into two, and shape it into 2 logs (about 12 inches long). Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly brown.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a cutting board and slice the logs on the diagonal into ½ inch slices using a sharp serrated knife. Lay the slices cut-side-up on the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then flip the cookies over and bake again for approximately 5 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Alternately, use a spatula to transfer the warm cookies to a cooling rack. The biscotti will crisp up as they cool. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Storage
Store the completely cooled biscotti in an airtight container in a cool dry place at room temperature. They will keep well for up to three weeks. Do NOT store in the refrigerator or they will get soggy. Freeze in a freezer-safe bag or container. They will keep for 3 months in the freezer.Nutrition
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