Lemon Biscotti
TO DIP OR NOT DIP…
I love Italian food and my one go to biscuit from my Italian recipes are biscotti cookies. I adore these biscotti especially since they are easy Italian cookies to make.
If you’ve never taken the time to make biscotti cookies because you are discouraged by the recipe rest assured it’s not that bad at all.
I wasn’t sure if my kids would enjoy biscotti because they are a hard cookie but to my surprise they ask for biscotti on occasion and I happily make them.
Biscotti
What are biscotti?
Italian biscotti are traditional Italian cookies and are twice-baked also called “cantuccini” as they are a dry cookie originating in the Italian city of Prato. The reason biscotti is twice-baked is because they store for longer periods of time. This was great when people were out at war or gone for extended time periods. Food that lasts was important and making biscotti is a tradition that has lived on.
Biscotti are usually eaten with a crisp white wine or a wine called Vin Santo which is a Tuscan fortified wine either before or after a meal in Italy.
Outside of Italy biscotti are eaten with a black strong coffee, tea or even milk in which people enjoy dunking the dry cookie to soak up the beverage flavours. I usually dip mine into the wine or coffee as the biscuit is quite hard, this just makes it easier to bite on but either way they are delicious.
You can find biscotti in just about every supermarket, Italian bakery or specialty shops in your area. Be prepared to pay a bit for them as they aren’t that cheap to buy. You are better off making homemade biscotti yourself and save the money unless you decide to buy one as a spur of the moment treat. Then indulge!
Types of biscotti
Today I’m making a lemon biscotti but you can make any flavour biscotti that you like. I don’t know why but I enjoy the taste of lemon just like I do when I make my lemon drizzle shortbread cookies.
I’ve seen and heard of many biscotti flavours such as chocolate biscotti, pumpkin biscotti, gingerbread biscotti, almond biscotti, orange biscotti, cherry biscotti and biscotti dipped in chocolate. The biscotti list is endless and if you love homemade cookies these traditional Italian cookies should be in your recipe box.
You can also use biscotti to make Tiramisu an Italian coffee-flavoured dessert which is another of my favourites.
In our home it’s hot and humid in the summer and like anybody else I dare not put on the oven. Since I make all the kids treats homemade sometimes I have no choice but to heat it up so I don’t have to spend my money on treats at the grocery store. Luckily for us we have air conditioning so we have the edge on getting the house cooled down.
I was craving these biscotti this week and to my dismay had trouble finding ground almonds as I had run out. In the end had to settle on making my own ground almonds in the blizter!
It’s probably cheaper in the long run anyways because anything you buy that is pre-done for you always costs more than if you take some time to do it yourself.
- Prep Time 20 minutes
- Cooking Time 1hr
- Oven Temp 350F/177oC
- Make 35-40 biscotti
- 1 Cup ground almonds
- 3/4 Cup Sugar
- 6 eggs (this includes 2 yolks)
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you will need extra for rolling)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon water
- Icing
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Preheat oven and line cookie sheets with parchment paper
- Beat sugar and 4 eggs and 1 eggs yolk on high until combined then add the zest and juice of the lemon.
- Beat for another minute
- In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Gradually add the egg and sugar mixture into the bowl along with the almonds a bit at a time mixing well in-between.
- Dough will be soft and sticky, if you find it too sticky add up to 1/3 cup more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until manageable.
- Flour hands well and roll out onto a floured surface into logs.
- Gently place onto cookie sheets
- Mix another egg yolk and teaspoon of water together and coat the top of the logs then place in the oven for approx 20 minutes until golden.
- Once cooked slice them on a diagonal and replace on the cookie sheets.
- Let cool for ten minutes
- Cook for a further 15 minutes or until golden then turn over and cook the other side for a further 10 mins until crunchy and lightly toasted. Drizzle with lemon icing to finish.
- Baking times may vary based on your oven.
Alternatively you could drizzle your biscotti with melted chocolate or dipped half with white chocolate. Either way a biscotti is a light crisp biscuit that is enjoyable with a cool glass of white wine or your favourite beverage.
I hope you take the time to make what I believe is the best biscotti recipe ever although I’m biased. Enjoy this Italian cookie tradition in your home and teach your children a bit about Italian history.
~Nicky x
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Honestly, I think I only tried eating biscotti once or twice and I can’t forget how delicious it is! And eating biscotti with melted chocolate would be totally a great idea!
How long is the first baking here??? They do look good!!!! Thanks Nicola!!!
Approximately 20 minutes Christine or until golden brown. 🙂 Let us know what you think of them.