Light Cinnamon-Raisin Biscotti
Submitted by RBreno1999
Fat-free cinnamon-raisin biscotti made with egg whites. Twice-baked Italian cookies that crunch hard, dunk well, and skip butter and yolks entirely.
YIELD
48 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
60 minREADY
90 minMost biscotti are loaded with butter and whole eggs. This one is built on six egg whites and zero fat, which makes for a lean, hard, drier-than-classic crunch purpose-built for dunking in coffee or sweet wine.
The recipe is straight Italian technique: shape into logs, bake once until firm, slice while still warm, then dry out the cut pieces at low temperature until they’re board-stiff. That second bake is the entire reason these keep for weeks in a tin without going soft.
Watch the dough firmness as you mix. Egg-white volume varies by size, so the recipe gives you permission to add up to ¼ cup more flour if needed. Aim for a dough that holds a log shape but isn’t crumbly.
Slicing matters too. Use a serrated knife and saw, don’t press. Pressing crushes the warm log into ugly oval pieces; sawing gives you flat-faced biscotti that toast evenly on round two.
Pro Tips
- Cut the slices a generous ½ inch thick. Thinner ones snap during the second bake; thicker ones take forever to dry out.
- Toast and chop ¼ cup of almonds and fold them in with the raisins for crunch and a more traditional Tuscan profile.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before storing. Trapping any residual steam softens the texture overnight.
- Store in an airtight tin with a slice of bread to absorb humidity if your kitchen runs damp.
Variations
- Swap the raisins for chopped dried cranberries, cherries, or apricots.
- Add the zest of one orange with the sugar for a citrusy holiday version.
- Dip one cut end in melted dark chocolate after the second bake for a coffeehouse finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine all the dry ingredients and add to the egg and mix well. Fold in the raisins or nuts.
The dough should be firm, but not too stiff. You may need to add as much as ¼ cup more flour if your egg whites were large.
Divide the dough in half and shape each into a ‘log’ about 2 inches wide and 10 inches long.
Place each on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 325℉ (160℃) for 25 to 30 min.
They should be firm to the touch, but not too brown.
Remove from the oven and turn down the temperature to 250 degrees F.
Slice each log into 20 to 24 pieces and place upright (if you can balance them!) on the cookie sheets.
Return to the oven for about 30 to 40 min.
The thicker the slices, the longer it takes, but they should not brown too much more.
Cool them COMPLETELY before storing them in an airtight container.
Makes 4 dozen.
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