Double Nut Biscotti
Submitted by lkiml
Twice-baked Italian biscotti loaded with almonds and walnuts, spiked with dark rum and amaretto. Crunchy dunking cookies with warm cinnamon spice, perfect for coffee or dessert wine.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
20 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
2 hrsReal Italian biscotti takes patience but rewards you with cookies that last for weeks and get better with every dunk.
You bake the dough twice: first as fat logs until golden and firm, then sliced thick and toasted again until they dry out and turn supremely crunchy. Ground almonds in the dough add richness, while whole almonds and walnuts give you something substantial to bite into. Dark rum and amaretto (or nocello if you can find it) bring boozy warmth that plays beautifully with the cinnamon.
These aren’t soft breakfast cookies. They’re the kind you dip in strong espresso or vin santo until they soften just enough to release all those nutty, spiced flavors.
Pro Tips
- The dough should be sticky but hold its shape. If it’s too wet to form into logs, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it’s workable
- Use a serrated bread knife for slicing the baked logs. A regular knife will crush them and you’ll end up with crumbly shards instead of clean slices
- Let the logs cool almost completely before slicing. Cutting them hot makes them fall apart and stick to the knife
- Store in an airtight container for up to a month. They actually improve with age as the flavors meld and mellow
- Underbaking the second round leaves them slightly chewy in the center. For traditional rock-hard biscotti, give them the full 15 minutes
Variations
- Chocolate Dipped: Melt dark chocolate and dip one end of each cooled biscotti, then let set on parchment
- Orange Anise: Replace rum with orange juice, add 1 teaspoon anise seeds, and use orange liqueur instead of amaretto
- Cranberry Pistachio: Swap walnuts for pistachios and add ¾ cup dried cranberries to the dough
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃); lightly grease 2 cookie sheets with softened butter and dust with flour, shaking off the excess.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, sugar, eggs, rum, liqueur, vanilla extract, cinnamon and baking powder; beat with a heavy wooden spoon until well blended.
Stir in the walnuts and whole almonds.
The dough should be soft and a bit sticky, but it should hold its shape when picked up.
If it is too runny, add more flour.
With your hands, scoop up half of the dough; shape into a long cylinder, about the length of a roll of paper towel.
Place on the cookie sheet so that it does not touch the edge of the pan.
Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown and firm.
They will spread during baking. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven to a wire rack; let stand for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully loosen the cylinders from the cookie sheets, using metal spatulas. Let stand on a cutting board until almost at room temperature. With a serrated bread knife, cut each of the cylinders into crosswise slices about 1-inch thick. Place the sliced, a cut side up, on the cookie sheets. Return the cookie sheets to the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes to let the cookies out and turn slightly golden. Cool completely before storing.
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