Almond Biscotti With Anise Recipe

These crunchy twice-baked Italian cookies are as classic as they are simple to make.

Two biscotti stacked next to a ceramic mug of steaming coffee.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Lightly chopped anise perfumes the dough, elevating the almond aroma.
  • Eggs alone bind and tenderize the dough, making the biscotti sturdy and lean.
  • Attention to detail when shaping and slicing the biscotti will ensure uniform results.

During a recent attempt to organize the Serious Eats pantry, I stumbled upon the leftovers from Daniel's experiments with blanched almonds.

They were nearing the end of their shelf life, so I decided to save them with a batch of almond-anise biscotti. It might be my all-time favorite cookie: simple, lean, relatively low in sugar, and just begging for a dunk in a cup of strong coffee. Sure, biscotti traditionally make use of whole, un-blanched almonds, in order to take advantage of their flavorful skins, but in the name of thrift, almost anything goes.

Overhead view of several espressos in ceramic mugs, positioned on saucers next to biscotti.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

But that isn't to say I flout tradition altogether.

As with old-school Italian recipes, my cookies don't contain any fat aside from what's found in the almonds themselves and in the eggs that bind the dough. This keeps the biscotti sturdy and dry, giving them an epic shelf life and the capacity to soak up everything from espresso to Vin Santo without crumbling apart.

Dunking a biscotti in coffee.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

My favorite almond biscotti are spiked with a little anise—not so much that they become a licorice-fest, but enough to add a hint of intrigue and elevate the almond aroma.

Chop Anise and Almonds to Release Flavor

Because of their sprinkle-like shape, anise seeds have a way of remaining rather distinct in the dough, so that its flavor seems plain until a whole seed finds its way in between your teeth. So, to get a better flavor in the dough, I like to give the seeds a rough chop.

Chopping anise seeds.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

The broken pieces leach some of their essential oil into the dough, gently flavoring it throughout instead of giving you isolated bites of anise intensity. It's a subtle move, but it shifts the biscotti from "almond, plus sometimes anise" to truly almond-anise.

Likewise, I give the whole toasted almonds a rough chop. As with chopped chocolate in my chocolate chip cookies, chopping almonds produces a mix of chunks, shards, and fine, mealy bits, adding variable flavor and texture to the dough. Again, whole almonds are perfect for the occasion, but blanched will do the trick, and create a more delicate flavor and appearance overall.

Chopping toasted almonds.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Assembling and Shaping the Dough

With the mix-ins prepared, all you have to do is toss all the ingredients into a bowl and combine them to form a soft dough. I use a stand mixer for convenience, but hand-mixing works just as well. When the dough comes together, I scrape it onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rough log, short enough to be easily transferred to a baking sheet.

A collage showing the progress of forming the log of biscotti dough.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Once the dough is positioned on a parchment-lined half-sheet pan, I continue rolling the log until it meets the full length of the pan. From there, I gently pat it out until it's about four inches wide and half an inch thick.

The dimensions here aren't essential to follow—biscotti can be formed to just about any size—but the size and shape will affect baking time and yield. If you prefer mini biscotti, try making two logs instead. If you want longer, thinner pieces, try a shorter, wider log. In either case, throw the suggested timetable from my recipe out the window, and use visual cues to guide you instead.

Baking and Slicing the Biscotti

However I've shaped the dough, I always take a moment to dust any excess flour off its surface, before baking the log or logs until they're puffed, firm, and just barely starting to brown around the edges.

I let the half-baked dough cool for about five minutes, then transfer it to a cutting board, where I let it cool five minutes more. The initial cooling phase ensures the hot dough won't break in half when lifted, and the second cooling phase lets the biscotti develop enough structure to be sliced with ease, while avoiding the hardened crust that will form when the dough has fully cooled.

Once the biscotti log is cool enough to handle comfortably, but still rather warm, loosen it from the parchment, and slice it into half-inch pieces with a thin, serrated knife. You can read more in our review of serrated knives, but this $16 Tojiro is what I have at home. Thicker, heavier blades (especially those that have dulled over time) can really tear up the fragile dough, so having a lightweight blade will go further than good technique for producing clean slices of biscotti.

I return the sliced biscotti to the oven and bake until they're dry to the touch and very lightly browned (about 12 minutes at 350°F or 180°C for half-inch-thick slices), then flip the slices over and continue baking them on the other side.

Finishing the Biscotti

The biscotti will be slightly soft while hot, crisping only as they cool, so give them plenty of time before sneaking a bite. Once cool, they're ready to enjoy, whether on their own or dunked in your beverage of choice.

Slices of fully browned biscotti on a baking sheet.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Or, you can cave to peer pressure and dip them in tempered dark chocolate. This flies in the face of my less-is-more biscotti philosophy, but I'm helpless to deny its crowd-pleasing effect, especially around the holidays.

Close-up of a pair of chocolate-dipped biscotti next to a coffee mug.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

If you do go this route, be sure to brush the crumbs from each piece before dipping, to keep the chocolate as pristine as possible. After the tempered chocolate has set, dipped biscotti can be stored in the exact same way as the plain variety: for up to three months in an airtight container at cool room temperature.

Biscotti and espresso on a saucer.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

It's that phenomenal keeping quality that makes biscotti so grand—an ideal option for giving as a gift, shipping, or keeping on hand for a mid-afternoon snack.

A hot cup of coffee with biscotti.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

December 2018

Recipe Details

Almond Biscotti With Anise Recipe

Active About 15 mins
Total 2 hrs 30 mins
Serves 25 servings

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 cups, spooned; 285g), plus more for dusting

  • 8 3/4 ounces sugar (about 1 1/4 cups; 245g)

  • 1/2 teaspoon (2g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

  • 5 1/4 ounces whole almonds, toasted and roughly chopped (about 1 heaping cup; 150g)

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons whole anise seeds, roughly chopped

  • 3 large eggs, straight from the fridge (about 5 1/4 ounces; 150g)

  • 1/2 ounce vanilla extract (about 1 tablespoon; 15g)

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, chopped toasted almonds, and chopped anise seeds. Mix on low until homogeneous, then add eggs and vanilla; continue to mix just long enough to form a soft dough.

    Collage of combining dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, adding eggs, and mixing the biscotti dough.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  2. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly to bring dough together into a ball, then shape into a roughly 8-inch log. Transfer dough log to a parchment-lined half-sheet pan and continue rolling the log by hand until it is approximately 16 inches long. Gently flatten dough by hand until log is about 4 inches wide and just over 1/2 inch thick (see notes).

    Collage of the author flattening the log of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  3. Bake dough until puffed and firm to the touch and just beginning to brown around the very edges (though still pale overall), about 25 minutes. Cool directly on baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and let cool 5 minutes more. While dough is still warm, use a long, thin, and very sharp serrated knife to cut log at a slight angle into about 25 pieces, each just over 1/2 inch wide (see notes).

    Collage of slicing the biscotti and laying the slices flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  4. Arrange biscotti, cut sides up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet and continue baking until dry to the touch and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Flip biscotti over and continue baking for another 12 minutes. It's normal for the timing to vary according to the biscotti's size and thickness, as well as differences in oven temperature and airflow, so keep a close eye on them and adjust the bake time as needed.

    Flipping the biscotti to bake the other side

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  5. Cool biscotti to room temperature before serving. If desired, dip in tempered chocolate (be sure to brush crumbs from each piece before dipping). With or without chocolate, the biscotti will keep for about 3 months in an airtight container at cool room temperature.

    Collage of brushing the crumbs off and dipping biscotti in tempered chocolate.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Special Equipment

Stand mixer, half-sheet pan, pastry brush, serrated knife

Notes

The biscotti dough can be shaped to any length, width, and thickness, then cut to any size, but these details will affect the yield and suggested baking times of this recipe. If you're experimenting with other shapes and sizes, follow the visual and textural cues given here, rather than the specific timetables.

Make-Ahead and Storage

In an airtight container, the biscotti will keep for about three months at cool room temperature.

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
126 Calories
4g Fat
20g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 25
Amount per serving
Calories 126
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 22mg 7%
Sodium 94mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 36mg 3%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 67mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)