• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
go to homepage
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Pasta
  • Soups
  • Salads
  • Vegan
  • Oven baked
  • Sweets
  • Meal Prep
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    The clever meal
    • Home
    • Recipe Index
      • Pasta & Grains
      • Soups
      • Salads
      • Vegan
      • Oven-baked
      • Sweets
      • Meal Prep
    • About

    FOR FREE WEEKLY RECIPES!

    Thank you!

    You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

    .

    ALMOND BISCOTTI (Italian Cantucci)

    Dec 5, 2019 by Katia · 4 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more details.

    A white box full of almond biscotti over a white background.
    A white box full of almond biscotti over a white background.

    You can’t resist these Italian almond biscotti, they’re super crispy and taste delicious, with lovely hints of orange, honey, and amazing toasted almonds.

    Almond biscotti on a white box over a total white background.
    Jump to recipe

    Forget tons of butter, food coloring, and sprinkles, these almond biscotti are packed with wholesome, real ingredients that make them irresistible. And if you love almonds, you can’t miss these super easy almond cookies or vegan biscotti.

    Plus, they’re so easy to make, they last up to 2 weeks and are perfect to give as a homemade Christmas gift. That’s what I do every year for our friends and neighbors, and I use convenient white pastry boxes lined with white parchment paper, they look so pretty.

    Trust me, I’ve baked and sold tons of Italian almond biscotti to several coffee shops here in London, and people fell in love with their amazing flavor and texture. They are just perfect with any cup of tea or cappuccino.

    It’s simple, if you try them, they will quickly become your coffee’s new best friend! 🙂

    What ingredients you need

    • Flour (all-purpose, or white spelt flour)
    • Almonds
    • Eggs
    • Sugar
    • Vegetable oil
    • Orange zest
    • Honey
    • Vanilla extract
    • Anise seeds (optional, but I love them!)
    The ingredients for the almond biscotti recipe are arranged on a white surface.

    How to make them

    My recipe for almond biscotti is very simple. I’ll show you how to make them in a few simple steps.. (Full recipe at the bottom of the page)

    • Whisk egg and sugar
    • Then stir in oil, vanilla, honey, and orange zest
    A glass bowl with eggs, sugar and orange zest.
    • Incorporate flour, baking powder, and anise seeds
    • The dough starts to take shape
    • Add toasted almonds
    • Then bring it together gently by hands, inside the bowl

    No worries, the dough is very easy to work it…

    Flour and almonds are added to the batter inside a glass bowl.
    • Preheat the oven to 350 F
    • Make 2 logs (2 inches wide)
    • Then brush the logs with egg wash, a silicone pastry brush is perfect for this job!
    • Bake for 25-30 minutes
    A brush is brushing two logs with beaten eggs.
    • Let these beautiful golden logs cool for 15 minutes
    • Then cut them diagonally into nice clean slices.
    A knife cutting one of the almond biscotti logs into slices.

    Wait, it’s not finished yet, one more step to make them crunchier!

    • Reduce oven temperature to 250 F
    • Bake the biscotti slices 10 minutes per side
    • Let them cool, make yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy!

    Almond biscotti on a baking tray.RECIPE NOTES & TIPS

    WHAT ARE BISCOTTI?

    Biscotti, otherwise known as “cantucci”, are the classic twice-baked Italian cookies from Tuscany and, if you haven’t heard about them before, biscotti literally means twice (bis) cooked (cotti).

    Baking them twice might sound a bit time-consuming, but it’s during this step that biscotti dry out and become crispy. The extra time is worth it and the double-baking gives them their trademark crumbly dry crispness. Since they are dry and last much longer than other baked foods, biscotti were taken on long trips since ancient Roman times.


    ALMONDS

    First things first, it’s worth toasting the almonds to bring out their flavor. Don’t skip this step!

    HOW LONG DO THEY LAST?

    They last up to 2 weeks if stored in an airtight container (this type of metal tins are the best!).

    For more cookie recipes, please have a look at these beautiful chocolate orange cookies and don’t miss this amazing list of Christmas cookies, I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for!

    If you make this recipe for almond biscotti, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you!

    Almond biscotti on a white box over a total white background.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    ALMOND BISCOTTI (Italian cantucci)

    You can't resist these crunchy almond biscotti, they're so crispy and mega delicious, with toasted almonds and hints of orange and honey. Easy to make and packed with healthy, wholesome ingredients.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time50 mins
    Total Time1 hr
    Course: cookies
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Almond biscotti
    Servings: 30
    Author: Katia

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup (150 grams) Almonds, toasted
    • 2 eggs
    • 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp (90 grams) sugar
    • 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil (I use expeller pressed canola oil)
    • 1 orange, zest
    • 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour or spelt flour
    • 3/4 tsp baking powder
    • 1/2 Tbsp anise seeds, or more if you like (optional)*

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 1 large baking tray with parchment paper.
    • TOST THE ALMONDS: scatter the almonds over the prepared baking tray and toast them in the preheated oven until fragrant and lightly golden (it takes about 7 minutes), and set aside.
    • MAKE THE BATTER: In a medium bowl, whisk 1 egg and sugar together until the batter has become lighter in color and the sugar is thoroughly dissolved.
    • Then add oil, honey, vanilla extract, orange zest, oil and mix well.
    • Stir in flour, baking powder, and anise seeds. Mix until most of the flour is incorporated (see picture above). Then add the almonds, and using your hands gently bring the dough together inside the bowl. Make sure the almonds are distributed evenly.
    • MAKE THE LOGS: divide the dough into two flat logs (approx 2 inches wide), arrange them apart on the baking tray and flatten slightly. Try to make them as uniform in size and shape as possible (see the pictures above). If you find the dough a bit sticky, lightly wet your hands.
    • In a small bowl, beat the second egg and brush this egg wash over the logs. The egg wash gives a lovely golden color, but you can skip this step if you wish.
    • Bake them for about 25-30 minutes (27 mins for my oven), until the surface is firm to gentle pressure. Do not switch the oven off as these will need to be baked again, but reduce the heat to 250F°.
    • Let the logs cool on the baking tray for about 15 minutes, then use a sharp knife and gently slice them into 1/2-inch pieces. Better if you slice them on a chopping board, and be gentle when slicing.
    • Place the slices on the baking tray cut side down and return them to the oven for the second bake. Bake for about 10 minutes each side, a total of 20 minutes.

    Notes

    • STORAGE: Italian almond biscotti keeps very well for about 2 weeks. However, humidity might ruin them, please store them in an airtight container, metal tins are the best!
    • SUBSTITUTIONS: traditionally made with almonds, you can replace the almonds with chocolate chips, hazelnuts, pine nuts or dried fruits like figs or sultanas. The possibilities are endless. Anise seeds are a must for the classic Italian almond biscotti, however, feel free to omit them if you wish.
    • ALMONDS: I highly recommend to toast the almonds to bring out their amazing flavor. I used whole almonds and I didn’t chop them, but if you bake biscotti for the very first time you might chop your almonds, which will make the cutting easier.
    • ANISE SEEDS: aniseed is optional, but it adds a lovely and refreshing note. I love it and I’m sure you would love it too. Give them a try!
    • You can easily replace white sugar with unrefined cane sugar and all-purpose flour with light spelt flour, which tastes delicious and has a nutty flavor. Plus, spelt is a nutritious whole grain, and easier to digest than wheat.

    NEVER MISS A NEW RECIPE!

    Previous Post: « BEETROOT SALAD WITH FETA
    Next Post: 15 EASY AND QUICK HOLIDAY SALADS »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Stella Ali

      February 10, 2021 at 4:35 pm

      5 stars
      Really yummy! Made with half flour, half sprouted spelt flour!

      Reply
      • Katia

        February 10, 2021 at 11:08 pm

        I’m so glad you liked them, Stella! Thanks for sharing your feedback 😊 x

    2. Janice

      February 8, 2021 at 2:03 am

      5 stars
      This was delicious, the orange zest perfect!

      Reply
      • Katia

        February 8, 2021 at 9:05 am

        I’m so pleased you liked them, Janice! 😊 x

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I’m Katia! Welcome to my blog where I share easy, delicious, and budget-friendly recipes. I love cooking mainly vegetarian meals in no time at all. Minimum effort, maximum result. Read more…

    Keep in touch

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    NEVER MISS A NEW RECIPE!

    search

    Trending now

    Creamy lemon ricotta pasta with spinach on a white plate.

    EASY LEMON RICOTTA PASTA & SPINACH

    Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil on a grey plate.

    SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL

    Five bowls of colorful weight loss soups over a white marble background.

    15+ HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS SOUPS (UNDER 200 CALORIES)

    Delicious cream cheese pasta served on a blue bowl with a fork.

    10-MINUTE CREAM CHEESE PASTA

    A top view of a white bowl full of white bean soup over a wooden background.

    THE BEST WHITE BEAN SOUP

    Four images showing four different healthy cakes.

    20 WHOLESOME & HEALTHY CAKE RECIPES

    Assortment of vegan appetizers on a black round tray.

    50 DELICIOUS AND EASY VEGAN APPETIZERS

    A knife cutting a healthy yogurt cake into slices over a white background.

    HEALTHY YOGURT CAKE (one-bowl)

    BROWSE RECIPES

    PASTA & GRAIN RECIPES

    SOUP RECIPES

    SALAD RECIPES

    VEGAN RECIPES

    OVEN-BAKED RECIPES

    SWEET RECIPES

    MEAL PREP RECIPES

    Copyright © 2018–2021 The clever Meal · All Right Reserved
    PRIVACY POLICY · FAQ · CONTACT ME