There are two camps of people when it comes to biscotti—those that like their biscotti super crispy and crunchy so the cookies hold up and are still crisp when dunked into coffee, and those that would prefer not to break their teeth biting into one and want their cookie to be a little more forgiving. Which camp do you fall in? Super crunchy coffee dipper? Or cakey enough to safely eat on their own? I’m sort of in-between. A biscotti should be crunchy, right? But it shouldn’t be so hard that it hurts.
Crispy or Soft?
The good news is that you as a baker can have a say in how you would like your biscotti to be. Biscotti are twice baked cookies. The cookie dough is first baked shaped as a flattened log. Then you cut it with a serrated knife into smaller individual cookies and bake those a second time. If you want softer cookies, just don’t bake them as long the second bake. If you want crisper cookies, bake them the second bake until they are well browned and crispy. Biscotti can either have butter or oil in the dough or not. Leaving out the fat will make for a much crispier cookie, but unless you are dunking them into liquid (coffee, tea, milk, wine), they might be a little hard and dry to eat. These biscotti include a full stick of butter, contributing to both the flavor and the texture.
The Best Way to Store Biscotti
Let the cookies cool down completely before storing them, and then put them in a sealed bag or cookie tin. If they are still warm when you seal them, they’ll soften up and loose their crispness. If this happens, just reheat them in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes.To freeze biscotti, let the cool down all the way, and place them in an air-tight freezer bag. Freeze for up to 30 days. To use, defrost and then crisp up in a 300°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
More Cookies to Serve With Coffee!
Pumpkin Biscotti Cherry Pistachio Chocolate Biscotti Gingersnap Cookies Amaretti Cookies Cinnamon Snaps
Many thanks to my friends Nicky and Elise Targ for sharing this recipe with me decades ago! It was one of their favorites and is now one of mine. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the minced ginger. Add the flour mixture into the butter and eggs mixture, one third at a time. Stir in the almonds. Cool on wire rack. Store in airtight container. Dip in wine after dinner (classic Italian fashion) or coffee, tea, or hot cocoa.
