Cookies
Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Biscotti
December 1, 2020
Kick your holiday cookie game up a notch with these deliciously crispy and nutty classic Italian biscotti. Covered in a […]
Kick your holiday cookie game up a notch with these deliciously crispy and nutty classic Italian biscotti. Covered in a dark chocolate drizzle, they’re perfect for dunking in your cup of coffee or tea. Did someone say cookies for breakfast?
It’s officially December bakers which means goodbye pie, hello cookie season {aka, the most wonderful time of the year}! I’ve been dreaming up the most delicious collection of holiday cookies just for you and we kicked things off yesterday with a batch of festive peppermint mocha cookie sandwiches which definitely put the merry in Christmas. Today I’m sharing a brand new recipe for a delightfully dunkable classic Italian cookie, best known as biscotti. These twice baked cookies are far easier to make than you might think and each bite is dotted with bits of crunchy, toasted hazelnuts which makes them perfect for dunking in a cup of hot coffee or tea. Did someone say cookies for breakfast?
If you’re like me, you probably thought you didn’t like biscotti because they are too dry, or too crunchy or just too, well…bland. But trust me when I say you’ll change your mind once you indulge in a few of these chocolate dipped hazelnut biscotti with a mug of hot cocoa. Like the classic version, they have that signature crispy, crunchy texture but we’ll bake them for slightly less time on the second go around which gives them a softer center. Trust me when I say you won’t be able to keep your hands out of the cookie jar! Add a dark chocolate dip and these cookies will be your forever favorite.
WHAT IS BISCOTTI?
In simple terms, biscotti means “biscuits” in Italian which is loosely translated to “cookies” in English. It comes from the words twice cooked, or in this case, twice baked. Biscotti is a hearty cookie that gets a little extra time in the oven with the intention of drying them out. They are ideal for dunking in coffee, tea, or milk. Or if you’re feeling frisky they would be fabulous paired with an after dinner wine or brandy. Biscotti are sturdy enough that they won’t fall apart when dunked, but they will soak up a fair amount of liquid leaving behind a soft texture that literally melts in your mouth with every bite. Biscotti are perfect for gifting at the holidays because they stay fresh for weeks and don’t break easily. Bakers love them because there is no chilling, no rolling, and no scooping cookie dough. Just mix the dough, form into a log, and bake to a golden brown. You’ll bake the biscotti once more after slicing and then dunk them in melted chocolate for the perfect finishing touch.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO MAKE CHOCOLATE DIPPED HAZELNUT BISCOTTI
Hazelnuts. For the very best flavor, go the extra mile and use whole, raw hazelnuts with the skins attached. Toasting the hazelnuts before adding them to the dough enhances the sweet, buttery flavor of the nuts. If you are new to toasting hazelnuts, read on below for a step by step guide to removing the skins.
Flour. Just regular all purpose flour is all you need. Nothing fancy here. For best results, weigh your flour using a kitchen scale or use the scoop and level method to be sure you aren’t adding too much.
Steel cut oats. This recipe calls for steel cut oats. I don’t recommend substituting quick oats or whole, rolled oats as the texture will be different.
Baking soda. Just a dash of baking soda helps with rise and texture.
Eggs.Like most cookie recipes, this one calls for room temperature eggs for best success.
Sugar. Biscotti is traditionally not a very sweet cookie so we’ll stay true to the original and use just a bit of sugar to sweeten the dough.
Brandy. I’m not really an after dinner drink kind of gal but I do know that brandy belongs in this biscotti. Feel free to use brandy, cognac, frangelico…whatever you have on hand will do the trick.
Vanilla. Use a good quality vanilla extract for the very best flavor. I love this one from Rodelle.
Dark chocolate. Melted dark chocolate makes the perfect topping for these hazelnut biscotti. Everything is better with chocolate and these cookies are no exception. You can drizzle, dip or dunk the cookies into the melted chocolate and then top with more chopped hazelnuts or flakey sea salt if that’s your thing.
HOW TO TOAST RAW HAZELNUTS
If you’ve never toasted hazelnuts before, don’t think twice about it. Removing the skins is as easy as 1-2-3. Simply place the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the nuts on a clean dishtowel. Rub the hazelnuts with the towel, loosening the skins. Most of the skins will fall off easily, while some may take a little extra scrubbing. If you find that some of the skins are not separating, place the nuts back in the oven for a few minutes and repeat the steps until the hazelnuts are skin free. Chop them with a knife or quick run them though a food processor until you have bits and pieces of various sizes.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CHOCOLATE DIPPED HAZELNUT BISCOTTI
Making traditional biscotti requires several steps but none of them are difficult. If you are new to making biscotti, check out the tips below and read through the recipe twice before beginning.
Use a stand mixer. If you are here for a good arm workout, by all means mix your batter the old fashioned way using a bowl and spoon. A stand mixer will make the process much easier {and faster!}.
Allow the cookies to cool. After baking the “logs” make sure you allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. If the cookies are too warm, they may crumble and fall apart.
Use a serrated knife for slicing. You can thank me for this tip later. Cutting biscotti is a lot like slicing bread so you’ll want to come prepared with a long serrated knife. Use a short sawing motion to cut through the logs.
Play with the baking time. Biscotti are one strange cookie in that they are baked not once, but twice. On the second bake cycle, you can play around with how long you leave the biscotti in the oven depending on how crunchy you like your cookies. For a slightly softer center, bake for less time. For a crunchy cookie through and through, bake for longer. Keep in mind the cookies will crisp up a bit as they cool on the cookie sheet.
HOW TO STORE BISCOTTI
I love to double the batch and stash half of the baked cookies in the freezer for a rainy day. If you want to store the biscotti so they are ready to eat, simply cover them in an air tight container and keep at room temperature for up to two weeks. The cookies will keep better without the chocolate coating but you can always add a drizzle of chocolate just before serving.
Happy baking!
If you love these Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Biscotti, check out these other delicious holiday cookies:
Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
Chocolate Salted Caramel Sandwich Cookies
Chocolate Mocha Linzer Cookies with Dulce de Leche
The Best Cookies To Bake With Kids
Print
Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Biscotti
- Prep Time: 35
- Cook Time: 70
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 min
- Yield: 35-40 cookies 1x
Description
Kick your holiday cookie game up a notch with these deliciously crispy and nutty classic Italian biscotti. Covered in a dark chocolate drizzle, they’re perfect for dunking in your cup of coffee or tea. Did someone say cookies for breakfast?
Ingredients
1 cup hazelnuts
2 cups all-purpose flour, scooped and leveled (270g)
½ cup steel cut oats (not quick oats) (35g)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons brandy
2 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces dark chocolate
Flaky sea salt and/or finely chopped hazelnut pieces for sprinkling on top
Instructions
Adjust the oven rack to the middle of the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Preheat to 350˚ F.
To remove the skins from hazelnuts: Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to burn the nuts, so stay close to the oven. Once you smell the toasted nutty aroma and the nuts are slightly golden in color, remove from the oven and place in a dish towel. Rub the hazelnuts around in the dish towel to remove the skins. If some of the skins do not come off, return to the oven for a few more minutes.
Once the skins are removed, roughly chop and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, brandy and vanilla together until lightly frothy.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and use a sturdy spatula to combine.
Mix in the chopped hazelnuts. You can use your hands to make sure everything is combined well.
Divide the dough in two and form each half of the dough into a 12-inch long log on the prepared cookie sheet. Make sure the two logs are a couple inches from the edge of the baking sheet, as well as a couple inches from each other because the dough will expand slightly. The dough is a bit sticky so it may help to lightly wet your hands before forming it into the long log shape. Using a bench scraper helps to form the logs as well.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until slightly golden brown and let cool on the pan for 15-20 minutes. Turn down the oven to 300˚ F.
Remove each log from baking sheet and place on cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut ½-¾ inch slices. Depending on your slice thickness, you should get about 15-18 cookies per log.
Once all the biscotti are sliced, place them back on the lined cookie sheet, cut side down. Bake them again for 10-12 minutes. Take them out, flip them over and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Let cook completely before dipping in chocolate.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 15 second intervals. Stir between each interval.
Once the biscotti are cool, dip one end of the biscotti into the chocolate. Place on a lined cookie sheet to allow the chocolate to harden. Garnish with flaky seat salt and finely chopped hazelnut pieces if desired.
Notes
Store biscotti tightly covered in a cool, dry place for up to two weeks.
May be frozen.
5 Comments
Zsuzsanna
January 23, 2023 at 12:13 amI measured exactly and got too hard after the mixing. What did I do wrong?
Jeejee
December 12, 2020 at 8:12 pmCan I leave the brandy out?
Heather Mubarak
December 13, 2020 at 5:08 amYes, you can. Add a couple of teaspoons of water or even an extra tsp of vanilla to make up for the lost moisture. Enjoy!!
Dana Loughrey
December 5, 2020 at 6:46 pmAbsolutely delicious!! I had a bit of trouble getting the hazelnuts prepped, but should get easier with practice. The dough was easy to work with and magically forms into the traditional biscotti shape. I can’t wait to make it again!
Heather Mubarak
December 5, 2020 at 8:17 pmI’m so happy you loved this biscotti! It really is so easy to make once you get those pesky hazelnuts peeled.