I'm loving this easy biscotti recipe as these Italian treats are one of my favorites. How often are you in the mood for a little something sweet with a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon?
An added bonus on these yummy cookies - they are only 2 Points on Weight Watchers!
When I visited Italy many years ago (before this site was in existence) the first food I tasted once arriving was a biscotti. We actually needed Euro to get onto the autostrada so we stopped at the first cafe we saw where we found lovely Italian biscotti.
Oh, the memories of the food in Italy! You may remember I was supposed to go to a conference in Italy that coincided with my birthday in March. Of course, the conference and our trip were both canceled.
Lately, I've been dreaming of the day when I can get back to Italy. This time I want to go south, to the Amalfi Coast. Until then, I can at least make these classic Italian cookies at home from this list of best biscotti recipes.
I've been in the mood for Italian food lately, so I created this Braised Beef Roast recipe a couple of weeks ago. It's made with Barolo wine and is scrumptious.
Last week I made these Amaretti Cookies which will have to tide me over until I can get there in person, along with this easy biscotti recipe. Because who can't use a little more sweetness in their life right now?
By the way, if you love trying new recipes from around the world, pick one of these Indonesian desserts and make something different and delightful this weekend.
What You Need to Make Biscotti
With only eight ingredients, this recipe will be a keeper! You'll need all-purpose flour, sugar, sea salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, aquafaba, raw walnuts, and dried apricots.
These biscotti come together so easily. I can't wait to see what you think!
How To Make Biscotti Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350° F (180 C)
Line an 8” x 4” loaf pan with parchment paper.
Combine flour with ginger and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
Coarsely chop walnuts. Slice apricots into quarter-inch pieces. Set both aside.
Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or handheld beater in a glass bowl, whip aquafaba on medium until it's foamy, about 1 minute.
Add salt and continue whipping on medium-high until soft peaks form. Be patient. This will probably take about 5 minutes.
One tablespoon at a time, add sugar into aquafaba, beating well after each addition. Once all sugar is incorporated, switch over to high power and beat until stiff peaks form, an additional 30 seconds to one minute.
Sift one-third of the flour and spice mixture into the whipped aquafaba. Gently fold into aquafaba in a circular motion, maintaining as much of the volume as possible.
Add remaining flour mixture in two more additions (always sift the flour in), folding after each addition. Fold until no flour pockets remain.
Add chopped walnuts and apricots folding into the batter until well distributed.
Gently scrape into prepared loaf pan and level out with the spatula.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until starting to brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes.
Gently remove from pan and allow to cool completely, at least 2 hours or overnight.
Second Baking of Biscotti
Preheat oven to 250° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or use silicone baking mats.
With a sharp serrated knife, carefully cut quarter-inch thick slices crosswise from the loaf. Do not exert too much pressure at the top of the loaf as it could crumble. Instead, use a gentle sawing motion to start each slice.
Place slices on lined baking sheets so that they do not touch.
Dry out biscotti in the oven for 25-35 minutes until a slight hint of color is present on cookies and they are crisp.
Flip cookies halfway through for a more even browning. I know it's tempting, but do not allow the biscotti to get to golden brown on top or they could burn underneath.
Allow cookies to cool before serving. These cookies make such a nice gift, and everyone loves biscotti.
You could even print the recipe on designer paper and slide it inside a small basket or even a paper bag. Think of all the people you could bless with a sweet treat right now.
How Long Do Biscotti Keep?
Cookies can be stored for up to one week in an airtight container at room temperature. In the freezer, they can be stored for about three months.
What Other Fruits Could I Use?
You could use any dried fruit in this easy biscotti recipe. Cranberries or cherries would be delicious.
Other nuts could be used as well. The classic version of Almondina has almonds and raisins. Adding them both whole would display a nice cross-section when cut.
I hope you make this easy biscotti recipe for your family soon! It really is such a nice treat and you'll be surprised at how easy these cookies are to make.
For more delicious cookie recipes, check out these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. They have such great flavor, it's hard to believe they're Weight Watchers friendly.
These double chocolate chip cookies are fantastic, too. For a little fall flavor, try these pumpkin spice latte cookies.
And don't miss trying these peanut butter brownies. This is the top recipe on this site, two years running!
Easy Biscotti Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 c/120g all-purpose flour
- ½ c/100g granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp/2g sea salt
- ½ tsp/1g ground ginger
- ½ tsp/1g ground cinnamon
- ½ c/120ml aquafaba
- 1 c/100g raw walnut halves*
- ¾ c/115g dried apricots
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F/180 C. Line an 8” x 4” loaf pan with baking parchment.
- Combine flour with ginger and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Coarsely chop walnuts. Slice apricots into ¼” pieces. Set both aside.
- Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or handheld beaters in a glass bowl, whip aquafaba until foamy on medium (about 1 minute).
- Add salt and continue whipping on med-high until soft peaks form (about 5 minutes).
- Add sugar 1 tbs at a time to aquafaba, beating well after each addition. Once all sugar is incorporated, switch to high power and beat until stiff peaks form, an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Sift ⅓ of flour and spice mixture into the whipped aquafaba. Gently fold into aquafaba in a circular motion, maintaining as much of the volume as possible.
- Add remaining flour mixture in 2 more additions (always sift the flour in), folding after each addition. Fold until no flour pockets remain.
- Fold chopped walnuts and apricots into batter until well distributed. Gently scrape into prepared loaf pan and level out with the spatula.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until starting to brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for at least 10 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely, at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 250° F/120 C. Line 2 baking sheet with parchment.
- With a sharp serrated knife, carefully cut ¼”/6mm thick slices crosswise from the loaf. Do not exert too much pressure at the top of the loaf, use a gentle sawing motion to start each slice.
- Place slices on parchment-lined baking sheets so that they do not touch.
- Dry out in the oven for 25-35 minutes until a slight hint of color is present on cookies and they are crisp. Flip ½ way through for a more even browning. Though it's tempting, do not allow the biscotti to get to golden brown on top or they will be burnt underneath.
- Allow to cool and enjoy. Cookies can be stored for up to 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.
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