This is a vegetarian biscotti recipe you just have to try! Biscotti originated as Italian almond biscuits in the city of Prato. Twice-baked, these oblong cookies are crunchy and traditionally dipped in Vin Santo, an Italian dessert wine.
These twice-baked biscotti are a healthy alternative to your usual sugary cookie. My version has a wonderful flavor full of almonds, dried apricots and zesty orange.
This week we went and tried this fantastic new Italian restaurant that opened up in our neighbourhood recently. After eating way too much scrumptious food we decided to end the evening with a coffee and biscotti. I had forgotten how good these oblong shaped cookies were and straight away decided to make my own biscotti recipe.
Orange, Almond and Apricot are incorporated into this biscotti recipe
My version is bursting with crunchy almonds that go perfectly with the sweet and tart flavors of the dried apricots. The orange zest gives a great freshness to the mix.
Biscotti actually means twice baked and this baking process is what gives these cookies their dry and crunchy texture. I love how it looks like a loaf of freshly baked crusty bread when it emerges from the oven.
All though these cookies take a bit longer to make due to the double baking process they are still relatively easy to put together. And the beauty with these dry crunchy cookies is that they will last for a long period of time when kept in an airtight container.
Also you might like to try our Double Chocolate Cookies or Peanut M&M Cookies too.
Enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain flour
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 free range eggs
- ½ cup almonds
- ½ cup dried apricots sliced
- juice and zest of ½ an orange
Instructions
- Heat oven to 320 (160C) and line a cookie tray with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour and baking powder in a bowl then stir in the sugar. Add the almonds and apricots.
- Lightly beat the eggs and add to the mixture along with the orange juice and zest. Mix until combined.
- On a well floured surface such as a clean kitchen bench or table roll the mixture out onto a log about 3 ½ inches wide and long enough to fit on you cookie tray, but leaving about 2 inches at each end to allow the log to expand in the oven. As biscotti mix is quite wet you can be really liberal with the flour here, putting down a good ½ a cup or so. Keep your hands well floured to roll and shape the log.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until a slight golden crust has formed. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray completely.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300 (150C). Once cooled transfer the log to a cutting board and with a sharp kitchen knife or serrated bread knife, diagonally cut the log into biscuits about ½ an inch in thickness.
- Place the biscuits back on the baking tray and return to the oven and continue to bake for around 10 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Remove from oven and stand on tray for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Tina says
This biscotti was DELICIOUS!! I'll definitely be making these again. 5/5
Jason says
No problem, hope you enjoy them!
simon says
Thanks for this recipe! I've been searching for an apricot biscotti recipe for a while and this one was great, yum!
Pamela Stimpert says
Tried these because I had some dried apricots I didn't want to throw out. They were easy to make and really good.
I will definitely make them again.
Jason says
Thanks Pamela, glad you could put those apricots to good use!
Jan says
Absoloutly scrummy i will certainly make them again.
Jason says
I'm glad you liked them Jan, thanks for visiting our site and trying the recipes!
Helen says
Do you chop the almonds first?
Jason says
Hi Helen, no need to chop the almonds first. When you cut the biscotti up larger pieces of almond are sliced and reveal a nice looking cross section of the nuts!
Anonymous says
Great recipe, but I feel the temp was too low or the time not enough.
Jason says
Hi there, sorry you had that experience. Ovens can vary so perhaps increasing the temp a little next time will help when cooking the biscotti logs in the first part. You can also increase the time you leave them in the oven once the biscotti has been sliced. Hope this helps and thanks for trying the recipe!
Anonymous says
I increased temp and time, they were PERFECT!! Thank you!!
Anonymous says
Tried them again with a higher oven temp, they were a hit. I made them for a luncheon and everyone was asking where they were purchased. THANK YOU
Jason says
That's awesome! Glad that they worked out for you, thanks.
ritzchef says
What would the yield be, if sliced 1/2 inch as you suggest?
Jason says
Hi there, you will get around 26 pieces of biscotti from this recipe. Cheers.
Anonymous says
I never made biscotti before and your recipe was very easy. They came out delicious and I will certainly make them again. I took some to my sister and they were a hit. Thanks for the recipe!
Carol says
Kylie and Jason, thank you for sharing! this was an easy recipe and so good, happy holidays!
Jason says
No worries Carol, glad you enjoyed it!!!
Iryna says
Fantastic taste and aroma!!! I had to add additional 1/2 a cup of flour into the dough though, because it was just too runny and wasn't holding any shape. And also raised the temperature to 180ºC in the first step, as it was just not getting golden at all. Otherwise absolutely awesome!
Mamacit says
Great recipe but I did have to add about another half cup of flour. Also, "biscotti " does not mean twice baked. The term "biscotti " in Italian kitchens means cookies, or biscuits.
Anna says
Hi tried the recipe it was really wet! I will try to add another half cup as suggested in previous comments. How many teaspons or cup would have an orange yield since the size of oranges vary can u suggest the recommended amount.
Easy recipe and the dough did taste good!
Anonymous says
Hi i made the cookies the batter was too soft even after adding extra flour
I am just wondering for the kuice of 1/2 an orange, do you gave an idea of how many tbsps it would be approx?
Appreciate the recipe!
Jackie says
Idk what I did wrong... but I had to add almost 2 cups more of flour. We shall see how it turns out.
Marlene Torres says
I love biscotti! I love the taste of orange and almond also. I make them every year for Christmas. I will be trying your recipe this time for a change. Thanks for posting!
Lily says
Hey can u tell me by plain flour is it maida or wheat flour
Giovanna says
How long will they keep in a airtight container ??
Jean says
Hello Jason! I saw your recipe as I was looking for a good biscotti recipe to give away to friends this Christmas. Do you think I can substitute Dried Philippine mango for the apricot? I’m dying to try it!! Your biscotti looks amazing!!!
Kat Snyder says
Can’t wait to make these! There’s no butter in recipe??
Rebecca says
Gorgeous!
I added 1/4 tsp orange blossom water too
It needed the extra 1/2 cup flour in total, might try adding 1/4tsp more baking powder next time
Anyone wondering if this recipes works for readers in the UK- it does
Ulla Bucko says
Did anyone experiment making the Biscotties with Gluten-free Flour?
Anonymous says
Delicious! I did add about a tablespoon of good olive oil. It added a richness to the biscotti .
Anonymous says
Angela
I’ve been making these biscottis already 4-5 times and I never had apricots so I’ve been adding the orange pieces of the other half of the oranges. My family loves them
Can we add more than one cup of flour while mixing because it is runny and we still need to add the flour afterwards. Thank you for this delicious recipe!