Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti
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Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti is everything I want from biscotti; crumbly, crunchy, buttery, with a slight sweetness and toasted almond flavor.
Somehow I still remember my first time making almond biscotti. It happened when I was still in junior high school. Making biscotti was pretty memorable for the younger version of me because the way they were made was very unique. Biscotti, which means “twice-cooked,” is formed into logs, baked, cut into slices, and baked again until dry and crispy, just like how they are named.
I am not going to lie, making biscotti is very time consuming because they need to be baked twice, but still worth the effort. The double baking gives them a dry and hard exterior. In fact, biscotti has a bad reputation for being so hard they will crack a tooth. Just to tell you that the traditional biscotti is made without adding any fat. That is the reason most biscotti have a dry and hard texture.
The recipe I share will produce wonderfully crispy biscotti that remains tender and crumbly. Adding butter into the dough is my secret ingredient for creating a softer bite and richer taste, while the biscuits still retain the crispy texture. The added almonds also contribute to the richer and nuttier biscotti. Do not forget to toast the almonds first to bring out the flavor.
Chocolate dipped or not, it is your choice. Not only does dipping these biscotti in chocolate make them taste delicious, but it also makes them pretty. In fact, my favorite part is actually the chocolate end because they taste heavenly when dunked into the bitter coffee.
How to Make Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti
Making biscotti looks pretty challenging, but it is actually not. I have step-by-step photos on how to perfectly make these Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti.
1. Toast almonds
Almonds are typically a staple in traditional Italian biscotti. Everyone knows that toasting almonds can intensify of flavor and aroma of almonds, making them even more nutty and complex. It means you will get the flavor boost nuts from a quick turn in the heat into your baked goods. The crunchy texture of toasted almonds will also remain crunchy which is one of the reasons I add almonds to my biscotti.
You can use either whole or slivered almonds in this recipe. The difference is the shorter cooking times for the slivered ones, which burn more easily. To toast the almonds, you can put spread them in a single layer of a baking pan and bake them in the oven at 350F/180°C for 12-15 minutes for whole almonds and 6-8 minutes for almond slices, stirring occasionally to ensure even toasting. I prefer this method over toasting them on a stovetop to make sure even toasting.
After they appear a shade darker and smell toasty, let them out from the oven and cool completely. Pulse in a food processor until coarsely chopped up. If you like big chunks of almonds inside your biscotti, just coarsely chop the almonds with a knife.
2. Make the biscotti dough
Follow the usual cookie making procedure by creaming the butter and sugar, adding eggs and extract, as well as sifting the flour into the batter. Do not skip the almond extract because it will enhance the almond flavor in the biscotti. Then, add the toasted almond crumbs into the batter until well combined.
Add the toasted almond crumbs into the batter until well combined.
3. Shape the dough into logs and bake
Divide the dough in half and them into two logs with your hand on a baking pan. Set them apart from each other.Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Cut the logs into slices
After baking the logs until they have turned light golden brown, remove them from the oven. They should be firm enough to touch. Allow to cool before transferring them to a chopping board because they are very fragile when still hot. Then, slice them diagonally into 1/2-3/4 inch thickness with a serrated knife to make longer biscotti. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking pan.
5. Bake them again
Bake for 10 minutes and turn over the biscotti. Bake for another 10 minutes until the slices are lightly toasted. This step is necessary to dry the biscotti and makes them crispy like they are supposed to be. Remove from the oven. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to the wire rack to cool completely.
6. Decorate your biscotti
This is an optional step. If you like the plain almond biscotti, you can stop until step 5. Decorating your biscotti with melted chocolate and toasted almond crumbs is a good way to impress your family or friends. In addition, I love eating the chocolate ends first because they coat my mouth with chocolate flavor as I go biting the other ends.
Look at those textures. You can see some tiny almond crumbs inside the biscotti. I think the chocolate really brings a great contrast to the biscotti.
That’s it! I hope all these steps will not intimidate you to make these lovely Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti. Let me know if you make them yourself.
Ingredients
Almond Biscotti
- 1 cup (100 gr) whole/slivered almonds
- 1/3 cup (75 gr) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100 gr) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 gr) light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 1/4 cups (270 gr) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Chocolate Dip
- 1 cup (100 gr) whole/slivered almonds
- 8.8 oz (250 gr) bitter sweet chocolate, melted
Instructions
Almond Biscotti
- Preheat oven to 300F/150°C.
- Line a large baking pan with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Spread 2 cups (1 cup for biscotti and 1 cup for decoration) of almonds on baking pan and toast for 12-15 minutes for whole almonds or 6-8 minutes for slivered almonds, stirring twice during that time. Remove toasted almonds from the oven and turn the oven up to 350F/180°C. Let them cool and pulse into a food processor until coarsely chopped. Set aside.
- Prepare a large baking pan with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until well combined. Add eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract and mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, toss all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until well incorporated with a spatula.
- Stir in half the toasted almonds into the batter and mix until well combined.
- Divide the dough in half and them into two logs on a baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and firm to touch. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing them diagonally into 1/2-3/4 inch thickness with a serrated knife. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes and turn over the biscotti. Bake for another 10 minutes until the slices are lightly toasted. Remove from the oven. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to the wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Dip
- Dip the biscotti into melted chocolate and sprinkle with the remaining toasted almonds.
