Biscotti Cookie – The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) (2024)

FAQs

What is the reason for baking the biscotti twice? ›

The first biscotti, often referred to as Biscotti di Prato, were created in 14th-century Tuscany in the city of Prato and were made from almonds, which were abundant in the region. Because the second baking drew moisture out of the biscuit, it rendered the biscotti hard, sturdy and, importantly, resistant to mold.

While some recipes use oil, I like to use butter for a better flavor and texture. Use unsalted, softened (not melty!) butter. Sugar. Since they are cookies, biscotti should be sweet!

It is known for its crisp, dry texture and long shelf life. The name “biscotti” is Italian for “twice-cooked,” referring to the traditional method of baking the cookies twice, first in a log shape, then slicing and baking them again, which gives them their characteristic dry, crunchy texture.

If when you have baked the loaf, and then they fall apart when you try to slice them, you have baked the Biscotti too long. You should be able to slice the Biscotti without it shattering.

The trickiest parts of making them are the mixing and the shaping and baking. Just like biscuits, you can't overmix the dough. I found that if the dough is mixed too much, the biscotti becomes dense and heavy.

Because the dough can be sticky and hard to form, it's important to chill the batter for a good 30 minutes before baking the first time.

The dough will be sticky; wetting your hands before forming the loaves will help you shape them without having to add more flour. Form biscotti loaves as big or small as you like—create dainty little tea cookies or jumbo dunking-sized coffee companions.

The dough can be wet to touch, and flouring your hands and benchtop will save you when shaping into logs. Cooling time. 10 minutes is the perfect time to slice the biscotti. If it cools too much, it can crack and crumble.

Sifting your ingredients together help avoid the hard middle in your biscotti! Don't overbeat the eggs. You want just enough air pockets to add some crispiness and texture, but not so many that you get a lot of crumble in your biscotti instead. Don't overmix the batter.

How do you keep biscotti from crumbling when cutting? ›

For crumble-free cutting, spray baked biscotti logs with water. Once your biscotti logs are baked it's time to slice them — hopefully without crumbling! I like to mist the logs with water and wait 5 minutes, then cut.

An Italian Food Rule — Only Dip Biscotti in Vin Santo, Not in Coffee. There is nothing more satisfying for dessert at the end of a long Italian meal than a couple of almond -studded biscotti and a small glass of Vin Santo. The hard biscotti become sweetly moist after a few seconds dipped in the sweet late-harvest wine.

Although commonly used to indicate the biscuits of Prato, biscotti di Prato, in modern Italy they are also known widely by the name cantuccini.

Italians use the word biscotti when referring to products that Americans call cookies. The word cantucci is used by Italians when referring to the product Americans call biscotti.

This is because biscuits were originally cooked in a twofold process: first baked, and then dried out in a slow oven. This term was then adapted into English in the 14th century during the Middle Ages, in the Middle English word bisquite, to represent a hard, twice-baked product.

To store biscotti, keep it in an airtight container at room temperature. Lining the container with a paper towel will help soak up any excess moisture that finds its way in. Biscotti will stay good for up to a month at room temperature and three months in the freezer.

The dough is made on the stovetop, with the ingredients (except for the eggs) brought to a boil while stirring to form a ball. This is pretty unusual, since most pastry doughs are mixed and then rolled or folded, but not cooked. Thus choux dough is cooked twice, once on the stovetop and again in the oven.

Most baked goods need a leavening agent to make them rise, and if you leave it out, your cake or your cookies will fall flat. Baking powder makes dough rise because it contains both a base and an acid in dried form.