Almond White Chocolate Biscotti Cookies

These white chocolate biscotti are oh-so good. Almond-infused biscotti drizzled with white chocolate, then finished with crunchy toppings? Yum!

Now this recipe is actually my husband’s grandmother’s and it is truly the best! I changed it just a tad by reducing it (it literally made SO much!) and adding some white chocolate! Because, I love taking advantage of any opportunity to eat chocolate.

White chocolate biscotti are a favorite of mine for good reason—they’re fantastic! The texture of the cookies is incredible, and they’re versatile. While they taste great plain, I love to dip or drizzle them in white chocolate and add extra texture by sprinkling nuts or cacao nibs on top.

Why You’ll Love White Chocolate Biscotti

Pretty presentation – Everything from the cookies’ oblong shape to the chocolate accents and toppings makes them real showstoppers.

Smaller batch – Biscotti recipes usually make a lot, and I mean a lot of dough. I’ve scaled this one back, so the yield isn’t excessive.

They store well – Since biscotti are baked twice, they stay crunchy, even when refrigerated.

Great gift – I love an edible gift, don’t you? Add a few of these to a cute bag, finish with a bit of twine tied into a bow, and voilà, a gift that wows!

Light crunch – Despite being dry, crunchy cookies, the texture is airy rather than dense and hard.

White Chocolate Biscotti Ingredients Notes

To make white chocolate biscotti, you will need the following ingredients:

• Butter: The fat in butter adds tenderness to the cookie while imparting a rich, buttery flavor. Use unsalted instead of salted.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cookies while also promoting a crunchy texture.
• Eggs: Eggs bind the cookie dough and help with leavening.
• Flour: All-purpose flour is the main structural component of the cookies.
• Extracts: Almond and vanilla extracts flavor the white chocolate biscotti. Almond extract adds a distinctly sweet flavor with nutty notes, while vanilla extract adds that pleasant vanilla flavor and enhances the other flavors in the biscotti.
• Almonds: Almonds are folded into the biscotti cookie dough to add texture and enhance the crunch.
• White chocolate: White chocolate adds a creamy, complex finishing touch to the biscotti. It’s also lovely and milky.

How to Make White Chocolate Biscotti

1. Cream: Cream the softened butter until fluffy, then gradually add the sugar until well combined.
2. Add the eggs and extracts: Once the butter and sugar are smooth, incorporate the eggs and extracts to ensure even distribution.
3. Dry ingredients: Combine them in a bowl first, then slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing well until a dough forms.
4. Fold: Keep the dough in the mixing bowl and fold in the almonds or transfer it to a cutting board before doing so. The choice is yours.
5. Shape: Divide the dough into two balls, refrigerate to allow the biscotti dough to firm up, then form the dough into two logs. It’s easiest to do this on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Bake: Place the loaves in a lower-temperature oven to bake until lightly browned. This initial bake sets the dough and ensures it can be sliced.
7. Slice: After the first bake, cool the loaves, cut them widthwise into ½-inch thick biscotti, and arrange them on a baking sheet.
8. Bake again: Bake the sliced biscotti at an even lower temperature. Doing so draws moisture from the cookie dough and helps develop that dry, crispy crunch.
9. Finishing touches: Once the biscotti have cooled, melt the white chocolate and either dip or drizzle it over the biscotti. Before the chocolate sets, sprinkle on any desired toppings, including cacao nibs and pistachios.

Variations, Substitutions, and Cooking Tips

Try another chocolate – Sure, they’ll no longer be white chocolate biscotti, but that doesn’t matter. This recipe works well with any chocolate: dark, milk (although they may taste too sweet to some), melted cacao, or a combination. You have to try them all.

Leave them plain – Plain biscotti are great dipped in a rich cup of hot chocolate or a morning cup of coffee.

Experiment with add-ins – Dried fruit can replace the almonds folded into the dough, as can citrus zest and other nuts.

Use room temperature ingredients – This ensures the biscotti dough turns out well. Just set butter and eggs out an hour before you plan to bake. If you forget, you can soften cold butter in 10-second bursts in the microwave and bring eggs to room temperature by letting them spend a little time in a bowl of warm, not hot, water. Overlooking this factor can result in flat dough, biscotti with a super dense texture, or dough that is too crumbly to shape.

Use light-colored cookie sheets – These are better than dark sheets, especially when it comes to biscotti because they don’t run the risk of the cookies getting overly brown. The reason? Light-colored baking sheets reflect heat, whereas dark ones absorb it, which can result in overly browned white chocolate biscotti.

Storage and Freezer Tips

Store white chocolate biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature to keep them as fresh and crunchy as possible. You can also refrigerate the cookies, but they will not last as long; you may get 2-3 days before the texture is negatively affected. As for the freezer, never store baked biscotti in the freezer. That said, you can freeze the dough to use later. The dough can be made up to two months in advance.

Almond White Chocolate Biscotti Recipe

Yield: 16-20

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

Delicious almond & white chocolate infused biscotti topped with a white chocolate drizzle! Easy to make and are wonderful as little gifts for family or friends as they keep well in the fridge/freezer!

Print

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks), room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups + 3 tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup slivered raw almonds
• Topping
• 6 oz chocolate
• 2 tbs coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cacao nibs
• 1/2 cup crushed pistachio

Instructions

1. In mixing bowl cream butter (soften) until fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
2. Slowly add sugar and beat more. (about 3-4 minutes).
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating each time. (3 minutes).
4. Add almond and vanilla extracts.
5. Combine the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda and salt, in a bowl and add slowly to the egg and butter mixture blending evenly.
6. When all dry ingredients have been added, fold in the slivered almonds.
7. Divide dough into 2 balls; place balls on parchment paper on cookie sheet in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
8. Once chilled, form the balls into logs about 4 inch wide and 8-10 inches long; then flatten the logs out into loaf shape, patting with fingers.
9. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
10. Bake 1 loaf per sheet at 325 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
11. Reduce the oven to 300°F.
12. Cool loaves, then slice with serrated knife into ½ inch thick biscotti at a slight diagonal.
    Lay biscotti on side and bake for 20 minutes. Cool before handling.
13. To dip the biscotti, wait until completely cooled. Then, melt the chocolate and the coconut oil using a double boiler (I place a heat-proof bowl on top of a small pot filled with 1/4 cup of water.)
14. Remove from heat once the chocolate has almost completely melted (this means there should be just a few clumps). Continue stirring until completely smooth.
15. Lay out a long sheet of parchment paper.
16. Dip one end of each biscotti in the white chocolate. Or, drizzle over top.
17. Before the chocolate cools, top with the cacao nibs and/or crushed pistachio.

Notes

Make the dough in advance and freeze the dough for up to 2 months.

You can roast the almonds before chopping them for a nuttier flavor.