Twice baked, crunchy and yet soft, this Orange Biscotti is a perfect pair for your coffee or tea. Biscotti comes in different shapes, sizes and flavor and this recipe is a great base recipe for Biscotti that you can tweaked to make different variations. It is simple, straightforward and produces a light crunchy cookie crumb. You wouldn’t be breaking any of your teeth eating this Biscotti 🙂

I got introduced to Biscotti because of my father. He likes eating it for snack, sometimes to pair it with his coffee. We are not talking about fancy Biscotti with chocolates, or dried cranberries and nuts but just the old-fashioned toasted bread with butter and sugar. That’s the kind of Biscotti that I grew up with, simple, basic and delicious.

Although I don’t get to eat it as  much, on the back of my mind, I still have those childhood memories when I once enjoyed eating it. The first time I made Chocolate Biscotti, it turned so hard! I know Biscotti is supposed to be hard, but mine is extra hard. I literally had to use a knife to cut it into pieces just so that I can eat it. I don’t like throwing food, so unless it is absolutely not edible, I will not throw it.

It took a while before I got over it, it took a week for me to finished it! I did not make it again for a long time. Whenever I had a craving for Biscotti, I went to cafe to get one. And then, I just decided to give it a try again. I did my research, took my time looking for the recipe.I knew what I wanted and I was  going for something with fruity flavor, so I decided to go for Orange flavored Biscotti. I love orange flavored baked goodies, just like my Orange Chiffon Cake or Orange flavoured Chocolate Cake, so why not Biscotti?

This cookie is light and crunchy, but not too hard. I made sure to control the baking time so that it doesn’t get too hard. The orange flavor worked well, it stands out a lot. I love both the plain version and the ones with melted chocolate and nuts. I cannot stopped eating this while I am cutting it. I am so pleased with the output, my modifications worked just fine and I achieved the result that I am aiming for. Another for keeps recipe worth sharing in my blog. Let’s get started!

Thick or Thin?

Really, the choice is yours. You can have it as thin as 1/4-inch to as thick as 1-inch. You can have it super dry and crunchy, or you can have it lightly dry. Traditional Biscotti are really dry and hard, although the thickness vary. I like my Biscotti about 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick, but most of the time I go for 1/2-inch. The thicker the slice, the longer baking time needed to dry it. The Biscotti should still be slightly soft when you press it so when it cools down it would end up with just the right crunch and dry texture. If you want a really dry Biscotti, then you are aiming for a dry (not lightly soft) Biscotti when you take it out of the oven. As it cools down, it will dry out and harden a bit more. Feel free to adjust the baking time to achieve your preferred texture. As always, the choice is yours.

Be Prepared for a Sticky Situation

The dough of this biscotti is going to be wet and sticky. If you watch the video, you will noticed that dough is really sticking to the bowl. This sticky wet dough makes the texture of the biscotti light and airy. Here’s few tips on how to handle the sticky situation:

• Generously flour your working area, parchment paper and your flour before handling the dough. This will lessen the sticking of the dough. Flour as you go
• Use a bench scrapper of spatula to turn and move the dough. Use the parchment paper as a guide to shape it into a log.
• If your dough is stickier than what you see in the video, you can add more flour to the dough but do not over do it as too much flour can make the biscotti tough and hard

Watch the video for the visual demonstration on how to do it

Tips In Making Biscotti: 

1. Sift all the Dry Ingredients: Sifting aerates the flour, thus giving a lighter crunchy Biscotti
2. Use Room Temperature Egg: Room temperature egg mix easily as compared to cold egg. Leave the egg on the counter at least 30 minutes before using it, or submerge the egg in warm water for 5 minutes before using it.
3. Sift Add the Dry Ingredients in 2 Addition: Adding the dry ingredients gradually will avoid over mixing, and sifting it again will help create a light cookie crumb.
4. Manual Mixing: I know we all love convenience, but skip using the mixer when you are mixing the dry ingredient to wet ingredients as it will definitely knock-down or deflate the air that was build up from creaming the egg. Manually mix it, NO mixer pleeeease.
5. Flour the Working Surface as well as you Hands: The cookie dough is really sticky. Generously adding flour on your work area and your hands will make the shaping easier and less sticky.
6. Let Cool Before Cutting: The Biscotti is only halfway cook, so it is still soft especially when hot. Cutting the Biscotti while hot could break it apart.
7. Use a Serrated Knife in Cutting: To get a nice clean cut and to avoid breaking the Biscotti, a serrated knife is recommended.
8. Be Patient –  Biscotti is a twice baked cookie, so do not take a short cut on this. The second baking is what will make the Biscotti dry and crunchy. Bake it twice, let it cool completely to allow it to harden. It is worth the wait, promise 🙂

Small Batch Ingredients (Makes 6-inch log)

• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoon (142g) Cake Flour (sifted)
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• Zest of 2 Large Orange
• 2 tablespoon mild Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoon (74g) granulated Sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Egg – room temperature
• 1/4 cup nuts such as sliced Almonds – optional
  

Big Batch Ingredients (Makes 12-inch log)

• 1 3/4 (256g) cups Cake Flour (sifted)
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• Zest of 2 Large Orange
• 1/4 cup mild Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup (147g) cup granulated Sugar
• 2 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 Eggs
• 1/3 cup nuts such as sliced Almonds – optional

Variations:

• Lemon Zest: Zest of 1 Large Lemon
• Currents, raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried apricots, candied orange or lemon peel: 1/2 cup (chopped). Soak the dried fruits in water or juice then drain to remove excess water before mixing with the dry ingredients
• Anise Seed: 1 tablespoon
• Five Spice Powder or Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon
• Walnuts, Pecans, Hazelnuts, Pistachio, Pine Nuts: 1/3 cup (chopped)

Adjust the amount of add-on depending on the size of Biscotti you are making. The suggested measurement for variations if for big batch Biscotti. Cut it to half if making small batch.

Instructions:

1. Prep: Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment.
2. Mix the dry ingredients: In small bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add Orange zest and mix to distribute.
3. Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat the olive oil and sugar on medium speed until blended. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat for 3 minutes or until pale in color and light consistency.
4. Dry Ingredients + Wet Ingredients: Sift the dry ingredients onto the wet ingredients then manually fold until combined. Do this in 2 addition to avoid over mixing.
5. Add Desired Mix-in: Add nuts or dried fruit or both, and manually mix until the nuts are evenly distributed throughout the batter. Using a spatula, give the mixture a final stir to be sure that everything is incorporated from the bottom of the bowl and well blended. The dough will be really sticky.
   • If Using Dried Fruits: Chop the dried fruits and soak in water or juice (about 1 tablespoon) then press and drain to remove excess liquid before mixing with the dry ingredients
6. Shape into log shape: Generously flour your working area, as well as you hands then transfer the cookie dough onto your working area. Shape the dough into a 7 x 3-inch log (or to your desired size). Transfer the log into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
   • If Making Big Batch: Divide the dough into 2 and shape each portion into a 7 x 3 inches log. Alternatively, you can make 1 big log of 12 – 13 inch long.
   • Widder Log: If you want a wider Biscotti, instead of shaping it to 7 x 3 inches size, make it 6 x 4 inches.
7. First Baking – Pre-bake the Log: Place the log/s of biscotti in the oven and bake for about 35 – 40  minutes, or until the dough is just cooked through, the side is lightly browned while the center is till soft and white.
8. Cool the Biscotti: Remove from oven and let cool about 10 – 15 minutes. Meanwhile, turn the oven down to 275°F.
9. Cut the Biscotti: Carefully pick up the parchment paper with the Biscotti on it and transfer to a cutting board. Do not remove the parchment paper as you will still bake this for the second time. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log into 1/2-inch slices. Repeat with the second log (if making big batch). If you cut it bigger than 1/2-inch you need to bake it longer just until it dry out. Arrange the Biscotti side by side facing down.
10. Finl Baking – Bake Until Dry and Crunchy – Lift the parchment paper and return it to the baking sheet. Halfway the baking time, remove from the oven and flip each Biscotti to evenly cook the other side. Return in the oven and continue baking for the remaining time. For crunchier drier Biscotti, bake additional 5 minutes. The Biscotti will harden as it cools, so unless you want it really hard, do not bake it too long.
    • If making a 1/2-inch thick: Bake 8 minutes each side, you can make it 10 minutes each side if you want it crunchier
    • If making a 3/4-inch thick: Bake 12 minutes each side, you can make it 15 minutes each side if you want it crunchier
11. Cool and store: Cool Biscotti on a rack. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks or freeze for several months.
12. Re-heating: Reheat at 300F for 15 minutes then let cool for at least 10 minutes to bring back the crunch.

My Other Cookie Videos:

Checkout my video collection of cookies and other treats that are great for holiday gift giving or for everyday baking. All the recipes can be found in my website. Enjoy!

Related Posts:

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• Pumpkin & Raisins Buttermilk Biscuit
• Herbed Feta Buttermilk Biscuits
• Small Batch Cream Scones (Makes 4)
• Small Batch Orange Biscotti
• Pistachio and Cranberry Biscotti

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