Almond biscotti recipe with golden raisins

Almond biscotti studded with amaretto soaked golden raisins is by far one of my favorite holiday treats. These biscotti, or cantucci, require only a handful of pantry ingredients and make wonderful homemade gifts to share with friends and family.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my cranberry pistachio biscotti and my gingerbread biscotti recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my biscotti recipes in one place.

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Almond biscotti

While I do love the “normal” flavors, if I can create something unique and different, I’m all in. Butter pecan biscotti was one of those ideas and it has become a reader favorite. That’s how this golden raisin biscotti with toasted almonds and amaretto was created.

This twice-baked almond cookie was made to be dunked, but if you are opposed to that, they are absolutely divine just as they are.

The best thing about this recipe is – no mixer required. No special equipment, just the basics, and a bit of stirring is all that is needed.

What you need to know

Because this recipe has a bit of liquid, fruit and butter, it is not quite as hard as most Italian almond biscotti. It is still very crunchy, but one thing it is not, is dry. I sprinkled the top with a mixture of coarse sugar and flake sea salt for extra crunch.

I used Maldon salt mixed with turbinado sugar for a crunchy topping full of texture and the sweet/salty combination. Please do not use iodized table salt and regular granulated sugar – it will not result in the same crunchy texture. 

The recipe calls for melted and cooled butter. When recipe testing, I was impatient and didn’t wait for my butter to cool properly. It was almost a disaster – don’t be me. Follow directions.

Lastly, as with every recipe, read it through before you begin and make sure you have all of your ingredients. I tell you this because it has happened to me more often than I care to tell you.

Ingredients

One of the nice things about this recipe is that most of these ingredients are already in your pantry, especially if you’ve stocked up for holiday baking.

• Flour – Regular all-purpose flour is the backbone of this twice baked cookie.
• Sliced almonds – Toasted almonds give the almond biscotti wonderful flavor.
  • Substitution: Slivered almonds are also great here.
• Sugar – A cup of sugar makes the biscotti sweet without being overly sweet.
• Eggs – Eggs provide moisture, structure and a bit of lift in the recipe.
• Golden raisins – Also called sultanas, golden raisins are fruity and delicious.
  • Substitution: Regular brown raisins can be swapped out in place of golden raisins.
• Amaretto – Warm amaretto soaks into the golden raisins, plumping them up. It also has an almond flavor, which further enhances that flavor in the cookies.
  • Substitution: Use apple juice to make this recipe alcohol free.
• Butter – Unsalted, melted and cooled butter provides moisture and flavor.
• Baking powder – The biscotti get a bit of lift from the baking powder.
• Flaky salt – Maldon is my preferred flaky salt. I’ve used it nearly every day for over 20 years.

How to make almond biscotti

Here’s a quick summary of how to make almond biscotti. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe. Making biscotti isn’t difficult, but it does require a bit more time than a batch of drop cookies. Because they are baked twice, the whole process will take you a little over an hour. It is well worth the time, because they are divine.

To make this recipe, you’ll need a couple of mixing bowls, a whisk, a rubber spatula and a lined baking sheet.

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Combine the sugar, butter, amaretto-soaked golden raisins, vanilla, almonds and eggs in a separate bowl.
3. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir just until combined. Let dough chill for 30 – 45 minutes. This gives the flour time to fully hydrate.
4. Divide dough evenly into 2 sections, and lightly press into two rectangles.
5. Shape dough into 2 rectangles. If dough sticks to your hands, wet them with a little water, the dough won’t stick to damp hands.
6. Brush top with egg wash, if desired (to give it a shine), and sprinkle with sugar mixture before baking.

Almond biscotti FAQ’s

Variations and substitutions

• Alcohol-free – The raisins are soaked in warm amaretto, but if you prefer to keep it kid-friendly, you can use a little apple juice instead. Some of the alcohol will bake off but if you are concerned about any trace amounts, use water or apple juice.
• Raisins – If you have regular raisins, you can use them. It won’t be exactly the same, but they will still be delicious.
• Dried cranberries – Swap out the golden raisins for tart dried cranberries.

Helpful tools and equipment

Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Amazonbasics has a silicone baking mat set that is a very budget-friendly option. I baked this recipe once with parchment and once with a silpat. Both gave me excellent results, but I might lean slightly towards the silpat (silicone baking mat).

• Parchment paper sheets are MUCH easier to use than tearing pieces off of a roll.
• These quarter sheet pan sized silicone mats are a fantastic option if you are doing a half batch of the recipe, plus they are washable and reusable.

I highly recommend this serrated knife for slicing your biscotti. The blade is sturdy, yet thin enough to slice through delicate biscotti dough without breaking it. When slicing biscotti, try to avoid too much “sawing” back and forth, let the knife do the work for you.

How to ship biscotti

These are the best cookies to send in the mail because they are sturdy. Pack them with crumpled up tissue or parchment paper to cushion them. For tons of tips about mailing goodies, check out my post on how to ship cookies.

If you’ll be sending in the mail, I recommend a metal cookie tin to protect them. A square or rectangular cookie tin works better than a round one because of the shape of the cookies, it allows you to pack them snuggly.

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Originally published 12/4/19, most recent update 11/20/24.