Citrus biscotti are a delicious anytime treat. Full of bright, citrus flavor, they are light and delicate. For a more decadent cookie, try my butter pecan biscotti.
Biscotti are the perfect treat alongside a cup of coffee or tea. They are made for dunking.
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Citrus Biscotti
These crunchy Italian cookies are one of my favorite treats. Biscotti are great for any special occasion or no occasion at all. They are just slightly sweet and are the perfect cookie for shipping to friends and family.
As much as I love chocolate, citrus will always win if there is a choice to be made. The citrus flavors in these cookies is amped up with zest from 4 fruits, a bit of juice and lemon extract. They are citrusy!
How to make biscotti
Making biscotti is really no different than making any other cookie, other than it gets baked twice.
This biscotti is loaded with a hefty amount of zest. I used a combination of lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit. A Microplane zester makes quick work of it.
If you don’t like quite as much zing in your cookies, you can go with two or three fruits instead of all of them. More isn’t always better, but in this case, it is. It’s like a flavor explosion and I’m all in.
Biscotti dough
Once you have your dough made, you’ll divide it in half and form it into rectangles. You might think “this is never going to turn into biscotti”, but it will.
The dough isn’t dry, which is what you’d expect. But when it bakes up, it turns into a beautiful, citrusy loaf that will become absolutely gorgeous biscotti.
After the first bake, you’ll need to let it cool for 10 – 15 minutes, or until you can comfortably handle it. Slice biscotti loaves into 12 pieces each and place them back on the pan for the second bake.
Pro Tip: If you want to make your biscotti extra crunchy, let them dry out in a warm oven with the door cracked open.
Slicing biscotti
The key to slicing biscotti without breaking them is a two-parter. First, you must be gentle. They will still be warm when you are slicing them.
Think about trying to pick up a hot cookie right out of the oven. It usually falls apart, doesn’t it? Same concept here, you need to let them cool enough to handle before trying to slice.
Secondly, the knife you use is really important. I use a thin, serrated blade that glides through the dough like butter.
One of the reasons I prefer this particular knife to other serrated knives is the blade. It is thinner than many other knives, which means it easily goes through whatever you’re slicing – in this case, delicate biscotti.
Another helpful tip is to avoid too much “sawing” through the cookie. Position the front of the blade where you want to start cutting and slice through in a smooth motion. Don’t apply too much downward pressure – let the knife do the work.
Place your completely cooled cookies back on the lined sheet pan to get their chocolatey drizzle.
Pour melted chocolate into a disposable piping bag. Snip the smallest bit of the tip off to make a very small opening for a fine drizzle, or larger for a thicker drizzle.
Leave the cookies on the tray for about 30 minutes for the chocolate to set before moving them. You can slide them into the fridge for 5 – 10 minutes if you’re in a rush, but don’t leave them too long. The refrigerator will make them soft instead of crunchy.
There you have it, friends! An easy, perfect for Spring cookie that’s a snap to make, is super delicious and earns bonus points for a chocolate drizzle.
More biscotti recipes
- Cranberry pistachio biscotti
- Gingerbread biscotti
- Almond biscotti with golden raisins and amaretto
- Chocolate mint biscotti
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Citrus Biscotti
Citrus biscotti are a delicious spring treat. Full of bright, citrus flavor - they are light, delicate and full of fresh citrus zest.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 c. sugar
- 8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. lemon extract
- 1 tbsp. orange zest
- 1 tbsp. lime and/or grapefruit zest
- white and dark chocolate for drizzling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C / Gas Mark 4.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, sugar and eggs. Beat for 3 - 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add lemon juice, lemon extract and citrus zests. Mix to combine.
- Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Divide the dough in half. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, form each half into a rectangle of dough approximately an inch thick.
- Bake for 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
- Gently slice biscotti into 1/4" pieces and lay them back on the sheet pan on their sides. Bake for an additional 10 minutes for crispy biscotti - see notes for extra crunchy cookies.
- Cool on wire cooling rack completely before drizzling with chocolate if desired.
- To drizzle with chocolate: Melt 1/3 cup chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring between each. When there are pea-sized pieces of chocolate left, you're done. Let the chocolate sit, the heat will continue melting it. Stir until smooth.
Notes
- I love the burst of citrus flavor in these cookies, so I used 3 full tbsp. of zest. If you prefer a more subtle flavor, choose either lime or grapefruit instead of both.
- For EXTRA crunchy biscotti - lower the temperature of the oven to 300°F and continue baking for an additional 15 - 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the cookies so they don't brown too much. If they still aren't as hard as you'd like them, crack the oven door and let them sit in a warm oven for 20 minutes longer to dry out.
- White chocolate can be difficult to melt - add a tablespoon of coconut oil to the chocolate and stir to combine. It will magically become smooth and pipeable.
- You can freeze the biscotti dough for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in plastic and place in a freezer bag or in a food-sealer bag.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 biscottiAmount Per Serving: Calories: 123Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 180mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information calculated by a third-party company as a courtesy. It is intended as a guideline only.
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Check out the prizes in my no bake chocolate cheesecake post!
Friday #SpringSweetsWeek Recipes
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- Lemon Lime Macaron by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake by The Carefree Kitchen
- Mini Lemon Sweet Tea Pound Cakes by Nik Snacks
- No-Cook Candied Kumquats by Shockingly Delicious
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- Rhubarb Lavender Crisp by Sweet Beginnings
- Walking Banana Pudding Dessert Bags by For the Love of Food
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