Today, I’ve got a real treat for you. Of all the cookies I’ve given to people over the years, these are the ones that everyone wants the recipe for.
These are the first biscotti I ever baked, the ones that I made for my friend’s wedding, the ones that taste like chewy chocolate cookies with a bit of crunchy bite.
I’ve made them for my family, coworkers, a boyfriend, and long-distance friends. Everyone likes them.
While biscotti traditionally seem a bit more refined than something like a classic chocolate chip cookie, these will please any palate.
And, as an added bonus, there will be no pistachio shelling involved.
If you’re at all intimidated by the term “biscotti” – and the idea of double baking – don’t be. These are so, so easy to make, I promise.
These are the kind of cookies you can count on, the perfect thing to wow anyone who likes chocolate (and anyone who doesn’t like the more traditional anise flavoring for biscotti).
And the work involved is no more than what’s required to make any other type of cookie.
Essentially, you make a pretty basic cookie dough with simple ingredients like butter, flour, sugar, and eggs. This will be formed into two logs, and baked. Remove from the oven and cool, then slice them up to be baked again.
That’s it.
You can bake them for more or less time to fine-tune the crunch factor. And they only improve over the next few days after baking.
For a traditionally crunchy batch of biscotti – the kind you can dip in your coffee (or perhaps your chocolate coffee smoothie, or an Irish coffee if you’re enjoying a day off at home!) without it dissolving into your cup – you’ll have to bake these a bit longer. It’s best to keep your eye on them, to avoid burning. We’ve included more notes on this below.
On to the recipe!
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Double Chocolate Biscotti
- Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
Your coffee break is about to get a lot sweeter with our homemade double chocolate biscotti, featuring dark and semi-sweet varieties.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until fluffy. Add sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder, and beat until combined.
- Next, beat in eggs until combined. Add 1 1/4 cup of flour, and beat on medium speed until combined. Stir in remaining flour, salt, and both types of chocolate with a spoon.
- Divide dough in half. Shape each portion into a log 9 inches long, and place about 4 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten them slightly until about 2 inches wide.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center of each comes out clean.
- Place the cookie sheet on a wire rack and cool completely, for about 1 hour.
- Line a clean sheet pan with parchment paper. Slice dough at a slight angle into approximately 1/2 to 1-inch-thick pieces. Place cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes on each side, or for about 14-18 minutes total, until slightly darkened and crisp.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for 2-3 weeks.
Notes
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Keywords: biscotti, chocolate, cookie, holiday baking, coffee break
Cooking By the Numbers…
Step 1 – Soften Butter, Chop Chocolate, and Measure Remaining Ingredients
Leave the butter out at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, until softened enough to be easily spreadable. If you don’t have time to leave the butter out or if it is frozen, microwave at 30% power for about 15 seconds.
Chop the chocolate, measure out the quantities that you need for each type, and set them aside.
Measure the rest of the ingredients as listed on the ingredients list.
Preheat oven to 375˚F and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.
For a fun challenge, make your own vegan chocolate chips to use in this recipe!
Step 2 – Make the Batter
Beat the softened butter in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, for about 30 seconds. If you like, you could also use your stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Beat in the sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder until combined. Add the eggs and beat them in until combined.
Add 1 1/4 cups flour and beat on medium speed, until completely combined. Add the remaining flour, salt, and both types of chocolate, and stir to combine. I like to use a wooden spoon for this part.
Step 3 – Shape and Bake
Divide the dough in half, and shape each piece into a log about 9 inches long.
Place the logs about 4 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten them slightly so they are 2 inches wide.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Step 4 – Slice and Bake Again
Remove from the oven and set the baking sheet on a wire rack. Cool completely, for about 1 hour.
Transfer to a cutting board, and slice each log diagonally, at a slight angle. Each slice should be about 1/2-3/4 inch wide.
It’s important to make sure all of the cookies are the same size so they will bake at the same rate. To make sure you get them the right size, measure each log with a ruler and score with a knife where you plan to cut. Measure once more to make sure you got your scoring correct, and then cut.
Place them on the baking sheet cut side down. You don’t have to worry about spacing them far apart, as they will not spread when they bake.
Bake for 7-9 minutes, flip them, and continue to bake for 7-9 more minutes, until toasted and slightly darker in color. The cookies should be firm without any soft portions.
Watch them closely during the second half of this baking portion, to make sure they don’t burn.
Remove from the oven, and cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before storing in airtight containers.
Why Do We Bake Biscotti Twice?
There is a reason for the extra step of baking the cookies twice, and it all comes down to the texture.
Originating from the medieval Latin word biscoctus or “twice-cooked,” biscotti was historically baked twice to create a dry texture for long-term storage, a quality that cooks today appreciate as well.
The second bake is simple, laying the slices on their sides so that you can get them dry and crisp.
This gives extra texture to the cookie to attain that level of crispness that you know and love, not to mention making it ideal for dunking in your favorite caffeinated beverage without instantly turning into a pile of mush.
The biggest tip I can give you is to know your oven, and know its hot spots. You want to make sure the biscotti are not getting too dark on one side versus the other.
For this reason, carefully portioning the dough before the first bake in order to make it as even as possible along the full length of both logs is just as important as creating uniform slices and keeping an eye on them during their second trip through the oven.
What drink would you pair with these delicious homemade treats? Tell us in the comments below, and be sure to rate the recipe after you try it.
And if you love biscotti, check out these tasty recipes:
Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on December 22, 2008. Last updated: February 9, 2023 at 11:13 am. With additional writing and editing by Meghan Yager and Allison Sidhu.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Shanna Mallon
Shanna Mallon is a freelance writer who holds an MA in writing from DePaul University. Her work has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including The Kitchn, Better Homes & Gardens, Taste of Home, Houzz.com, Foodista, Entrepreneur, and Ragan PR. In 2014, she co-authored The Einkorn Cookbook with her husband, Tim. Today, you can find her digging into food topics and celebrating the everyday grace of eating on her blog, Go Eat Your Bread with Joy. Shanna lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with Tim and their two small kids.
your biscotti looks fab and the next time i have crafternoons with some ladies, i just might make them to go with tea or coffee. 🙂
Lan: Sounds perfect for an afternoon with friends—especially at a crafternoon, which is too cute!
BTW, Gourmet had a recipe for triple ginger almond biscotti a few years ago that was killer. It would be worth looking at.