Crumbly, buttery biscotti with a tang of lemon and a crunch of almonds on top.
I came up with this biscotti because I really wanted to make something using that awesome lemon almond flavor combo. This is the same basic biscotti recipe as that chocolate covered vanilla biscotti that I love so much. Add some lemon and almonds and wham I still can’t stop eating them … breakfast, lunch, dinner … they’re an all day sort of cookie, right?
The thing I love about this biscotti recipe is that it is a lot softer than most biscotti. It has more of a crumbly and buttery texture to it that keeps your teeth intact and your dentist happy. Most biscotti is so crunchy that you have to dip it in coffee or tea just to be able to bite through it … while I’m all for dunking cookies, it’s nice for dunking to be optional.
The lemon flavor is so refreshing and there is a bit of almond extract that really gives the lemon flavor a boost. Since they aren’t dipped in chocolate like most biscotti, I added some sliced almonds on top to dress them up a bit.
Biscotti is relatively simple to make. You make the dough and then form it into a log which is probably the most challenging part of this recipe. Then you bake it, slice it, and then bake it again to dry the biscotti out some. When you slice the biscotti, make sure to cut straight down at a 90 degree angle to the cutting board … otherwise you end up with biscotti that looks drunk and topples over. 
Biscotti is a great to make ahead when you’re asked to bring dessert to something … it’s supposed to be sort of stale so no one will know if you made it a week ago! However, it is difficult to keep around my house for more than a week!
Enjoy!
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- zest from 1 lemon (a heaping 1 Tablespoon)
- 2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 2 eggs
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silipat.
- Beat butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, almond extract, and lemon zest with an electric mixer until creamy.
- Add in the lemon juice and eggs and beat. The batter may look a little lumpy.
- Slowly add in the flour and mix until smooth and sticky.
- Scoop the dough onto the lined baking sheet and divide into two equal pieces. With a spatula or floured hands, smear form each piece of dough into a log that is about 2 x 12 inches and about ¾ inch high. Make sure all the edges are square.
- Press the sliced almonds into the top of the dough.
- Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Let sit for 5 minutes.
- On a cutting board, cut each log into ½ inch slices with a sharp knife. Slice straight down and not at an angle. I like to cut diagonal slices though...makes them look fancy!
- Return the slices to the baking sheet and leave them standing up as opposed to lying down.
- Lower the oven temperature to 325ºF and bake for another 15-20 minutes to dry them out a little.
- Let cool on the baking sheet.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Looks tasty!