Get your pot of coffee ready…these chocolate almond biscotti make the perfect holiday cookies! Dunkable, crunchy, packed with almonds and cranberries, then dipped in dark rich chocolate.

chocolate almond biscotti

Crunchy, chocolatey, and the perfect blend of sweet and tart, these coffee-pairing cookies are a must-weekend baking project. With easy step-by-step instructions, you will master making biscotti at home.

For more holiday treats, try our pecan balls.

What is Chocolate Almond Biscotti? 

Biscotti simply means small, crisp rectangular twice-baked cookies typically containing nuts, made originally in Italy.

These delicious cookies are the perfect combination of crunchy and sweet. The dough is made into a log shape and then baked. Once it’s cooled, the log is cut with a sharp serrated knife, and the individual cookies are baked again. This is what gives them their characteristic crunchy texture.   

This traditional Italian cookie is made during the holiday season and dipped in hot coffee or tea.

Our recipe for biscotti is made with dried sweet cranberries and crunchy almonds and then dunked in dark rich chocolate. You can customize these with different types of dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, candy, and coffee.

chocolate almond biscotti recipe

Ingredients

These simple ingredients can be found at the local grocery store for these traditional cookies.

  • Unsalted butter 
  • Granulated or cane sugar 
  • Brown sugar 
  • Baking powder 
  • Kosher salt 
  • Large eggs
  • Pure vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour 
  • Whole roasted almonds
  • Dried cranberries 
  • Dark chocolate
ingredients for biscotti

How to Make Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Beat the butter until creamy, then add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add in the eggs and vanilla, then gradually beat in the flour. Fold in almonds and cranberries.

cookie dough for biscotti

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a roll. Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet and pat down the dough until it’s 1/2 inch thick.

Bake the dough until the tops are golden, and the centers are firm. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the oven.

biscotti on a cookie sheet

Allow it to sit on the counter until it’s cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the cookie loaves into slices and place the sliced sides upright on the baking sheet. 

Return to the oven to continue baking flipping the slices halfway. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. 

sliced biscotti cookies on a cutting board

Melt the chocolate and dip each cookie in the chocolate. Sprinkle the dipped end with chopped almonds. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to allow the chocolate to set, for about 45 minutes, before storing in an airtight container.

biscotti dipped in chocolate

Other Toppings for Biscotti 

Besides dipping the biscotti in rich dark chocolate, there are some other options you can try.

Dip them in white chocolate or sprinkle them with crumbled Biscoff cookies, sliced almonds, or crumbled graham crackers.

Any of these options will taste delicious!

chocolate biscotti with almonds recipe

Recipe Tips

These tips will help you make the best biscotti recipe.

  • Use a sharp serrated knife. Always use a serrated knife in a sawing motion to cut nice smooth clean slices, while gently but firmly holding the biscotti loaf with the other hand.
  • Don’t cool the loaves for too long. After the first bake, allow the biscotti to cool for about 10 minutes or just until cool enough to handle before cutting them into slices. If you leave them too long to cool the loaves will become too hard and it will be difficult to cut.
  • Use toasted almonds. Either buy roasted almonds or roast them yourself at 325F for 10-15 minutes.
  • After the second bake, cool all the way. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely so they can crisp up further before dunking in chocolate.

Variations

Here are a few variations you can make with your chocolate biscotti with almonds recipe.

  • Substitute the dried cranberries for dried cherries, figs, dates, or chocolate chips.  
  • Add unsweetened cocoa powder to the dough to make chocolate biscotti.
  • Add a dash of almond extract to the dough for an even nuttier flavor.  
  • Add a teaspoon of honey for extra crunchiness. 
  • Use Marcona almonds for an even deeper flavor.  
dark chocolate biscotti

How to Serve 

These crunchy biscotti deserve to be served with a hot cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. You can enjoy them for dessert or a morning or afternoon snack. They’re most popular during the Christmas season.

How to Gift Biscotti

Biscotti are such pretty cookies, and make great gifts for coffee lovers, tea lovers, and cookie lovers! Here are a few ways to gift biscotti:

Storing Tips 

You will find a lot of information online about how long you can store biscotti. Everything from 3 days up to several weeks. I personally found that one week is a good number. After week one, the biscotti begins to taste a bit stale. A large Ziploc bag or an airtight container works great for storing. Here’s the breakdown.

On the counter: Keep them in a plastic bag on the counter for up to one week.

Refrigerate: To keep biscotti longer, store them in the refrigerator for one month.  

Freeze: If you’re a biscotti lover and want to stock up on these tasty cookies, then put them in a container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to come to room temperature before serving.  

almond chocolate biscotti recipe

FAQs

Why is my biscotti too hard to eat? 

Biscotti can get too hard if they’re baked too long. You can always soften them up by dunking them in your coffee.  

What kind of chocolate can I use to dip the biscotti? 

Use whichever kind of chocolate you like best for these cookies. Try chocolate chips or baking chocolate in milk chocolate, semi-sweet, bittersweet, or dark chocolate.

Why is my biscotti falling apart?

If the biscotti cookies are crumbly and falling apart, that means the dough was too dry. Be sure to follow the directions in this recipe for the perfect ratio of dry ingredients to wet ingredients. 

almond chocolate biscotti
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Dark Chocolate Cranberry Almond Biscotti - dunkable, crunchy, packed with almonds and cranberries, then dipped in dark rich chocolate. So addicting and full of flavor | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

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  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 50 mins
  • Cook Time: 43 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 33 mins
  • Yield: 28 cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Italian

Description

Dunkable, crunchy, packed with almonds and cranberries, then dipped in dark rich chocolate. So addicting and full of flavor!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated or cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole roasted, unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Chocolate Coating

  • 8 oz. dark chocolate morsels or roughly chopped dark chocolate bar
  • 1/4 cup whole roasted, unsalted almonds, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and lightly spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Then gradually beat in flour. Dough will be thick and sticky. With a wooden spoon, fold in almonds and cranberries.
  3. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into an 8-inch roll. Place rolls 5 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Pat down the dough until 1/2-inch thick.
  4. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden and the centers are firm. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the oven.
  5. Allow to cool for 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Transfer baked loaves to a cutting board and using a serrated knife cut loaves into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place slices cut sides upright on the baking sheet. You may need a second sheet to fit them all.
  6. Return to the oven to continue baking for 8-9 minutes. Turn slices over; bake for 8-9 minutes more. Cookies will be slightly soft in the center with crisp edges. As the cookies cool, they become crunchy. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in chocolate.

Chocolate Coating

  1. Place chocolate in a shallow microwave-safe bowl and melt in 15-second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth.
  2. Dip the bottom half of the cookies into melted chocolate, letting excess to drip back into the bowl. Place cookies flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet and immediately sprinkle them with chopped almonds. Allow the chocolate to set completely at room temperature, about 45 minutes, before storing in an airtight container.

Notes

  • To Store Biscotti: Store biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Thereafter keep them refrigerated or freeze them for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 173
  • Sugar: 12.2 g
  • Sodium: 16.4 mg
  • Fat: 7.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 24.2 g
  • Protein: 3.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 24.8 mg

Recipe originally published December 2015