The Ultimate Healthy Biscotti

 
A number of years ago, my family and I headed to Arizona for Christmas with my grandparents. Although they normally flew to California to spend the holidays with us, my grandma was in the hospital and couldn’t exactly board a plane… So we brought our usual festivities to her!  

Each day, we drove a few miles through town from my grandparents’ house to the hospital, and while visiting Grandma, we played Christmas carols on the radio and retold stories of some of our favorite holiday memories from childhood. The hospital even granted us special permission to check Grandma out of her room for an hour one night, and we drove around the neighborhood looking at people’s twinkling lights strung up all over their houses.
 

 
Once we arrived back at their house in the evenings, we always found plenty of food to eat… Especially sweets! For almost 50 years, my grandma had baked dozens of loaves of fruitcake for family and friends every holiday season, and since she couldn’t that particular year, it seemed like everyone wanted to return the favor and bake something special to send to my grandparents instead.

Although nobody attempted to recreate Grandma’s fruitcake, we found bags and bags of homemade Christmas cookies made from people’s special family recipes. It made sense… Most of the cookies were fairly simple to make and shipped quite well!
 

 
Over the course of our Christmas visit, I ended up sampling one of almost every cookie flavor. Traditional gingerbread, classic sugar cookies, buttery shortbread, delicate spritz cookies, crunchy gingersnaps, Mexican wedding cookies, pecan sandies, bite-sized chocolate chip cookies, almond biscotti… I easily could’ve made an entire meal out of them!

Although not normally a fan of crunchy cookies, my eyes totally lit up while nibbling on a couple of the biscotti. They tasted amazing! The sweet almond flavor, that crisp texture, their adorable size and shape… I immediately fell in love with those Italian cookies, and I made a mental note to create a healthier version.

However… I kind of forgot. That’s what happens when you make mental notes instead of written ones, especially during the hectic holiday season! 😉
 

 
But when I spotted holiday displays at multiple stores a few weeks ago, including tins of festively flavored biscotti, I finally remembered my mental note from many years ago, and I immediately started working on my own healthier version. After many rounds of testing and tweaking, I finally perfected this recipe for the Ultimate Healthy Biscotti!

They’re perfectly crisp and crunchy with the same sweet and sophisticated almond flavor as traditional biscotti, and they’re really simple to make! These healthy biscotti taste incredible dipped in coffee or hot chocolate, and they’re definitely perfect for the holidays and any cookie trays too. (They’re sturdy and also ship well!) Plus they’re 57 calories!

So… Don’t be surprised if people reach for seconds. That’s what I did! 😉
 

WHAT ARE BISCOTTI?

If you’ve never heard of biscotti before, don’t worry — you’re not alone! Biscotti are Italian cookies. However, “biscotti” is the Italian word for any cookies… Just like “biscuits” is the British word for “cookies.” When most people mention biscotti (myself included!), they actually mean a specific type of Italian cookie called cantuccini.

But wait… I’m getting a little ahead of myself!

The original biscotti came from a bakery in Prato, Italy. The bakery had a sign out front that displayed its name, “Biscottificio Antonion Mattei,” followed by “Manufacturers of Cantuccini” in a line directly underneath. Although intended to promote that they baked cantuccini (the cookies that most people actually think of as biscotti!), the first word on the sign caught people’s attention… And that’s the name that stuck!
 

 
Those particular cookies were special because they were baked twice. First, the cookie dough was shaped into a log and baked until it developed a hard outer crust. Then, the cookie dough was sliced into thin strips (the individual cookies!), and those were popped back in the oven to bake until they were completely dry and crunchy.

That iconic texture was actually really important… It meant the cookies would last a long time! Without any moisture (it all disappeared during the second bake!), the cookies couldn’t grow mold. Therefore, they were ideal for storing for long periods of time, like for trips by land or sea.

To make them more edible (so you wouldn’t break a tooth trying to bite into one!), people simply dipped them into their beverages: dessert wine (what the very first cookies were usually paired with!), coffee, tea, or anything really! During that quick dip, the cookies absorbed the liquid, making them much softer and easier to chew.
 

 
Kind of fun to learn the origin of biscotti (or, umm, cantuccini), right? But to make things easier on you and me… Let’s just use the term “biscotti” from here on out. Sound good? 😉

And now that we’ve covered that quick biscotti history…
 

HOW TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE HEALTHY BISCOTTI

Let’s go over how to make these ultimate healthy biscotti! While researching biscotti, I discovered that the original recipe required very few ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, and almonds. They included no butter, oil, milk, cream, or salt… Everything except the salt would typically make them spoil faster. So to make these ultimate healthy biscotti as close to the originals as possible, this recipe doesn’t use any of those ingredients either!

However, you know me… I try to put a healthier spin on everything, and these biscotti are no exception!
 

 
Instead of refined all-purpose flour, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour doesn’t actually contain any all-purpose (aka “white”) flour! It’s made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They both have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but the softer texture of the wheat gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture. This lets the sweet almond flavor of your ultimate healthy biscotti truly shine!

Because this recipe requires a delicate balance of wet and dry ingredients, it’s very important to measure the flour correctly using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will dry out your cookie dough, meaning you won’t be able to shape it into a log for the first bake. I promise it’s worth taking a few extra moments to measure your flour so your ultimate healthy biscotti turn out with the perfect sweetness and crunchy texture! 

I did deviate from the original recipe in one small way… I added a teensy bit of baking powder to the cookie dough. (Shh, don’t tell the Prato bakery!) I found this gave the biscotti a little lift and slightly airier texture so they weren’t quite so dense. With how well these ultimate healthy biscotti turned out, it was definitely worth breaking tradition!
 

 
Next, you’ll whisk an egg with one of my all-time favorite ingredients… Almond extract! I absolutely LOVE its sweet and sophisticated flavor. It’s my #1 favorite baking extract! (Which reminds me… I don’t bake with it nearly enough. Would you like to see more recipes with almond extract?? Leave me a comment and let me know!)

Then you’ll stir in coconut sugar! Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like: an unrefined sweetener that comes from coconuts. However, it does NOT actually taste like coconuts! It has a rich caramel-like flavor, very similar to brown sugar, but a dry and pourable texture just like granulated sugar. You can usually find it on the baking aisle right next to the granulated, brown, and powdered sugars!

Once you’ve stirred in the flour mixture, you’ll add in sliced almonds. I love using ones that are already toasted (like this!), which brings out their natural sweetness. Although the original recipe called for whole raw almonds… I didn’t like having humongous chunks of almonds in my biscotti, and they tasted a little too earthy for me. Toasted sliced almonds definitely make for the best ever healthy biscotti!
 

HOW TO BAKE THE ULTIMATE HEALTHY BISCOTTI

Just like the original recipe, you’ll bake your ultimate healthy biscotti twice! First, you’ll shape the cookie dough into a rectangle on your baking sheet. The dough can be a little bit crumbly and stick to your hands (but we don’t want it to be too dry!), so either {a} rub a bit of neutral-tasting oil on your palms so it doesn’t stick or {b} use a spatula. Then pop that in the oven!

After the first bake, your ultimate healthy biscotti should be golden brown and very hard on the outside. That’s a good sign! Let the log cool for a bit. You don’t want to burn yourself… But if you wait too long, then it’ll be really hard to slice it into individual cookies without the log turning into a crumbly mess. I found 10 minutes was the perfect amount of time.
 

 
When you slice your one large log, use a serrated knife (aka a bread knife!), and try to cut in just one direction, rather than back and forth. That minimizes the crumbs! The biscotti should be ½-inch thick, and the center of the log should still be slightly soft… But the edges should be firm and almost completely dry. I prefer to cut mine on a diagonal because it looks a little prettier, but slicing straight across the rectangle works too.

Then place your sliced biscotti back on your baking sheet, and slide that back in your oven to dry out the centers!

However…
 

 
You get to choose how long you bake your biscotti the second time!

If you like biscotti that have a little give in the center and don’t necessarily need to be dipped in coffee, then you’ll bake them for a shorter amount of time. (If you bake them for very little time, these don’t always dip into coffee or tea as well because they can quickly fall apart the moment they’re dunked.)

If you like biscotti that are completely dry and hard, meaning they can withstand dunking in coffee or tea without disintegrating the moment they touch liquid, then you’ll bake them for a longer amount of time. These can be harder to bite into, so just consider yourself warned!
 

 
Sometimes, it seems like the side facing upward dries out faster than the side touching the baking sheet. Therefore, during the second bake, I prefer to flip my biscotti halfway through so I can guarantee both sides bake evenly. Just a personal preference!

Then once your biscotti have completely cooled…
 

 
Pour yourself a steaming mug of coffee or tea, grab yourself a few biscotti, and enjoy! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your ultimate healthy biscotti!

The Ultimate Healthy Biscotti

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 18 biscotti

These truly are the best biscotti I’ve ever tasted! These classic Italian cookies are very traditional with an extra crunchy texture and lots of sweet almond flavor. They’re perfect for pairing with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or even milk! If the leftovers are fully hard and dry, they will keep for 1-2 weeks, if not longer, if stored in an airtight container at room temperature (and in the refrigerator also works!).

4.88 from 8 votes

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Ingredients 

• 1 ¼ cups (150g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 ¼ tsp almond extract
• 1 ½ tsp water
• ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
• 2 tbsp (15g) sliced almonds (see Notes!)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, almond extract, and water. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until fully incorporated. Fold in the sliced almonds.
• Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared baking sheet, and shape into a long and skinny rectangle that’s 2 ¼” wide and ¾” tall using your hands or a spatula. (If the cookie dough sticks to your hands, rub them with a little neutral-tasting oil first!)
• Bake at 350°F for 33-35 minutes. (The outside should be golden brown and very dry and crusty!) Let the rectangle of baked cookie dough cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes (no more and no less!).
• Transfer the rectangle of baked cookie dough to a cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the rectangle into ½”-thick strips (no wider!), working from one short end of the rectangle to the other. (Both diagonal strips and horizontal strips will work!) You should end up with cookies that are ½” thick, ¾” tall, and 2 ¼”+ wide.
• Place the cookies onto the original baking sheet with one cut side facing down and the other cut side facing up. Bake at 350°F, flipping the cookies halfway through, for 6-8 minutes (for centers with just a bit of “give”) or 12-16 minutes (for centers that are completely hard and dry). Cool completely to room temperature on the baking sheet.

Notes

For the gluten-free version, use a store-bought gluten-free flour blend, like this.

 

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

 

It’s extremely important to measure the flour correctly using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will dry out your cookie dough, and it won’t come together to form a rectangle in Step 3. If this happens to you, add more water ½ teaspoon at a time until all of the flour is incorporated.

 

Brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.

 

I prefer sliced almonds that are toasted and unsalted, like this. I’ve found that sliced almonds, rather than slivered or whole almonds, really help ensure the biscotti bake evenly. (I also break the larger pieces into smaller bits to help ensure the dough bakes evenly!)

 

If you wait longer than 10 minutes to slice the log in Step 4-5, then it’ll be harder to cut. When you cut your one large log, use a sharp serrated knife (aka a bread knife!), and try to slice in just one direction, rather than back and forth. That minimizes the crumbs, as well as any potential broken biscotti!

 

Sometimes, it seems like the side facing upward can dry out faster than the side touching the baking sheet. Therefore, during the second bake, I prefer to flip my biscotti halfway through so I can guarantee both sides bake evenly.

 

If you end up accidentally baking your biscotti for too long during the second bake, that’s totally fine — just call them “dunkers” and always dip them in hot chocolate, coffee, tea, or even cold milk before eating!

 

This recipe is easily doubled!

 

See the text of my blog post above for more tips and information!!

 

{gluten-free, dairy-free, clean eating, low fat}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amyshealthybaking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Sugar Cookies
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Gingersnaps
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Sugar Cookies
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy cookie recipes!