Biscotti means twice baked resulting in a crisp biscuit or cookie originating from Italy. Traditionally biscotti di Prato contained no fat ensuring longevity and creating a crunchy, brittle biscotti. These Espresso and Roasted Hazelnut biscotti are not your traditional hard biscotti that you need to dunk in a good espresso or a glass of spumante to eat. These biscotti are delicious eaten in the traditional way and stay firm when dunked into your espresso but are tender enough to enjoy on their own due to the added butter. I have been making these biscotti in one form or another since the recipe was published in the Australian Family Circle magazine in the winter of 2008.

The original recipe contained hazelnuts, only white chocolate and no coconut and made in this way these biscotti really are lovely but of course, the recipe is varied according to what I have in the pantry and what I feel like eating – in this case keeping the hazelnuts and adding dark chocolate and coconut. They are so simple and have a fantastic intense coffee flavour. Don’t be afraid of the ground coffee beans. That’s what make this recipe so special.

My favourite way to eat these is dipped in warmed Nutella.  Are you a dipper? Do you prefer to dip in tea, coffee or wine? Have you ever tried dipping into warmed Nutella?

Espresso and Roasted Hazelnut Biscotti