Coffee Biscotti
This Coffee Biscotti recipe is as addictive as it is simple.
Flavoured with espresso and hazelnuts, these Italian biscotti are the perfect end to a good meal.
About this easy biscotti recipe
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.
This Coffee Biscotti recipe with espresso and hazelnuts is not your traditional hard biscotti that you need to dunk in a good espresso or a glass of spumante to eat. These Italian biscotti are delicious eaten in the traditional way and stay firm when dunked into your espresso. However these espresso biscotti are tender enough to enjoy on their own due to the added butter. Adding a little fat to the traditional biscotti make them tender. Adding a little bit of oil also works in the same way just like in my Salted Cranberry and Pecan Biscotti
If you are looking for more of the traditional taste, then you must have a look my biscotti recipe. Full of almonds and have the same delicious cantucci taste.
For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients
- Butter – I actually like to use salted butter in this recipe. The extra salt does wonders for these coffee biscotti.
- Sugar
- Vanilla – Use extract for best flavor.
- Eggs – I like to use use eggs that weigh at least 2 oz (58 grams) that is 24 ounces (700 grams) per dozen eggs.
- Coffee Beans – These will need to be ground in a food processor. I haven’t tested this recipe using pre ground beans or instant coffee powder.
- All Purpose Plain Flour – Be sure to measure carefully and don’t compact the flour into the cup measures.
- Desiccated Coconut – Use unsweetened or it will be too sweet.
- Baking Powder – Just a little for a bit of a rise.
- Cinnamon – Spices loses their fragrance over time, so if you had it in the pantry for more than 1 or 2 years, it’s best to buy a new bottle.
- Hazelnuts – Again fresh is best. I keep my opened nuts in the freezer and use them as quickly as possible.
- Semisweet Dark Chocolate – Use whatever intensity and bitterness you prefer.
Instructions
- Grind the coffee beans or use ground coffee beans
- Beat butter and sugar with vanilla
- Add eggs
- Stir in flour, desiccated coconut, baking powder, cinnamon, hazelnuts and chocolate
- Form into two logs and bake
- When barely cool, cut into slices
- Bake slices until crisp
Variations
Absolutely! The variations for this recipe are limited only to your imagination. I often vary the recipe according to what is in the pantry and needs to be used up.
Why not substitute the nuts, chocolate or spices for:-
- white chocolate
- milk chocolate
- almonds
- pecans
- walnuts
- pistachio
- ground ginger
- mixed spice
- cardamom
Don’t be afraid of the ground coffee beans. That’s what make this recipe so special.
These Coffee biscotti are so simple and have an intense coffee flavour.
My favourite way to eat these Coffee Biscotti 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?
Related recipes
Mocha Cake
Crispy Coffee Cookies
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Coffee Biscotti Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick/115 grams) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup superfine (castor) sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs (see notes)
- ½ cup coffee beans (see notes)
- 2 ⅓ cups (290 grams) all purpose plain flour
- ¼ cup desiccated unsweetened coconut
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup roasted hazelnuts skinned
- ¾ cup (150 grams) chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350ºF/180ºC and line a large oven tray with baking paper.
- Put the coffee beans into food processor and process for 2 minutes until finely chopped.
- Be sure to measure the flour carefully without compacting it into the cups. Then sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
- Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until pale. Add eggs one at a time. (To avoid a crumbly dough, use extra large eggs. Please read the notes below!)
- Stir sifted flour mixture (reserving a few tablespoons) into butter mixture along with ground coffee, coconut, hazelnuts and chocolate and mix until well combined. If the dough is very sticky, add the reserved flour a little at a time. Please read the notes below!
- Knead lightly and form into two logs about 10in/25cm long on the baking tray and pat down to about approx ½ inch/1½cm in thickness. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Cool the logs for about 10 minutes. It's best to cut these while still warm.
- Turn the oven down to to 300ºF/150ºC. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Using a serrated knife cut logs into approx. ⅓ inch/1cm slices and arrange cut side down on baking trays. Please check the notes below for tips on slicing.
- Bake for 15 minutes until firm to touch. Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Use extra large eggs – eggs that are 2 oz (58 grams) or 24 ounces (700 grams) per dozen eggs. It is better to err on the larger side of eggs with these biscotti.
- Always grind your own coffee beans as per the recipe. Don’t use preground, it is way too fine.
- Hold back a couple of spoonfuls of flour if you think it is looking dry. You can always add more flour but you can’t take it away.
- Use a thin bladed, serrated knife to cut the biscotti. Cut slowly and carefully. Some will break, that’s inevitable but that’s the cook’s treat!
Nutritional Estimate Per Serving
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Hi there, would it be ok to skip the coconut? Looking forward to try this lovely recipe! ❤️
I haven’t tried that but it should be ok. Hope you enjoy them!
Hi Marcellina, I was wondering if I could use regular coconut in the recipe for coffee biscotti. My grocer does not have desiccated coconut.
Hi Margaret, if it’s the sweetened variety of coconut then it’s better left out because the biscotti might be too sweet. If it’s unsweetened flakes it’ll be fine. However you’ll to finely chop the flakes so it’s almost like desiccated coconut. Hope that helps.
I wish you had mentioned the issue with the crumbling and to ensure a bigger egg (or maybe an extra one was used) in the actual recipe. Mine were very very crumbly and dry – even though the pre baked log was not at all dry. I could barley slice any intact.
Hi Dallas, I’m sorry that you had this trouble. It’s very strange that the prebaked log wasn’t dry and yet the baked log was very dry. Possibly your oven could run extra hot and the log was over cooked. Also, it’s very important to carefully measure the flour so that it isn’t compacted and therefore avoid adding too much flour. I make this recipe very often and don’t have issues but I’m happy to help solve whatever went wrong with yours. It is stated in the recipe (beside the ingredients) to see the notes below. I will attempt to make this more clear. If you need further help, I’d love for you to contact me. This is a fabulous biscotti recipe and very popular with my family and friends who love coffee so I do hope you give it another try.
I always love this Italian classic! These sound and look fantastic with the combo of flavours.
True, I can’t go past good biscotti!
First time making these. Plan to send to West coast for bday present. I am going to use slivered almonds instead, and planned on using pure almond extract where as my vanilla extract is artificial. Should I use less of the pure? Also, because of space deprivation, can I use the initial bake in 8.5X4.5 loaf pans as I saw in another recipe? Thanks in advance.
Hi Rochelle. Biscotti are great to ship! These will be an excellent birthday gift! I think it should be ok to use 1 teaspoon of pure almond extract in place of the vanilla extract. If you don’t don’t want the flavor too pronounced perhaps cut it back a little. As far as baking in a loaf pan, that’s something I’ve never done. However, my suggestion is to line with non stick baking paper just in case it could stick. Also, I think it may not cook as quickly so just check on that. During the initial baking the dough should rise and become firm and when pressed with your finger shouldn’t leave an indentation.
I LOVE biscotti, usually I make a lemon/almond version but espresso is really making me excited 🙂 Must try this out very soon, it sounds fabulous. (By the way, that is one fantatsic looking choc-cherry slice up there!)
These look delicious, and I will have to bookmark them to make. I finally made a couple great varieties of biscotti for Christmas this year, I never could get it right before. I love that biscotti lasts a while, so maybe I'll make it soon!
This is how I love my biscotti.. not too hard and not too soft! Love the addition of coconut.. sounds divine!
Love all the flavors and texture you've got in your biscotti.