Almond Flour Biscotti
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My almond flour biscotti are crisp, chewy, and studded with pistachios and tender cranberries. They’re made in one bowl, and yes, they’re dunkable!
I was raised in a house where biscotti was a holiday staple. My mom would make a batch every week, and I think she was the one eating most of them!
She liked to test new versions of her classic gluten-free biscotti, and one of my favorites was her almond biscotti recipe. Now that I’m hosting Christmas this year, I can’t wait to make them.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Naturally sweetened with honey. Honey adds a subtle earthiness and gives the biscotti a gorgeous golden color.
- Fun to customize. My base recipe has pistachios and cranberries, but you can make a variety of other flavors. I’ll explain more later on.
- Perfect for dunking. I prefer black coffee since the biscotti are fairly sweet, but almond milk hot chocolate works too!
- Crispy, crunchy, and snappable. Just like this classic Italian cookie should be!
- Naturally gluten-free. And I’ll even give you tips on making them vegan.
Ingredients needed
- Almond flour. Not all almond flours are created equal, so stick with blanched almond flour instead of almond meal, which is made with flecks of almond skin and yields a darker, crumbly consistency.
- Pistachios and almonds. You can use just one or the other if you prefer.
- Baking soda. Gives the biscotti some rise and leavening.
- Salt. Elevates the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Cinnamon. For a delicate cinnamon flavor.
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs are best.
- Honey. For natural sweetness and moisture. Agave nectar can also be used, but I found maple syrup to be overpowering.
- Butter. Stick with unsalted butter softened to room temperature (since we’re already adding salt).
- Almond extract. To enhance the almond flavor! Alternatively, use vanilla extract.
- Dried cranberries. Optional, but I like them for flavor and color. Make sure they’re unsweetened.
How to make biscotti with almond flour
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prep. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven.
Step 2- Mix the dough. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In another large bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Gently whisk the dry into the wet and mix until you have a smooth dough. Fold in the cranberries.
Step 3- Shape. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Form two rectangular loaves about 1 inch in thickness.
Step 4- Bake. Place the loaves on the pan and bake until golden. It’s okay if the biscotti isn’t super crispy yet. Let them cool briefly, and reduce the oven heat.
Step 5- Second bake. Slice the loaves into equal slices and place them on the baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp. Let them cool on a wire rack.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Make them vegan. Substitute the eggs for flax eggs (1 tablespoon of flax seed with 3 tablespoons of water per egg), use dairy-free butter and milk, and sub honey for agave.
- Adjust the bake time. Biscotti is a very forgiving recipe, and you can make them as thin, thick, long, or small as you desire. Just remember, the thinner you slice them, the less cooking time they’ll need.
- Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice the biscotti for the second bake.
- Don’t crank up the heat! As tempting as it may be, you need the second bake to be at a lower temperature. Almond flour can easily develop a burnt taste if overbaked.
- Prefer shiny biscotti? Brush a beaten egg over the loaf before slicing it.
Variations
- Chocolate. Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder and increase the honey by 2 tablespoons. Omit the dried fruit.
- Cranberry orange. Sub out half the nuts with extra cranberries and add 1 teaspoon of orange extract and 1 teaspoon of orange zest.
- Chocolate covered. Dip each of the biscotti in melted dark chocolate chips.
- Espresso. Add 1 teaspoon of espresso extract and omit the cranberries.
- Lemon. Add 2 tablespoons lemon zest and 1 teaspoon of lemon extract.
Storage instructions
To store: Store leftover biscotti at room temperature in a sealed container for 1 month.
To freeze: Place the biscotti in a ziplock bag and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight.
Frequently asked questions
Traditional biscotti gets its crispy texture from being twice-baked and thinly sliced. This yields extra crunchy cookies.
If you use my keto honey as your sugar substitute, then yes, this can be considered keto biscotti as it is low carb. For even fewer carbs, omit the dried cranberries.
More holiday desserts
- Gluten-free Christmas cookies
- Peanut brittle
- Gingerbread blondies
- Prefer to bake with almond flour? Try my almond flour sugar cookies, almond flour cupcakes, and almond flour cake next.
Almond Flour Biscotti
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups almond flour blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pistachios sliced * See notes
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract can use vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170C/325F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients until combined. Gently fold in the dry ingredients into the wet, until fully incorporated. Fold through your cranberries at the end.
- Lightly flour a kitchen surface. Remove the dough from the bowl and form two equal portions. Using your hands, form two rectangular loaves, 1-inch in size.
- Place the two loaves on the lined pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool for 25 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 120C/250F.
- Slice up the two loaves into 1/2-inch biscotti, and place them on the lined baking sheet. Bake the biscotti for an additional 30 minutes per side.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely. This will firm up beautifully.
question
is it ok to prepare dough, refrigerate overnight then bake in the morning?
Hi Marie, that should be fine! I would form the logs and wrap them in plastic wrap before you put them in the fridge. When you pull them out, let them sit at room temperature for for 20 minutes or so before preparing them for the baking. Let us know how you go!
I always go back to this recipe
Love your biscotti gluten free
I am making a friend a batch can I use some gluten free plain flour with it to keep structure strong
Love Love it i use manukau honey
Hi Cassandra- if your gf flour has xanthan gum in it, you can use it to swap out some of the almond flour. If it doesn’t, I’d opt for one that does. Oh yum, using manuka honey is SO GOOD!
Can I substitute Olive oil or another oil to make it more heart healthy? My friend is also on a low sodium diet. Is it possible to reduce salt to 1/4 teaspoon?
Thanks!
Karen
Hi Karen, you can definitely reduce the salt and should be fine substituting a light olive or avocado oil in for the butter. You just won’t need quite as much. I’d start with about 5 tablespoons and check the consistency. Hope this helps!
I over baked a little. But still tastes good. The rest are 2nd baking right now.
Thanks, Jeanne- yes, I’d err on the side of caution with biscotti, as they can go from crisp to over-baked quite quickly. Let me know how the second batch goes 🙂
Hello there. May I substitute almond flour with hazelnut flour?
Yes, G.T- any nut flour can be substituted 🙂 Let me know how you go!
They didn’t rise as in the recipe photo. The honey drove the flavor farther away from what a biscotti actually tastes like especially since the diversion from traditional flour to almond flour was already unlike a biscotti flavor. They became cookies…as cookies, they are very lovely treats.
So glad you still enjoyed them, Deb! You’re right- almond flour biscotti will always be a little different to the traditional version- it’s the nature of swapping out wheat flour. Although many popular grocery stored and bakeries do almond flour based ones. For more rise, make sure the log is shaped quite tall and narrow before the first bake as almond flour spreads more than wheat flour. As for the honey, maple syrup is a slightly more neutral swap if you want a less prominent sweetness next time.
Good day, I am in the midst of making the biscotti recipe I consider myself a seasoned baker,
I followed the recipe as instructed and the dough is very soft/loose. what did i do incorrectly?
Don’t panic, Frances! Almond flour dough is naturally much softer and stickier than traditional biscotti dough, so this is completely normal! Unlike biscotti made wheat flour, it won’t firm up much before baking. Just wet your hands slightly and shape it into a log as best you can directly on the baking sheet. It will firm up during the first bake. Hope that helps!