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.
Hi Arman
I tried your Almond Flour Biscotti recipe and need some help
My sons said they tasted great but,
1. the biscuits came out brown in colour not yellow like in your picture is there a certain almond flour l should be using? or is it the cinnamon that changed the colour?
2. the biscuits were breaking as l was cutting them? – should I have cooked the log longer or should I have waited until they were completely cold before cutting them?
Look forward to hearing back from you as I really want to try this recipe again
Thanks
Rose
Hello Rose! Thanks so much for trying the recipe, and I’m glad your sons enjoyed the flavor. I tested this using blanched almond flour, which is quite pale, so that will give a lighter, more yellow color. Using almond meal, a different brand, or adding cinnamon can definitely make the biscotti darker, so that’s completely normal. As for the breaking, that usually means the log needed a little longer in the first bake or that it was sliced while still too warm. I recommend letting it cool just enough to firm up but not go completely cold, and making sure the log is set through before slicing. I hope that helps, and I’d love to hear how your next batch turns out.
These were crisp and delicious and satisfying!!
This was pretty easy and came out exactly how i like them! Thanks for sharing.
Arman,
I just returned from a trip to Provence, where I daily had a thick biscotti of almonds and cranberries that was hard on the outside and chewy in the center. It was the best thing I ever ate! Your recipe seems to be a great way to reexperience them. My question is, how can I make it chewy inside? That was the part that made me swoon.
Thanks much. This is my first time reaching out about a recipe!
Hello Gail! What a lovely food memory 🙂 Those Provençal biscotti sound incredible. I tested this recipe to be fully crisp throughout, so it won’t naturally have a chewy centre like the ones you described. That said, you can get closer by shortening the second bake and pulling them out while the centres are still just slightly soft, then letting them cool completely. The edges will firm up while the middle stays more tender. I’m so glad you reached out, and I hope this helps you recreate a bit of that trip at home.
Made many times. Love it! And so do my guests. Especially those who usually have to say no to the sweets because of gluten intolerance. Thank you
I baked for a bit longer but this was delicious thank you!
Love the taste, but mine isn’t really hard. Any tips?
Hi Denean- I’m glad you loved the flavor 🙂 I tested these biscotti to be crisp once fully baked and completely cooled, but almond flour can be a bit deceptive because it stays soft while warm. If yours aren’t hard enough, it usually means they need a longer second bake at the lower temperature. Try extending that bake time and flipping them halfway through, then let them cool fully, as they firm up significantly as they cool.
Any biscotti recipe I’ve made uses baking powder not baking soda. I am new to making gluten free recipies so I wanted to try yours. Scanning the internet I noticed all the other almond flour recipe calls for baking powder as well. Is this a typo or is that what you use?
Hi Patti! Great question, and not a typo. I tested this recipe using baking soda rather than baking powder and found it worked better with the acidity in the ingredients and the structure of almond flour. Almond flour behaves very differently from wheat flour, so some of the usual “rules” don’t always apply with gluten-free baking. I completely understand the hesitation though, especially when you’re new to gluten-free recipes, and I appreciate you checking before baking.
Is the first bake time only 20 min? I baked for 25 and still not cooked through. I went with it, thinking they would finish baking on second bake, but they did not. I’m not sure what I did wrong other than bake time. The dough tastes amazing.
Thank you for checking, Beth! You didn’t do anything wrong. Based on feedback like yours, I went back and retested the recipe and found that the first bake does need to be longer for the logs to cook through properly. I’ve now updated the recipe to reflect this, and the first bake should be closer to 30–35 minutes, until the logs are set through the centre, not just browned on the outside. Almond flour can be a bit deceptive that way. I’m really glad you loved the flavor, and I appreciate you flagging this so the instructions could be improved.
I love biscotti, but hated trying to work with the sticky dough until I started taking the dough directly from the bowl to the cookie sheet and using 2 spatulas to form the logs. Using an electric carving knife to slice the biscotti also works very well. I haven’t actually tasted the biscotti yet, but it smells wonderful and I’m sure we’ll love it.
Thanks Sandy! And some great tips!
These were yum yum.
Thanks, Lauren!
Learned the hard way that butter and margarine are not interchangeable in this recipe as written. I was trying to make it for my gluten/dairy free brother. Lesson learned, and I’ll try again when I’m not baking for multiple dietary needs.
Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂 Baking for multiple dietary needs can definitely be a challenge. Butter really does play a specific role in this recipe, so I appreciate you pointing out that the swap didn’t work as expected. I hope the next round goes more smoothly, and that your brother still got to enjoy something made with love in the meantime. I’ll also do some testing to find a dairy-free alternative.
Like others i found the flavor to be good but the baking time way off. I took mine out at 20 mins. They had split and were brown however when i tried to cut them after 20 min rest they were completely raw. Especially in the middle. I had to make big slices and some just crumbled completely. I only got about 18 slices. I then baked them 20 mins at the lower temp but had to bake for another 22 mins in the flip side. For a total baking time over 1 hr. I them cooled completely and they r ok. They definitely so not look great but did eventually crisp up. I would make again but i would bake the first go round for likely 30 or even 35 mins so they were more cooked at first and easier to slice. For reference i made as written w pistachios and dried cranberries. I used king arthur almond flour.
Hi Tara! Thank you so much for taking the time to share such detailed feedback. Almond flour biscotti can be tricky, and oven differences really do make a big impact on baking times, especially with denser doughs like this. It’s helpful to know that a longer first bake would make slicing easier, and I appreciate you noting the total time it took in your oven and the brand of almond flour you used. Even if they weren’t the prettiest, I’m glad to hear they did crisp up in the end, and your note will be really useful for other readers making these with similar ingredients.
You are such a good baker, this was amazing.
Thank you, Felicia. I appreciate the kind words and lovely review 🙂
Very easy to follow, make and are delicious. Not too sweet.
LLLove to hear that!
Hello,
Can I use stevia as a sweetener ?
Hi Voula! I recently tested this recipe with allulose, which works well because it behaves similarly to sugar in baking. Stevia, however, doesn’t provide the same bulk or structure, so I don’t recommend it for this recipe, as the texture and baking results would likely be affected.
Happy I found your site, I want to try your almond flour Biscotti recipe.