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This gluten free biscotti is perfectly crispy and crunchy and ready to dunk in your favorite hot beverage! Easy to make and using simple ingredients, no one will know it’s made without gluten!
Biscotti is something you’ll always find on my mom’s kitchen counter. As she has European roots, it’s only natural for her to reach for one when she has a hot drink, as they make the perfect cookie for dunking.
She doesn’t play favorites and enjoys other variations, like almond flour biscotti. However, since she’s been diagnosed with celiacs disease, she adapted her classic recipe to make it gluten free!
This gluten free biscotti recipe looks and tastes like any good biscotti out there, swapping out the traditional white flour for a gluten free blend. It’s perfectly crispy and crunchy, and pleasantly sweet, without being overpowering. It’s so easy to make and you can add your favorite nuts and dried fruits to them.
Gluten free desserts and cookies have a poor reputation for having odd textures but this recipe proves otherwise- We served these at a recent afternoon tea and no one knew we made it without gluten!
How do you make gluten free biscotti?
The Ingredients
- Gluten free flour– Use a gluten free flour blend that contains added xanthan gum. I recommend Bob’s gluten free baking flour.
- Baking powder– Leavening agent used to give the biscotti some stability and rise.
- Salt– Just a pinch to balance out the sweet flavors.
- Olive oil– Light olive oil.
- White and brown sugar– A combination of both sugars helps give the biscotti the crisp edges while the middle is nice and crumbly.
- Vanilla and almond extract– Ensures every bite has a subtle vanilla and almond flavor.
- Eggs– Room temperature eggs.
- Cranberries– Unsweetened dried cranberries.
- Pistachios and almonds– Unsalted and raw pistachios and almonds. You can use just one of each type.
The Instructions
Start by whisking together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil and sugars. Add the extracts, then the eggs. Slowly add the dry ingredients and slowly mix everything together. Fold through the cranberries, pistachios, and almonds at the end.
Now, divide the dough into two logs, and place them on a lined baking sheet. Bake the two logs for 30-35 minutes, until they are light brown on the outside. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for ten minutes.
Finally, reduce the oven heat. Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into pieces of biscotti. Place them back onto the baking tray and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until they are crispy.
Tips to make the best recipe
- Use a very sharp knife when slicing the biscotti, as the dough will be quite fragile.
- For ultra crispy biscotti, use all white sugar, not a mix of white and brown.
- Switch out the cranberries for raisins or other dried fruits.
Storing and freezing instructions
- To store: Biscotti will keep at room temperature, covered, for up to 4 weeks.
- To freeze: Place biscotti in a ziplock bag and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More gluten free cookie recipes to try
- Peanut butter cookies
- Almond butter cookies
- Keto chocolate chip cookies
- Healthy chocolate chip cookies
- Cranberry cookies
Frequently Asked Questions
Biscotti is definitely a cookie and not a bread. They are designed to be enjoyed dunking in hot beverages like tea or coffee.
Compared to other cookies, biscotti is a healthier option. It has less sugar and also has no butter or excess oil.
Biscotti is crispy and firm, as it is baked twice and also thinly sliced. The term ‘biscotti’ refers to the process of baking them twice.
Gluten Free Biscotti
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup gluten free flour * See notes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup pistachios shelled
- 1/2 cup almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix well. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, white sugar, and brown sugar. Mix in the extracts, then beat in the eggs. Add the dry ingredients and slowly mix everything together. Fold through the cranberries, pistachios, and almonds.
- Divide the dough in half and form two logs, around two inches in thickness, and place them on the lined baking tray.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until logs are lightly brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the oven heat for 275F. Slice the logs into pieces of biscotti. Place them back on the lined baking tray and bake for 8 minutes, until dry.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool completely.
Ohhhhhh! I’m not normally a crunchy cookie person, but I could never turn down biscotti and coffee! It’s the best cookie for dunkin’ since it doesn’t get all soft and fall into your mug. I’m curious about this softer version though…since coffee’s not always around…and I’d rather not traumatize the roof of my mouth!
Favorite nut in a cookie? I think I’d have to go with walnuts on that one!
Hmm.. I can see your point. The softer version is in contrast to the traditional biscotti- so it’s probably still abit rough!
I don’t think I’ve ever had a cookie with walnuts in it!
WHAT?! Omg, you need a cranberry walnut oatmeal cookie in your life STAT! Make Amanda’s…you and I BOTH know they’ll be delicious! 😉
https://www.runningwithspoons.com/2013/12/16/chewy-white-chocolate-cranberry-oatmeal-cookies/
I’m taking a stab at these this morning because they sound amazing! Though I may be adding some fruit in because I can’t follow directions 😉
Go for it, my friend! If you do add fruit, maybe half the nuts and add half fruit to balance the measurements! 🙂
I love biscotti, but I haven’t had it in YEARS. I need to try to make your mom’s recipe gluten free!!
Ooo I was telling Lindsay that I’ve tried it with oat flour before- tasted great but didn’t ‘rise’ as much- maybe try it with GF oats 🙂
I love macadamias in cookies I think they add a delicious extra crunch without being too crunchy!!
Behind on my blog reading so catching up! This recipe looks delicious. I love anything Donna Hay makes and this adaption sounds yum and a great recipe for Christmas.
Ohh Jan! you have me craving subway white chocolate and macadamia cookies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You take your time, my friend. PS the guy next door to me at this hotel is hiding a CAT!!!
These look absolutely divine. I will be baking these once I am able to get back into the kitchen! 🙂
Naww hope it’s VERY soon! 🙂
alright, dare i ask….. can i use GF flour??think it will work? maybe brown rice flour?
Well, my corny friend. I tried this with oat flour and it lacked the ‘rise’ but it tasted very similar- so maybe grind up GF oats? Unfortunately I’m not sure how other flours would fare!
You doubled the nuts. That’s genius and I love a good pistachio nut.
As much as I love fresh fruit, I’m real picky when I eat dried fruit. I’ll eat raisins in things, but never alone. Cranberries are ok, but that’s about it. I’m just not a fan of the texture but crunchy, salty nuts, now those I get handle. 😉
There is no nut better than a salted nut. Seriously, screw sodium bull$hi!. I LOVE salted nuts.
Dried fruit on their own is blah. Seriously? You could eat a baseball size of raisins and it’d be comparable to air.
You know you owe me a batch of these. I stole some ballz from the kewaza kitchen. Tradesies?!
YES. I’ll make a double batch if you deliver it in person…..
Oh man… I used to -hate- dried fruit when I was a kid. My mom would always put raisins into chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and do you know how hard it is to tell a raisin apart from a chocolate chip when you’re trying to dissect the cookie!? Impossible. And people that gave out box of raisins on Halloween? Deserved to have their house egged. Nowadays, though? LOVE dried fruit. I can go through raisins like nobody’s business, and dates, cranberries, cherries, and blueberries aren’t safe either. Funny how those tastes change…
Imagine how much money we could save if we bought multi packs of fruit and nut mixes. You keep the fruit, I keep the nuts. Why am I so smart?
My mum and sister can go through dried pears, peaches and apricots like it’s their job. Can I egg your house?
I’d def go for the crispy version of this. It looks so easy!
Sooo easy. Go for it, Champ!
Thank you for sharing this recipe – love the extra pistachios in it – though dried fruit I would have been fine with too. Your mom is FANTABULOUS for adapting these for you!
Currently my fav coffee accompaniment is froyo – its so cold here that the coffee helps me keep my froyo addiction alive 😉
And, from one nut to another – theres no way I could pick a favorite! No way!
Have a wonderful weekend Arman!
Thanks, Shashi! I used to love Vanilla froyo with a black coffee..the sweet and the bitter. Perfect!
Hope your having a good weekend, friend!
Oh these look delicious! These bring back such memories for me because my grandma used to make biscotti all the time when I was little. She’d make a chocolate chip version and a version with almonds and anise flavor. They were amazing! Since she passed away, no one in my family has attempted to make them again. My mom has her recipe, so I should definitely try it.
I love biscotti crispy and dipped in tea…perfection!
I think YOU should be the pioneer to try that recipe out in her honour 😉 Ohhh a chocolate chip version sounds so good- even better with almonds!
That’s the best thing about dipping biscotti in tea..it doesn’t disintegrate like other cookies!
i have been waiting for this recipe for a while now – thanks Arman, I cant raisins but others I will have take it..and nuts, I am crazy about them. I will be making them soon.
Thanks, Dixya! This recipe is so adaptable, you can add any nuts in it! sometimes I like almonds and chocolate chips!