Iced Lemon Almond Biscotti - Sizzling Eats (2023)

FAQs

What do you eat with almond biscotti? ›

As they do in Tuscany, you can dip your biscotti into rich red wines, especially those on the sweeter side. Marsala wine and Vin Santo are the wines of choices for dipping. Most connoisseurs on either side of the pond agree that dipping biscotti into a sweet Italian wine is the perfect end to a hearty Italian meal.

These cookies are usually served at the end of the meal together with Vin Santo, a Tuscan dessert wine made from raisins that was historically used to celebrate Mass. Of course, you can choose to eat them with coffee, tea, milk or just enjoy them on their own!

After the first baking, the biscotti loaves should be firm and very lightly browned, but not hard. Loaves are ready to cut when you can touch them without burning yourself.

Biscotti is one of the most popular foods to dip in your coffee – especially in Italy. In fact, it's literally designed and baked for dunking in mind. The crunch and density of a good piece of biscotti dipped in a steaming cup of coffee is unmatched.

Biscotti are Italian almond biscuits originating from Tuscany. They are twice-baked, oblong-shaped, dry, crunchy, and are often dipped in a hot cup of coffee before being enjoyed. Giolitti Deli sells homemade classic almond biscotti that you can enjoy as breakfast… an afternoon snack… or dessert!

Vin Santo (or Vino Santo) is a smooth, sweet dessert wine made in Italy, but predominantly in Tuscany. The wine is cherished for its intense flavors of hazelnut and caramel. For centuries, many Italians cherish the tradition of the perfect pairing of Vin Santo with cantucci (biscotti).

Biscotti is a sliced cookie made from a long piece of dough that has been baked, cut into individual pieces and finally re-baked to obtain characteristic texture and low moisture. The cookie is long and finger shaped. The double baking dries out the dough, giving it a crunchy texture.

1. Biscotti (Biscuits) Biscuits are the most popular Italian breakfast food!

Some recipes call for eggs only, which is the traditional method, while others swear by butter or oil. The choice is yours; just keep in mind that those made with butter or oil will have both a softer texture and a shorter shelf life.

How long will homemade biscotti last? ›

The best thing about biscotti is that they can last longer than other cookies because of their sturdy structure and dense texture. They will remain fresh for over ten days if ever it's stored in an airtight container.

At its origin, biscotti are cookies with little moisture, especially after the second bake. These twice-baked cookies are supposed to be hard, dry, crisp, providing plenty of crunch. The perfect cookie for dunking!

Always use a serrated knife (preferably a bread knife) in a sawing motion to cut nice smooth clean slices. If you want long slices like a coffee shop biscotti, slice the logs at an angle. I normally just slice straight, but that is my preference.

Chilling the Dough

Because biscotti dough is often soft and sticky, refrigerating it until firm makes it easier to handle and shape into logs. Generally, though, I like to shape the dough right after mixing it and get on with the baking.

The classic licorice flavor comes from the anise extract in the cookie dough and icing. Anise is a flowering herb native to the eastern Mediterranean region and anise extract is a common ingredient in Italian baked goods such as breads, cakes, and cookies, including biscotti and pizzelles.

I love that biscotti are the perfect partner for coffee because they are dry and crunchy, which helps balance the rich and creamy flavor of the coffee. The combination of the two creates a delicious and satisfying combination that I never get tired of.

Since they are very dry, biscotti traditionally are served with a drink, into which they may be dunked. In Italy they are typically served as an after-dinner dessert with a Tuscan fortified wine called vin santo. Outside of Italy, they more frequently accompany coffee, including cappuccinos and lattes, or black tea.

A reader has asked: My biscotti crumble terribly when I cut them. What am I doing wrong? A: Overbaking the logs of dough during the first baking can make the slices crumble as you are cutting them. Also, even if the logs of dough are perfectly baked, they will crumble if they are sliced while still warm, so be patient.

Traditional Italian biscotti. Traditional Italian biscotti are what we Italians called cantucci or, to give them their full name, Biscotti di Prato: they come, in fact, from Prato in Tuscany but they've been adopted in the whole Tuscany under the name of cantucci or cantuccini.

Biscotti cookies have a hard texture and are dehydrated thanks to the second bake. They are also mold-resistant, which is why they became the ideal food for sailors, including Christopher Columbus, who spent months at sea, no doubt munching on biscotti.

Is biscotti bad for your cholesterol? ›

Besides, biscotti is also famous for its characteristic of 0% cholesterol - 0% transfat, so it will be a "high-recommended" choice to help lower cholesterol, protect the heart, and prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Italians eat pizza with a fork and knife. Pizza is to be enjoyed straight from the oven and piping hot. Waiting for your dinner to cool down is just not an option – protocol says it should be enjoyed straight away. Therefore, if you grab a hot slice you're begging for a burn.

Pizza at the restaurant in Italy is served unsliced in the great majority of cases, because this helps its presentation and flavour, preventing the runny pizza topping from leaking off the pizza base and wetting the edges. Not slicing the pizza for customers also minimizes the risk of it cooling down.

Italian digestif: Strega

This digestivo is one of the most colorfully named Italian drinks - strega is Italian for 'witch. ' This yellow liqueur originates from Benevento, Campania, a city in Italy famous for its many legends about witches.

In a world where every single cookie is called a biscotto (the singular form of the word) there needs to be a word for what we know to be biscotti. That word is - yes, you guessed it - cantucci!

Etymology. Italian, biscuit, cookie, from (pane) biscotto, literally, bread baked twice.

Pane, burro e marmellata (bread, butter and jam)

The most traditional breakfast food in Italy is brad butter and jam or, in Italian, pane, burro e marmellata. The type of bread used varies from region to region and each family has its favorite kind.

Yoghurt and Fruit

Italians also love to have breakfast with yoghurt and fresh fruit. In order to be even more healthy, you may choose low-fat yoghurts and seasonal fruit. To have a complete meal you can add some dried fruit – highly satiating – and a teaspoon of honey.

The most common classic breakfast food in Italy is the “cornetto”, or croissant. A cornetto is often filled with some kind of cream, custard, jam or chocolate spread, and accompanied by a coffee.

chocolate, hot tea or any other hot drink, to get it nic. and soft, and enjoy!!

Does biscotti go with tea or coffee? ›

Exploring The Traditional Italian Cookie Biscotti cookies, also known as cantucci, are traditional Italian cookies. They are known for their long shelf life and crisp texture. They can be enjoyed with coffee or tea, dipped in wine, or used as a dessert topping.

Biscotti cookies bake up crunchy and sweet, and traditionally they can be a bit hard. But I find this particular recipe to be more crisp than hard. They are good by themselves, but even better when they're dunked in coffee, tea, or a sweet wine such as vin santo.

Yes, you totally can! For best results, allow biscotti to cool completely, then arrange them in a single layer (without touching) on a baking sheet or large plate. Freeze the biscotti first, then once completely chilled, they can be transferred to a sealed container or freezer bag of your choice.

If your biscotti are too soft then it is likely that the cookies were not baked for long enough second time around. If your biscotti slices are around 1/2cm/1/4 inch thick then they should only need around 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 180c/350F to dry out sufficiently.

Cool and store: Cool biscotti on a rack. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks or freeze for several months.

Biscotti dough is dense and sticky; using a sturdy stand mixer with the paddle attachment makes mixing easy. If you don't have a stand mixer, try the traditional method: mound the flour on the countertop, make a well in the center, add the remaining ingredients, and use your hands to mix the dough.

American style biscotti are softer and generally sweeter than the classic Italian style. They're crunchy but not as hard as the Italian.

Yes, baking soda is often included in recipes because of its ability to promote browning, when most of the actual leavening is via baking powder. You are lucky the biscotti didn't taste bitter/metallic.

if you make the batter without stirring well and the butter is not well distributed in the 'mix the points where the butter is too much becomes break down points during cooking. It can also happen that they break for a too high a temperature.

For crumble-free cutting, spray baked biscotti logs with water. Once your biscotti logs are baked it's time to slice them — hopefully without crumbling! I like to mist the logs with water and wait 5 minutes, then cut.

Why are my biscotti flat? ›

The Problem: Your Oven Is Too Hot

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure.

Are biscotti supposed to be hard? Yes! Because they are baked twice, biscotti are hard and crisp. They're great for dunking in a hot cup of coffee (cookies for breakfast ❤).

Overall, biscotti has some positive effects that make it a healthy snack option. It is low in fat, rich in essential vitamins and minerals, and its crunchy texture can help satisfy hunger without overindulging.

Vin Santo & Biscotti Pairing

In Italy, Vin Santo is often served as a digestive at the end of a meal after espresso and considered a vini da meditazioni (meditation wine), which means it is meant to be sipped slowly. Vin Santo and Biscotti is a 'holy grail' of a pairing as the dry biscotti is less sweet than the wine.

Store biscotti in an airtight container, preferably a tin, which helps keep them crisp. Place parchment paper or waxed paper between layers of cookies to protect the icing. Stored properly, these biscotti will last up to 2 weeks. After that, the icing may begin to appear chalky.

In Italy, however, the traditional way to eat cantucci is to dip them in a sweet dessert wine called Vin Santo. Cantucci are not especially sweet, particularly compared to modern cookies, and dipping them in sweet wine instead of bitter coffee adds a whole new layer of deliciousness.

1 - Snacking

Spread it on a graham cracker, scoop up with pretzels, or slather on apple slices. I love the crunchy variety of cookie butter on apples.

Overall, biscotti has some positive effects that make it a healthy snack option. It is low in fat, rich in essential vitamins and minerals, and its crunchy texture can help satisfy hunger without overindulging.

Dubbed the "timeless cookie" because of the long history of the cake from Italy, because of its ability to preserve for a longer time than other cookies, and obviously 100% say no to preservatives, biscotti cake supplement this ability.

What liquor is served with biscotti in Italy? ›

Vin Santo (or Vino Santo) is a smooth, sweet dessert wine made in Italy, but predominantly in Tuscany. The wine is cherished for its intense flavors of hazelnut and caramel. For centuries, many Italians cherish the tradition of the perfect pairing of Vin Santo with cantucci (biscotti).

Vin Santo is a full-bodied, typically very sweet dessert wine with aromas of hazelnut, caramel, honey, tropical fruit, perfume and dried apricot. It's one of those wines that sticks to the side of your glass and yet, when you taste it there's this crazy balance between its delicacy and its intensity.

Vin Santo [vin ˈsanto] ("holy wine") is a style of Italian dessert wine. Traditional in Tuscany, these wines are often made from white grape varieties such as Trebbiano and Malvasia, though Sangiovese may be used to produce a rosé style known as "Occhio di Pernice" or eye of the partridge.

Cantucci and biscotti are both Italian words. Cantucci is a specific type of biscuit (cookie) while biscotti is a general term that Italians use to refer to ANY and ALL kinds of cookies.

Italians use the word biscotti when referring to products that Americans call cookies. The word cantucci is used by Italians when referring to the product Americans call biscotti.