Home / Recipes / Desserts / / Italian Roccoco Biscotti Recipe
ByRosemary
Jump to Recipe
These Traditional Christmas Cookies from Naples, Roccoco Biscotti are the perfect dunking cookie. A fast and easy cookie recipe that is full of almonds and so tasty. Serve with a glass of wine, Spumonte or even a cup of tea or an espresso!
Roccoco Biscotti
An Italian Christmas is very different then the Canadian one I grew up with. No stuffed Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy or even Shortbread!
But I have to say I can’t complain about the Roast Lamb, Crepe Cannelloni, Panettone or Biscotti. Including these Simple but very tasty Roccoco Biscotti.
Where do Roccoco come from?
These cookies are originally from Naples and are served at Christmas Time, preferably with a class of wine, Spumonte, Limoncello or Marsala or if you prefer a cup of tea.
Interesting to know, the longer you bake them (without letting them burn) the harder they get. I bake mine for about 18 minutes and they are neither hard nor soft.
Although they could have gone another 3-5 minutes if you prefer harder biscuits, I have even heard an extra 10 minutes!
They are not a terribly sweet cookie, but have a distinct fall taste and aroma.
It’s best to store these cookies in an air tight container and they will keep for up to a week.
How to Make Roccoco Biscotti
Toast the whole almonds, remove about 10 to top the biscotti with.
The remaining almonds coarsely shop.
In a large bowl add the flour, make a well in the middle and add the sugar, honey, chopped almonds, allspice, baking powder and the lemon and orange zest, stir to combine.
Add the water a little at time until you have a soft, compact dough that isn’t sticky.
Knead a few times on a lightly floured flat surface.
Remove pieces of dough and roll into about 4 inch ropes, then form into circles.
Place the circles on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Brush the cookies with an egg wash.
Cut remaining almonds into large pieces and place 3 pieces on each cookie. Bake for about 18-20 minutes.
Let cool before serving.
How to Roast Almonds
Preheat oven to 350F (180C), spread the almonds in an even layer on a cookie sheet, bake for about 8-12 minutes, stir the nuts 2-3 times while baking.
Remove the nuts from the oven and immediately transfer to a clean plate. Do not let the nuts cool on the cookie tray or they could burn.
What is Pisto?
The traditional Naples Roccoco Recipe calls for an ingredient called Pisto. Which is a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and cloves.
I was not able to find it where I am, and I wasn’t going to go all the way to Naples to get a jar of spice, although Pizza al Napoletana, I wouldn’t say no to!
So I came to the conclusion that all spice would be the perfect substitute, and that is what I used.
More Delicious Italian Christmas Sweets
Italian Almond Cookies
Chocolate Torrone
Lupin Beans
Struffoli
So whatever you bake for your Christmas Celebration be sure to include something traditionally Italian. Enjoy!
Roccoco Biscotti
Italian Roccoco Biscotti Recipe
Rosemary Molloy
These Traditional Christmas Cookies from Naples, Roccoco Biscotti are the perfect dunking cookie. Almonds a fall spice make them perfect.
Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C), line one or two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Place the almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes. Stirring the almonds 2-3 times during baking time. Remove the almonds from the oven and immediately place in a clean bowl to cool. Once cool, remove 10 almonds, chop each almond into 3 pieces and set aside. The remaining almonds ground coarsely.
In a large bowl add the flour, make a well in the middle and add sugar, honey, ground almonds, all spice, baking powder and zest. Stir to combine.
Add the water a little at a time and and stir and bring together until almost combined, then move to a lightly floured flat surface and knead a few times until you have a compact soft, but not sticky dough.
Cut off pieces of dough and make 4 inch (10 cm) long ropes, form into circle shapes, overlapping one end a little on the other. Place cookies on prepared cookie sheets, brush with egg wash and top with 2-3 pieces of almonds. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. Let cool before serving. Enjoy!
Despite their centuries-old heritage, there is no one perfect way to make biscotti. 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.
You guessed it, add the dry ingredients to the large bowl with the wet ingredients. Fold in the pistachios, cardamom, and vanilla extract. Because the dough can be sticky and hard to form, it's important to chill the batter for a good 30 minutes before baking the first time.
Biscotti dough is inherently sticky. I recommend adequately flouring your hands before working the dough, and if it's still too sticky to handle, add a little flour at a time but just enough so you can work with it.
How to Store Biscotti: Maximize Crunch & Prevent Soft Biscotti. To store biscotti, keep it in an airtight container at room temperature. Lining the container with a paper towel will help soak up any excess moisture that finds its way in.
Baking soda – baking soda helps the biscotti rise and spread. Make sure that your baking soda isn't expired. Sugar- we used granulated sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar as well.
American style biscotti are softer and generally sweeter than the classic Italian style. They're crunchy but not as hard as the Italian. We'll use the same tricks that I explained in the previous Classic Italian biscotti, but the directions will be somewhat different.
“How do I know when they're done?” Let's turn to the Cookie Companion again. “Once the biscotti have been sliced and baked for the time directed, take the pan out of the oven and probe the side of a biscotto … If the biscotto feels soft, like a piece of cake, give it another 5 minutes in the oven.
How Long Does Biscotti Last? Your homemade biscotti will last for up to one month in an airtight container at room temperature. If you want to keep the biscotti longer, you can freeze it for up to three months.
The trickiest parts of making them are the mixing and the shaping and baking. Just like biscuits, you can't overmix the dough. I found that if the dough is mixed too much, the biscotti becomes dense and heavy.
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. The logs crumble when you use a dull knife, too.
The second bake really serves as a method for toasting the cookies. Once the dough has been refrigerated overnight, take it out of the fridge and let it sit out for a bit. It doesn't have to be room temperature, but it shouldn't be ice cold because it will be hard to work with.
The best way to make soft biscuits crispy again is to put them in the oven at a low temperature (200–250°F) for about 10 minutes. The heat will help dry out the moisture in the biscuits, making them crispy again.
The word “biscotti” comes from the Latin “bis-coctus,” which means “twice baked.” And that's precisely what biscotti are: twice-baked cookies, resulting in a crispy, crunchy texture. The original biscotti recipe called for just a few simple ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, almonds, and anise seeds.
To make these cookies, start by whipping eggs and a couple of extra egg yolks together with sugar, vanilla, and almond extract. This step is key to making biscotti that are crisp but not hard. Get the mixture very pale, thick, and airy. All that air will help lighten the biscotti.
Introduction: My name is Velia Krajcik, I am a handsome, clean, lucky, gleaming, magnificent, proud, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.