Biscotti with Hazelnuts and Dried Fruit are truly a staple in an Italian household. Vanilla flavored biscotti exploding with candied fruit, roasted almonds and hazelnuts. The perfect pairing for a cup of espresso.
One of many cookies my mom made every year. What else does my mother make during the holidays? Soft Amaretti cookies, Italian Butter Cookies dipped in chocolate and Italian Bow Tie cookies.
Jump to:
- Here's Why You'll Love these Italian Biscotti with Hazelnuts
- Ingredients You'll Need
- How to Make Hazelnut Biscotti with Dried Fruit
- Possible Ingredient Substitutions
- Variations of Biscotti with Hazelnuts
- Meal Prep Tips
- Equipment
- Storage
- Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
- More Cookies
- Recipe Details
- Meal Prep Tips
- Tip for Cutting Biscotti
- PIN it for later here
- Food Safety
- Comments
What would Christmas be in an Italian Household without Biscotti with Hazelnuts also known as Biscotti alla Nocciola. Every Christmas my mom set's out on a mission to make the most unique cookies and this year I'm sharing this recipe for homemade Biscotti with you all.
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Here's Why You'll Love these Italian Biscotti with Hazelnuts
You'll absolutely love these Italian Biscotti with Dried Fruit and hazelnuts because they are:
- Full of flavor - dried fruit adds natural sweetness, enhancing the overall flavor profile of biscotti.
- Textural Contrast: The chewiness of dried fruit complements the crunchy texture of biscotti.
- Visual Appeal: Vibrant dried fruits add color, making biscotti visually appealing.
- Versatility: Various dried fruits provide endless flavor combinations for unique biscotti.
- Longer Shelf Life: Dried fruit have a longer shelf life, allowing for you to enjoy them over an extended period of time.
Ingredients You'll Need
You will need the following ingredients to make Hazelnut Biscotti: eggs, dried fruit, flour, corn starch, baking powder, vanilla baking powder, almonds, hazelnuts and zest of lemon.
Zest of lemon - brings a nice subtle citrus flavor and scent that enhances the taste of these amazing biscotti.
Vanilla baking powder - unlike traditional vanilla extract brings the perfect vanilla flavor pop to these cookies that isn't overpowering.
Roasted Almonds and hazelnuts brings the perfect crunch to these cookies that will have you reaching for another.
Dried fruit bring the perfect sweetness and chew to these cookies without being overly sweet.
See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Hazelnut Biscotti with Dried Fruit
This recipe is extremely easy to make, just have all of your ingredients ready to go.
Combine all the wet ingredients into a medium bowl and mix well.
Add flour a little at a time until mixed well and forms a dough.
Turn out onto a surface layered with the icing sugar.
Form into a roll and carefully place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Pat the roll down and pat the roll on the sides. Pat the roll with some of the icing sugar from rolling the dough.
Bake at 350℉ for approximately 22 minutes until bottoms are golden.
Let cool completely. Slice the roll into ½" pieces. To slice, cut and then press down rather than cutting back and forth.
Possible Ingredient Substitutions
These are possible ingredient substitutions you can try:
- Flour- instead of using all purpose flour, use whole wheat flour
- Sweetener - make this recipe sugar free by replacing white sugar with sweetener
- Nuts - use different type of nuts to avoid allergic reactions to almonds or hazelnuts.
The perfect recipe isn't that far away. I'd love to know how you substituted ingredients to fit your dietary needs. Drop a comment below and let me know!
Variations of Biscotti with Hazelnuts
Here are some ideas to bring variation to your Italian Biscotti:
- Almond Extract - add or replace the vanilla extract with almond extract for a flavor boost.
- Chocolate Chips - use chocolate chips instead of dried fruit
- Dates, Raisins or Cranberries - substitute the dried fruit with dates, raisins or cranberries.
If you can think of any other way to make this recipe unique, go for it!
Meal Prep Tips
To add a nice sweetness to the outside of the cookie, roll out the dough in the shape of a log over confectioner's sugar.
To slice, cut and then press down rather than cutting back and forth.
Equipment
Equipment plays a large role when baking. Non stick baking sheets, parchment paper or silicone baking sheets come in hand when baking any cookies. Not only does this equipment make for easy cleanup, but it makes an impact on the appearance of the final product by avoiding cookies getting stuck to baking pans.
A good food processor and measuring spoons and a cup also come in handy if you don't have these already.
Storage
These cookies freeze very well. They can be stored in zipped bags at room temperature for about 2 to 3 weeks. You can also freeze them. When you are ready to use them, you can take them from the freezer and place them in the fridge to thaw out. Once thawed out you can leave them at room temperature in a sealed container. You can store these cookies frozen for about 2 months.
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
Yes, you can bake with dried fruit. Fruit cakes, and biscotti are known to have dried fruit and nuts.
Both oil and butter have their pros. Oil produces a softer biscotti, while butter results in a crispier cookie. However, note that some biscotti don't call for oil or butter and used only eggs.
Because the dough is on the wet side, it can be hard to form because it is sticky. Chilling the dough for 30 minutes helps when baking the biscotti the first time.
More Cookies
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe Details
Italian Biscotti with Hazelnuts and Dried Fruit
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caIngredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 3 cups almonds roasted
- 3 cups hazelnuts roasted
- 1 lb candied fruit
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 3g Vanilla Baking Powder
- 1 lemon grated lemon zest and juice
- 1 cup icing sugar for rolling cookie dough
Instructions
- Combine all the wet ingredients into a medium bowl and mix well.
- Add flour a little at a time until mixed well and forms a dough.
- Turn out onto a surface layered with the icing sugar.
- Form into a roll and carefully place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Pat the roll down and pat the roll on the sides. Also pat the roll with some of the icing sugar from rolling the dough.
- Bake at 350℉ for approximately 22 minutes until bottoms are golden.
- Let cool completely. Slice the roll into ½" pieces. To slice, cut and then press down rather than cutting back and forth.
Notes
Meal Prep Tips
To add a nice sweetness to the outside of the cookie, roll out the dough in the shape of a log over confectioner's sugar.Tip for Cutting Biscotti
To slice, cut and then press down rather than cutting back and forth.Nutrition
PIN it for later here
Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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