You will love the simplicity of this Chocolate Biscotti Recipe. The addition of hazelnuts creates twice-baked cookies with a perfect crunch. Their crispy texture also makes them ideal dunking cookies for your cup of coffee.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter you email below and I'll send the link to your inbox.
PLUS, be the first to get newly published recipes!
Jump to:
Introduction
Would you be surprised if I told you that I have an obsession with biscotti?
These are my favorite cookies. I’m guessing you probably already know this since I do have a blog called She Loves Biscotti 🙂
If you have visited here before, I’ve already mentioned that my mom’s recipe for almond biscotti is the best. Naturally, I am a little biased since I grew up with these homemade biscotti.
I love these Italian cookies so much that I created a guide on How to Make Biscotti. Be sure to consult all of my tips and tricks so that you too can make the best biscotti every single time.
Today, I’m sharing another easy biscotti recipe that includes chocolate and hazelnuts.
I’ve had this recipe in my baking repertoire for almost 20 years and I can’t wait to share it with all of you.
Ingredients
- Hazelnuts. In a pinch, you can replace these nuts with almonds, walnuts, or even pecans.
- Dry Ingredients. Flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cocoa Powder. Natural or dutch process.
- Butter. Just enough so that there is a nice crunchy texture.
- Sugar. Just the right amount.
- Eggs. Let’s get them at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract. If possible, use the real stuff.
- Bittersweet chocolate. You are going to love biting into a chocolate chunk.
You need a stand mixture (or a hand-held one) as far as accessories are concerned.
Also, it would help if you had a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, a cutting board and a sharp knife to slice these Italian biscotti cookies properly.
Are you ready to make some twice-baked Italian cookies? Let’s begin.
Mise en Place
The first thing we need to do is to prepare the roasted hazelnuts.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Spread about 1 cup of raw hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until skins begin to crack.
Remove from the oven and wrap the hazelnuts in a kitchen towel for a few minutes. Rub hazelnuts together to remove the skin.
Another method to remove the skins is to place them in a bowl, cover them with another bowl, and shake vigorously. This movement will loosen the skins from the hazelnuts.
Allow cooling slightly and coarsely chop. Set aside for now.
Instructions
Now that the hazelnuts are cooling down, we can start preparing the biscotti dough.
In a bowl of a stand mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy; use the paddle attachment.
Add the eggs, 3 in total, one at a time.
Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl after adding the eggs; add the vanilla extract.
Next, combine the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt) with a wooden spoon.
The biscotti dough is firm.
Add the chopped toasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate chunks and combine them. Here comes the fun part, the first bake!
Divide dough into quarters—shape dough into a rectangle-shaped log. Apply gentle pressure to smooth the tops and the sides of the biscotti loaf. If you prefer a longer-shaped biscotti, divide the dough into thirds. Try shaping them about two inches wide and three-quarters inch thick.
Place logs on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until firm to the touch. Transfer logs to a wire rack and allows them to cool down before attempting to slice them.
Place the biscotti loaf on a wooden board, and with a serrated knife, slice the dough diagonally about one-half-inch thick.
Place slices back on the prepared baking sheet and in the oven for a second time, with the cut side down. Let them bake for another 20-30 minutes (the longer they stay in the oven, the crisper they get). Turn them over at around the 10-minute mark.
The only thing left to do is make that espresso and dunk!
Tips
- Replace hazelnuts with walnuts, pecans, or even almonds if more convenient.
- For best results, weigh the flour and the cocoa powder.
- Use either natural or dutch process cocoa powder.
- For a more decadent biscotti, try dipping one end in melted chocolate. We would probably have to change the name to double chocolate biscotti or perhaps triple chocolate biscotti!
- Although these cookies are twice baked, feel free to omit the second baking time for a more tender cookie.
- Replace the bittersweet chocolate chunks with mini chocolate chips.
FAQ
Biscotti should be firm and crunchy, not hard and dry. By controlling the second bake’s time, you control how dry you want your biscotti to be. Remember that the biscotti will continue to harden once removed from the oven.
Although there is no special technique, some guidelines will contribute to a perfectly sliced biscotti: make sure the biscotti loaf has cooled down; use a sharp, serrated knife and cut at an angle.
Once they are at room temperature, they keep well in containers for a good couple of weeks. A slight flow of air will help them stay crispy! Glass or ceramic containers, as well as cookie tins, are best for these cookies. Placing tissue paper at the bottom can help absorb any excess moisture.
For freezer storage, place in freezable containers or resealable bags. Consume within three months.
Biscotti recipes we love
If you are looking for more biscotti flavors, be sure to check out all of my Biscotti recipes.
Recipe inspiration
Baking at home presents opportunities to try something new and make and remake recipes that family and friends have come to expect in the cookie jar – like these crunchy biscotti.
They are genuinely such a delicious treat!
When I first made this recipe, I felt that my search for this type of chocolate-flavored Italian cookie was over. You know a biscotti is good when it is always the first one to disappear from the cookie tray, and that is what happens every time I make this recipe.
I discovered this recipe in a Canadian Living Holiday Best Magazine (2003). If you make as many cookies during the holiday season as I do, you quickly realize that starting with an easy and easily freezable recipe is all-important. These chocolate hazelnut biscotti fit the bill. This is true of any biscotti recipe.
No matter the time of the year, your family and friends will surely appreciate these chocolate biscotti cookies.
They just might become your favorite biscotti recipe!
Enjoy!
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community, where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this chocolate biscotti recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below, and be sure to rate the recipe!
Recipe
Chocolate Biscotti Recipe with Hazelnuts
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter you email below and I’ll send the link to your inbox.
PLUS, be the first to get newly published recipes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup hazelnuts raw
- 355 grams all-purpose flour 2½ cups
- 43 grams unsweetened cocoa powder ½ cup
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate 113 grams, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Position rack in the center.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until skins begin to crack. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel for a few minutes. Rub hazelnuts together to remove the skin. Let cool and coarsely chop.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).
- In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt). Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Add vanilla extract.
- Add flour mixture to egg mixture; stir with a wooden spoon until just incorporated (do not over mix).
- Fold in chopped hazelnuts and chopped chocolate.
- Divide dough into quarters. Place each quarter on the cookie sheet, shaping each into a 15-inch log. Flatten each biscotti log until 1½ inches wide.
- Bake for approximately 23- 30 minutes or until firm to the touch. Transfer to a rack and let cool slightly.
- Transfer to a cutting board.
- Using a serrated knife, slice cookies at an angle about ½-inch thick.
- Place the sliced cookies back on the baking sheets, and return them to the oven for about another 20-30 minutes (the longer they stay in the oven, the crisper they get). Turn them over at around the 10-minute mark.
- Remove from oven and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Replace hazelnuts with walnuts, pecans, or even almonds if more convenient.
- For best results, weigh the flour and the cocoa powder.
- Use either natural or dutch process cocoa powder.
- For a more decadent biscotti, try dipping one end in melted chocolate. We would probably have to change the name to double chocolate biscotti or perhaps triple chocolate biscotti!
- Although these cookies are twice baked, feel free to omit the second baking time for a more tender cookie.
- Replace the bittersweet chocolate chunks with chocolate chips.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on November 30, 2014, and republished on January 25, 2019 with updated content, photos and a video. It was recently updated on January 24, 2021 with updated photos and clarification of recipe steps. Thanks for watching and sharing.
Sandra
Maria, I love all your biscotti recipes. I have made the chocolate ones without any nuts and they are just as good. after they are baked I have used white chocolate (melted) & I take a baby or cocktail fork & scrolled it over the whole loaf after they are cooled. Everyone says they are delicious. I give them along with the almond biscotti for Christmas.
Maria
Thanks so much Sandra! What a wonderful variation! I love it!