Cantucci / Cantuccini / Biscotti Recipe (Chocolate, Almond, and Lemon + variations)
This is my recipe for cantucci, also known as cantuccini (‘little cantucci’) or biscotti. (More language nerd stuff: One unit of them is a cantuccio or biscotto.)
The most time I’ve spent in Italy is in Tuscany (university in Prato and a sabbatical in Florence). Even in these two close cities, both of which are in Tuscany, this treat has different names.
There’s not much to baking cantucci — it’s a low-rise cake shaped in a special way, then sliced and re-baked. You can add in whatever mix-ins you like — below are the ones I like. (The “Persian” one is a crowd favourite, but that may be because I’m Persian…)
Name origin story: The name “cantuccio” seems to come from “cantellus” per this Italian site, a Latin word meaning a piece or slice of bread — typically savoury — that Roman soldiers used to eat.
“Biscotti”, similarly, has Latin roots – bis and coctus, meaning twice cooked. (The modern word for “cooked” in Italian is cotto.)
Ingredients
- 100g (¾ cup) whole almonds (don’t chop them up yet) (See below for other mix-ins)
- Zest of 1 lemon or one orange, cut to small ribbons then small pieces (See below for other mix-in variations)
- 150g (¾ cup) caster sugar
- 225g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs (from 700g carton)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract (or 1 teaspoon rosewater if using)
- 60g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 100g (¾ cup) chopped dark chocolate (See below for other mix-in variations)
- Optional: 1 egg + 1 teaspoon milk or even water (for egg wash)
Instructions
I’ve boldfaced the ingredients in the recipe for convenience.
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Do other stuff while it heats up, but then toast the almonds (whole) for 10 minutes when it’s at temperature, then allow them to cool.
- In a large bowl, rub the lemon or orange zest into the sugar (to release its flavour) for about a minute.
- Mix sifted dry ingredients: Add sifted flour, baking powder, and salt to the sugar mixture. Stir to combine.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs, cooled melted butter, and vanilla extract (or alternative).
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
- When they’ve cooled, chop up the almonds and the chocolate. Separate the chopped pieces from any fine powder that remains and discard the powder (or use it in granola or something).
- Mix in the almonds and chopped chocolate (you’ll probably have to use your hands). Your dough is complete!
Shaping the dough into cantucci / biscotti
Now, make the shape of the biscotti.
- Lightly flour a surface and your hands.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape them into logs about 30 cm (12 inches) long and press them down so they’re 5cm (2 inches) inches wide.
- Optional: Some recipes prefer an egg wash. I find this makes no difference. But if you like, beat well one egg and 1 teaspoon milk, and baste it over the top of the logs with a brush
- Sprinkle the logs with caster sugar (whether you used egg wash or not!)
- First bake: Place the logs on the prepared tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until firm and lightly golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Turn the oven off; when you want to bake the second time round, you’ll bake them at 135 C (270 F) degrees and it’s likely the oven will still be warmer than that.
- When they’ve cooled, put the logs onto a chopping block, and slice them into ~1.5cm inch thick slices. Lay them cut side up on the tray.
- Second bake: Turn the oven back on at 135 C (270 F). Bake for an additional 10 minutes, then turn them over, and bake them for 10 minutes again.
- Let them cool completely before serving.
You can vary the second bake temperature. A higher temp will lead to a crispier looking cookie. But beware; overbaking can lead to an unpleasant amount of crunch (it’s possible!)
Mix-in variations
Some of the below combinations make for interesting flavour variations.
- Lemon + macadamia: Zest of 1 lemon + 150g macadmia
- Persian: Orange + Pistachio: Zest of 2 oranges + 125g pistachio (pistachios are stronger!) Use 1 teaspoon of rose water instead of the vanilla essence.
Sources
Obviously I didn’t invent this recipe from scratch — so credit goes where credit is due!
Generally recipes for biscotti/cantucci tend to vary these ingredients:
- Butter or more eggs: Some recipes use more eggs and no butter. Some even add extra egg yolks. I’m more a fan of butter, as it leads to a softer crumb.
- Sugar ratio: I’ve seen sugar ratios from as low as 40% (as a proportion of weight of flour) all the way to 100%. Somewhere in between is best for a recipe that’s “not to sweet” – around 2/3.
- Raising ingredients: You don’t need to raise the dough much. I prefer just baking powder, and not baking soda.
- Mix-ins: From nut variations, to chocolates, to spices / aromatics. Vanilla is simple, but some prefer almond extract or even spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, or ginger.
- Egg wash: You don’t need it. I’ve never noticed it on the finished product, and it can lead to misleading “baked” indicators.
I like Emma Duckworth’s recipe as a foundation but prefer not to use almond extract. Her recipe is not too sweet — generally, I’ve preferred recipes that have about a 3:2 flour:sugar ratio (in terms of mass). Also, I opt not to use her egg wash.
I also consulted the Serious Eats recipe, but I prefer those that use butter and a bit less egg, and much less sugar. The recipe from Making Life Delicious has less sugar, but uses no butter, and does use baking soda. There are also some recipes like this one from SBS that use extra egg yolks rather than butter and which are oriented towards a thinner slice
Finally, there’s different guidance on different recipes about when to use floured hands and when to use wet hands to shape the log. Barely any of them matter. I use lightly floured hands so I can move the thing between my chopping block and the baking tray without it sticking to me.