Anisette Biscotti
Biscotti is nothing new on this site (I am an Italian girl, after all!), but there is something special about this version – it’s a wonderful family recipe. I don’t remember when I first had these, but my mom said that on a trip to visit family in Chicago with my grandma, they showed up and her cousin put out these biscotti with coffee. My mom and grandma immediately fell in love with them and asked for the recipe. That was eons ago and it has been in my grandma’s stash ever since. My mom came across it a little while ago and has been asking me to make them; thankfully, I finally did. They are fabulous!
Many types of biscotti are made with either anise oil or anise extract for the traditional Italian flavor, but these put a little spin on that. These include anisette liquor instead of the extracts or oils. It imparts a more mellow flavor, which is great for those that can be a little put off by how strong anise is.
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I wasn’t very old when my grandfather passed away – only 5 years old – but through vague memories and photos, I always remember him putting anisette in his coffee. I love the smell and it always reminds me of sitting at my grandma’s dining room table. Since biscotti are often dunked into a cup of coffee (my favorite way to enjoy them!), having the anisette in the biscotti makes these pretty much the most perfect version I can think of.
More Biscotti Variations
Anise-Almond Biscotti
Chocolate Biscotti
Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti
Cranberry-White Chocolate Almond Biscotti
Fig and Walnut Biscotti
Parmesan Black Pepper Biscotti
Plain Biscotti
Four years ago: Homemade Soft Pretzels
Anisette Biscotti
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ½ cup (109 ml) vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, warm or at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons anisette liquor
- ⅔ cup (66 g) whole pecans
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
- 2. In a mixing bowl on medium speed, cream together the vegetable oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the anisette liquor and mix to combine. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Add the pecans and mix briefly to combine.
- 3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly to make sure the nuts are incorporated.
- 4. Divide the dough into two pieces and form each into a log approximately 12 inches by 3 inches. Place both on the baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.
- 5. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Slice the logs on the diagonal, about ½ to ¾-inch in width. Place the biscotti back on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 20 minutes, turned them once halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before storing.
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Fantastic recipe. Love it. Congrats on the Top 9.
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Always a favorite… and for good reason!
I love biscotti but I have never got down to making them myself! You make it sound so simple that I will give it a try this wet weekend …. dipped in tea, they sound just wonderful.
I love dunking biscotti in my coffee and your recipe looks great. COngrats on top 9!
These sound and look amazing! My husband would love to have these to dip in his coffee on a Sunday morning! Congrats on the Top 9 today!!
Isn’t it wonderful how a particular recipe an evoke such wonderful memories? Thanks for sharing!
What a wonderful flavor – I’m sure your grandfather would approve!
This sounds lovely! I’d love to dunk one of these into a hot cup of coffee!
I bet these smell really good!!
Yum – I love the flavor of anise. These look great!
I love making biscotti and I love this recipe! Wonderful flavors, and I bet absolutely delicious with a cup of tea or coffee. Thanks for reminding me of one of my favorite cookies to bake.
Yum! I absolutely love anise. It isn’t Chrismastime without some anisette pitzelles.
I’m first going to eat up your photos and then your biscotti. :)
Your biscotti look so gorgeous! Whenever I try to make them they never come out right. After my first bake, I go to slice and they just crumble everywhere. Wish I could get mine to look like these yummies :)
Beautiful….I am big biscotti fan…love the photos.
Recently I made my version of biscotti, thanks for looking:)
http://mywanderingspoon.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/cappuccino-biscotti-with-almonds-and-chocolate-midweek-breakfast-that-we-all-need/
What a lovely story! I like anise, so am pretty sure I would LOVE these.
Nice! I imagine wrapped up, it would make a great gift!
We made an anise biscotti using anise seeds recently — it was divine, especially with tea. This looks good too, although with our allergies we’d leave the nuts out. Thanks for sharing; I thought I was the only one who enjoyed anise biscotti!
Love this family recipe….we have a similar recipe, but we use almonds instead. So good with a hot and strong cup of coffee.
Loving this recipe, looks great :)
Thanks for sharing! They look amazing!
Family recipes are the best!
Love biscotti – we have a lovely bakery near us that make delicious biscotti, but I think I’ll have to try my hand at making these!
LOVE family recipes! This one sounds awesome.
Biscotti is such a yummy treat. I always used to think that it was really hard to make, but this sounds easy! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for this! Though I’ve always known my husband loves “anise toast” as it is called in some Italian bakeries around here, I’ve never made them for him, even though I make biscotti often. And his birthday is coming up! So along with cannoli cake, these will be a sweet gift.
This biscotti looks awesome! I love the anisette too!
I will try them with sambuca, now that bottle in the cupboard has a meaning!
yum! i love irish coffee and i think i know what to do with biscotti from now on! (:
Michelle, these look yummy and the pecans are certainly a different twist! I like to use Sambuca in my biscotti for that slight anisette flavor. Thanks for sharing an old family recipe – those are the best!
I first had these, but my mom said that on a trip to visit family in Chicago with my grandma, they showed up and her cousin put out these biscotti with coffee. My mom and grandma immediately fell in love with them and asked for the recipe. That was eons ago and it has been in my grandma’s stash ever since. My mom came across it a little while ago and has been asking me to make them; thankfully, I finally did. They are fabulous!