Grandma’s Biscotti Recipe
Biscotti are classic twice-baked Italian cookies that are first shaped like a slab or flat log and baked, then sliced diagonally and baked again. My grandma’s recipe features vanilla butternut flavoring and chopped walnuts, but read below for tons of flavor and mix-in ideas, which are absolutely limitless! These are so easy to make and perfect for gifting, as well. Grab a cup of coffee, tea, or your favorite dessert wine and enjoy!
My grandma’s biscotti were treasured by everyone in our family. Growing up, I don’t think there was ever a time that I went to her house and her ceramic cookie jar wasn’t filled to the brim with biscotti. If you just so happened to reach in and grab the last one, not to worry… Grandma would tell you to “go over there on the steps and grab the big tin, there are more in there.”
Because, of course there were.
I’m not sure anyone ate a meal at my grandma’s house without, at some point, sitting down with one or two biscotti on a napkin alongside a cup of coffee.
I wish my grandma were still around and we could sit at her dining room table or mine and chat over a plate of biscotti and cups of coffee. One day.
What are biscotti and how do you make them?
Biscotti are a traditional Italian twice-baked cookie; baking them twice gives them a dry and crunchy consistency, which are perfect for dunking in a cup of coffee (or wine, as they do in Italy!). They were originally twice-baked so that they could be stored for long periods of time without spoiling.
What is considered to be the original Italian recipe includes no fat at all – just flour, eggs, sugar, pine nuts, and almonds. The dough is shaped into slabs and baked, then sliced diagonally and baked again.
However, more modernized recipes (including my grandma’s below) do sometimes include a form of fat, extracts or liquor, baking powder, and at times spices.
Flavor and mix-in variations
One of the unique things that my grandma did with her biscotti was to use butternut flavoring as opposed to the traditional anise. I personally love anise, but my extended family is split at best on it, and I think more people than not dislike it. Since she always aimed to please, my grandma stopped using anise and adopted the vanilla butternut flavoring, which became her signature biscotti flavor.
My grandma would buy the imitation vanilla butter & nut flavoring from the small grocery store in her town, which has since been rebranded as cake batter flavor, but supposedly the formulation is totally the same. You can also use vanilla butternut flavor, but this stuff is concentrated, so follow the directions on the bottle for cutting down how much you use!
Other Extracts/Flavors
The types of flavors you can use are absolutely limitless; here are some ideas:
- Extracts such as vanilla, lemon, orange, rum, almond, anise, etc.
- Lemon or orange zest
- Espresso powder
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
Nuts and Mix-Ins
Feel free to omit the walnuts or use different add-ins:
- Other nuts (pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, cashews)
- Chocolate chips (regular or mini) – dark chocolate, semisweet, milk, white chocolate
- Butterscotch chips
- Toffee bits
- Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots, dates, figs, etc.)
Fun Serving Ideas
If you are gifting biscotti or just want to dress them up for serving, here are a few ideas:
- Drizzle with melted chocolate (regular or white, or both!)
- Dip one end (or the bottom) in chocolate
- After dipping in chocolate, add sprinkles or finely chopped nuts
Tips for gifting
Since biscotti have such a long shelf life, they are a wonderful candidate for gifting and even shipping!
You can give some away in a pretty tin… package them in a resealable plastic bag amid packing material, and ship them off to a loved one… or put some in a clear treat bag and tie with a festive ribbon.
Storage and freezing
Since biscotti are twice-baked, they are crisp by nature and last for a long, long time; my grandma always stored her biscotti in tins at room temperature.
- Storage: Biscotti can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.
- Freezing: Biscotti can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container and thawed at room temperature
More favorite Italian desserts
- Chocolate Chip Biscotti
- Zeppole (Italian Doughnuts)
- Italian Walnut Pillow Cookies
- Italian Sesame Seed Cookies (Giuggiulena)
- Pizzelle
- Italian Hot Chocolate (Cioccolata Calda)
If you make this recipe and love it, I would so appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you so much! ❤️️
Grandma’s Biscotti Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (218 ml) vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (61 ml) milk
- 1 tablespoon butternut flavoring
- 8 cups (1 kg) all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups (234 g) chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add the oil, milk, and butternut flavoring, and mix for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until completely combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour and baking powder, mixing only until just combined. Give the mixture a final stir with a rubber spatula, and fold in the walnuts (if using).
- Divide the dough into four equal pieces and shape each into a log about 10 inches long by 4 inches wide. Place two on each sheet and bake for 24 to 27 minutes, or until firm to the touch and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and place the pans on cooling racks for 10 to 15 minutes, or until you can handle the biscotti easily.
- Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
- Using a sharp knife, slice each log on the diagonal into ½-inch slices. Arrange the slices cut side-up on the baking sheets and return to the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown (or done to your liking), flipping them halfway through. Allow the biscotti to cool on the baking sheets, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
[Photography by Ari of Well Seasoned]
I love reading about cherished family recipes. Your biscotti look wonderful!
What a lovely story…I’m glad you were able to recreate your grandmother’s signature recipe and share it with us!
This looks like a great recipe, Michelle. I’ve made biscotti a couple of times and wasn’t “wowed” so am definitely going to give it a try. Thanks so much to you and your mom for figuring it out! And BTW, the vanilla butternut flavor from KAF is SO totally worth it. I discovered it about a year ago and sub a teeny bit of it for the vanilla in many of the sweet baked goods I make. It is an amazing addition!
This is a lovely post. I bet your grandma is smiling down!
I love anise also but no one in my family does. The butternut flavoring is great too. I make a cake in a flute pan with cherries, nuts and butternut flavoring and it bakes for hours. I’m definitely going to try these. They sound delicious.
Happy New Year from Pittsburgh! Thanks for your thoughtfulness in sharing your grandmothers recipe. I will be honored to make it. I’ve never heard of butternut flavoring so I’m looking forward to trying it as well as other flavors.
haaven’t seen butternut flavoring in years. My mother used to make a cake with it. Will have to go scouring the stores. We love biscotti and for some reason I haven’t made it in quite a while. Will have to get back to it. Hubby loves my pistachio and dried cranberry ones.
I’ve never heard of butternut flavoring but I’m certainly going to be on the look out for it now. I miss my Grammie too – making pizzelles always makes me think of her. Grandparents are so awesome – terrible when they aren’t around any more!!
Thank you. You can’t beat having someone’s Grandma’s recipe and these look delicious. I have other biscotti recipes and wondered what was up with the anise in all of them. I don’t like anise as well as a lot of herbs and spices. Glad to know it’s okay to use something else. I always wondered what butternuts taste like too.
What a beautiful and heartfelt post. I love biscotti. My Italian grandma never made them, but there were always store-bought ones in the house that I’d eat with my grandpa. I will definitely need to make these soon!
Biscotti has been on my must make list for years and I have never gotten around to it. I need to remedy that soon!
I adore biscotti, mainly because I am big black coffee drinker. Thank you for sharing such personal recipes; they are always the best ones in my eyes.
This recipe sounds so simple and those biscotti look delightful. Thank you for sharing a little piece of your grandma with us. Beautiful!
I’ve never made biscotti, but they seem like the perfect afternoon snack – kind of like afternoon tea, but with biscotti and coffee instead of tea and scones. Looks really good!
I can’t wait to try this! Thank you for sharing!
Grandmas know best! Love your comment about there being more in another tin–that’s how my gma rolled with her cookies too!
I’ve never tackled biscotti but this looks like I can handle them. I love seeing your grandmother’s recipes. Always makes me think of my mother.
Seeing your comment about the anise made me think of my father. Whenever we made anything with anise, we couldn’t add enough oil, extract or seeds to get it to his point of liking. I’m glad that we can try these without :)
Yay! I have been waiting for this one! I have been wanting to make biscotti and every time I would read a post about your grandmother’s I would wonder when you were going to post it. So excited!!
I love making and gifting biscotti. I have a go to recipe that uses 1/4 cup of butter that is cut into the flour/sugar mixture…no mixer needed. I have found it makes for a very different/rustic texture that people seem to love. I have fun with different flavors and combinations of add-ins…toasted pecans and mini chocolate chips seems to be everyone’s favorite. I have tried recipes that have no fat at all but have never tried a recipe with vegatable oil. I am interested to try this one but I think I will have to cut the recipe in half. I could easily overdose on biscotti if i have them in the house! Thanks for sharing this special recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing your Grandmother’s treasured recipe. I am going to give it a try.
I don’t know why, but I’ve never even been tempted to make biscotti, but your story and these photos are wonderful. I think I might give it go!
Could I sub almond extract & almonds?
Sure!
If I use an extract (anise) instead of a flavoring would I still use a tablespoon?
Thanks so much! I’m going to make a batch right now so it will be ready for my afternoon coffee.
I did make these earlier (w anise) and they are yummy! Enjoyed some with coffee during a webinar training this afternoon. I halved the recipe and still have plenty to gift to some friends I’ll be seeing this evening. Thank again!
Hi Patti, If you use anise EXTRACT, yes use 1 tablespoon. However, if you use anise OIL, then I would recommend much less, maybe only ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon, depending on how strong you want the anise flavor.
I just made my first biscotti and were surprised at how easy they were! These look like my next batch! Love the butternut flavour addition. My morning coffee is going to love these. But, probably not as much as my belly will!
I love the story about your grandmother. Both of my grandmothers are gone. But, I still have my mom and I am hoarding her family recipes. Those are some of my favorite memories, baking with her when I was growing up. Thanks for the stories. I always enjoy getting your emails!
What a lovely story about your beloved grandmother! Thanks for sharing it and the recipe. I always enjoy your blog! :)
Oh I just love biscotti and your grandmas recipe sounds amazing! I love family recipes, they always taste the best! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
I made Biscotti for the first time last week and now I’m hooked (hubby more so!) Just added your Grandma’s recipe to my growing stash of Biscotti recipes; plan on making her’s today. Thanks so much for the touching tribute to your Grandma and for sharing her recipe.
What can I use instead of the vanilla butter nut flavouring? We don’t get it or even something similar here in South Africa and I don’t even have an idea what it is. Would love to try this recipe.
you can use plain vanilla flavoring
I too am not familiar with the Butternut flavouring. With a wind chill of -39°C in Toronto today, it is too cold to go out and hunt it down. I am going to try ⅓ Vanilla ⅓ Almond ⅓ Butter extracts, a teaspoon of each.
Hi Harry, You could simply use vanilla extract.
Thanks for sharing your grandma’s recipe and the stories. My vote would be for vanilla butternut flavoring over anise :) Beautiful job on this!
This is wonderful and I can so relate. My grandmother passed in June and we’ve been going through her recipes. I’ve now become the baker of the family, a role I took on over the last few years as my grandma wasn’t able do as much. I have yet to tackle her biscotti or wandies. Seeing you tackle this has inspired me to try her recipe :-)
PS. Aren’t Italian grandmas the BEST :-)