These brown butter anise biscotti are an easy, delicious breakfast treat! They're very lightly spiced and not too sweet which makes them perfect for dunking in tea or coffee.
Jump to:
What is Biscotti?
Biscotti is a long cookie that is twice-baked to make them super crisp and crunchy!
Biscotti is also the all-encompassing term for "cookies" or "biscuits" in Italian. The more specific name for this style of cookie is cantucci or cantuccini, but outside of Italy they are commonly just called biscotti.
They might seem a little complicated but they're actually super easy to make! We simply shape the dough into logs and bake it. Then let the logs cool slightly, slice them, and then bake the slices a second time! Super easy!
The crispy biscotti is perfect for dipping in tea or coffee!
You might also like this butter pecan biscotti or this pumpkin biscotti!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make this classic anise biscotti!
Brown Butter - My favorite ingredient of all time is brown butter!! Brown butter is just unsalted butter that has been melted and gently cooked to bring out a toasty, nutty flavor. Best of all, brown butter pairs beautifully with the anise. If you've never made brown butter before, you can check out this post with all my tips for how to make brown butter!
Anise Extract - Anise extract is a popular flavor in Italian cakes and cookies and it's one of the most traditional flavors of biscotti! You can find anise extract in the baking aisle at most grocery stores. But you can also substitute 2 teaspoons of ground anise seed or 1 tablespoon of anise-flavored liqueur (like anisette or sambuca).
If desired, you could also add in ½ cup of toasted slivered almonds!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Biscotti
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat together the brown butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
Add in the eggs, vanilla, and anise extract and beat until just combined.
Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until fully incorporated.
Scoop half the dough onto one side of baking sheet and pat it into a 10 inch x 2 inch rectangle that’s about 1 inch thick (lightly wetting your hands helps a lot with this step). Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Place the baking sheet with the shaped biscotti logs in the fridge and chill for about 20 minutes (this helps them not spread too much).
While the biscotti logs are chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top and edges are set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 25 to 30 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board and use a spray bottle filled with room-temperature water to very lightly spritz them (just one spray on each section of the logs). Wait about 5 minutes before using a very sharp serrated knife to slice biscotti ½ inch wide.
Return the anise biscotti slices to the baking sheet, standing them up with ½ inch in between them, so air can circulate around them. Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until dry and golden.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
If desired, lightly dust the anise biscotti with powdered sugar!
Serve the anise biscotti with your favorite tea or a cappuccino!
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Recipe FAQ's
Store the anise biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
You can eat this anise biscotti like a regular cookie, but since biscotti is so crunchy, it's typically dipped into coffee, tea, milk, or even wine before eating.
Biscotti is hard and dry because it is baked twice! First as a loaf and then again after being sliced. This hard, dry texture is what makes this brown butter anise biscotti perfect for dunking in coffee and gives it a long shelf life!
Anise is sweet, fragrant, and has a subtle licorice like flavor.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Recipes You Might Like!
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers.
Also be sure to add us as a trusted site on Google so that our recipes show up more in your searches!
For more delicious, scratch-made recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on social media!
Recipe Card
Anise Biscotti
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted brown butter, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons anise extract, substitute 2 teaspoons ground anise seed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, optional
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat together the brown butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla, and anise extract and beat until just combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until fully incorporated.
- Scoop half the dough onto one side of baking sheet and pat it into a 10 inch x 2 inch rectangle that’s about 1 inch thick (lightly wetting your hands helps a lot with this step). Repeat with the other half of the dough.
- Place the baking sheet with the shaped biscotti logs in the fridge and chill for about 20 minutes (this helps them not spread too much).
- While the biscotti logs are chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top and edges are set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board and use a spray bottle filled with room-temperature water to very lightly spritz them (just one spray on each section of the logs). Wait about 5 minutes before using a very sharp serrated knife to slice biscotti ½ inch wide.
- Return the anise biscotti slices to the baking sheet, standing them up with ½ inch in between them, so air can circulate around them. Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until dry and golden.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- If desired, lightly dust the anise biscotti with powdered sugar! Serve with your favorite tea or a cappuccino!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Abi says
Thank you for this delicious anise biscotti recipe! So much better than the commercial 'cakey' biscotti in America. My husband is Italian from Milan and he says these are the best biscotti he's ever had. I have also tried the hazelnut and chocolate version on a few occasions and they are also delicious and a crowd pleaser.