These dark chocolate peppermint biscotti are dipped in white chocolate and topped with crushed candy canes for a fun, holiday breakfast cookie! Pair with your favorite latte for a Christmas morning treat for the whole family!
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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!
You might also like this gingerbread biscotti or this chocolate hazelnut biscotti!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make this Christmasy chocolate peppermint biscotti!
Cocoa powder - My absolute favorite cocoa powder to use in my baking is the King Arthur Flour Triple Cocoa Blend! It's a blend of natural, Dutch, and black cocoa and is perfect for any baking. But you can easily substitute unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa instead!
Mini chocolate chips - I like using mini chocolate chips instead of full size because they incorporate into the biscotti better. My favorite are the Ghirardelli semi-sweet mini chips, but you can use whatever brand you prefer!
Peppermint extract - You can find peppermint extract next to the vanilla at the grocery store or online! Just note that peppermint extract is very strong, so you only need a little bit for great peppermint flavor!
White chocolate - You can use white chocolate baking bars or white chocolate chips to melt to dip the biscotti in.
Candy canes - You can use crushed candy canes or crushed peppermints for the topping!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Chocolate 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 butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
Add in the eggs and peppermint extract and beat until just combined.
Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and mix until fully incorporated.
Then gently fold in the chocolate chips. The dough should be sticky.
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 chocolate 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.
Dip the chocolate biscotti in the melted white chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
Let the chocolate fully harden before storing.
Serve the chocolate peppermint biscotti with your favorite latte (like this white chocolate mocha)!
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 chocolate peppermint biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Yes! I recommend freezing the chocolate peppermint biscotti after the first bake. After the biscotti are sliced, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To finish baking, let thaw and then bake for about 25 minutes as normal. Then finish by dunking in the white chocolate!
You can eat this chocolate biscotti like a regular cookie, but since biscotti is so crunchy, it's typically dipped into coffee, milk, or tea before eating.
Biscotti is crunchy 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 chocolate peppermint biscotti perfect for dunking in coffee and gives it a long shelf life!
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.
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Recipe Card
Chocolate Peppermint Biscotti
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Biscotti
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
Garnish
- 4 ounces white chocolate, melted
- crushed peppermint
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 butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add in the eggs and peppermint extract and beat until just combined.
- Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and mix until fully incorporated.
- Then gently fold in the chocolate chips. The dough should be sticky.
- 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 chocolate 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.
- Dip the chocolate biscotti in the melted white chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
- Let the chocolate fully harden before storing.
- Serve the chocolate peppermint biscotti with your favorite latte (like this white chocolate mocha)!
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.
Anonymous says
I had tried a different recipe a few days before and it was not good at all. These taste significantly better and the texture is much better, but there is no way this makes 36. I barely got 20. I wish I would’ve known because I would’ve doubled the recipe.