These crunchy lemon biscotti are full of toasted almonds and lemon zest, then topped with a bright, lemony glaze! They're the perfect springtime treat to enjoy with tea!
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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 brown butter pecan biscotti!
Ingredient Notes
You only need a few simple ingredients for this lemon almond biscotti!
Almond Flour - I love substituting a portion of the regular flour for almond flour in all my baked goods for an extra nutty flavor! It's totally optional, but if you keep almond flour on hand it's a must.
Almond Extract - I love using almond extract for a little extra almond flavor, but you can substitute vanilla if you prefer!
Lemon Extract - When you're baking, you never want to add to much acid because it can effect how your baked goods rise. This poses a problem with lemon desserts. The best way to get all the lemon flavor with none of the acidity is lemon extract! I prefer the paste, but you can also get it in a liquid form. You should be able to find it in the baking aisle at your local grocery store!
Lemon Juice & Zest - I highly recommend using fresh lemons for the best flavor! But you can always substitute with a little bottled lemon juice if necessary.
Toasted Slivered Almonds - Lemon and almond is a match made in heaven! But you can just leave out the almonds if you prefer.
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 room temperature butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs, almond extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest and beat until just combined.
Add in the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until fully incorporated.
Then stir in the slivered almonds. 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 biscotti slices to the baking sheet, standing them up with about 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.
Once cool, drizzle the lemon biscotti with the lemon glaze.
Then sprinkle with lemon zest and allow the glaze to harden.
Recipe Notes
Because of the tangy lemon glaze, I don't recommend dipping these lemon biscotti in coffee. But they're delicious with a glass of milk or herbal tea!
You could also drizzle these lemon biscotti with white chocolate instead!
Recipe FAQ's
Store plain biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Store the biscotti with lemon drizzle for up to a week.
Yes! I recommend freezing the 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.
You can eat biscotti like a regular cookie! But since biscotti is so crunchy, it's typically dipped in coffee, milk, or 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 it perfect for dunking 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
Lemon 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
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup almond flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup toasted slivered almonds, optional
Lemon Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- lemon zest
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 room temperature butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs, almond extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest and beat until just combined.
- Add in the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until fully incorporated.
- Then stir in the slivered almonds. 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 biscotti slices to the baking sheet, standing them up with about 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.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make the glaze.
- Once cool, drizzle the lemon biscotti with the lemon glaze.
- Then sprinkle with lemon zest and allow the glaze to harden.
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.
Vicci says
Very good biscotti recipe, shared it with neighbors and they were impressed!
A question, how do you evenly sprinkle the lemon zest on the biscotti? I actually spread it on a piece of waxed paper for a couple of hours to dry it out a bit and it still "clumped" as I was applying it.
Kyleigh Sage says
Unfortunately zest will always clump up a little. When I'm doing it for photos I actually use tweezers to place it where I want (but that's obviously unnecessary haha). The best solution is probably trying to zest directly on top so that it just falls evenly onto the surface.
Becky says
Loved this recipe. Followed to a T, except omitted the glaze and dipped the bottoms in white chocolate. Delicious!