Biscotti: that shelf-stable, famously crunchy coffeehouse treat. Often perched near the register, I’ve long wondered who actually wants that hard, dry cookie with their coffee.
Then my company asked me to bring snacks for a popup café in our lobby.
A snack for the whole company. About 280 people. What was I thinking?
I often underestimate scale. I tell myself, “I love cooking and entertaining; I can whip up a few extra cookies or appetizers no problem.” But “a few extra” suddenly becomes hundreds—far beyond a typical recipe’s yield.
With limited counter space in my tiny corner kitchen, I searched for something that could be made in batches without complicated steps like long refrigeration or fiddly shaping. I considered muffins, cookies and quick breads, and reviewed my blog archives for inspiration. Finally I made an unusual choice for myself: biscotti. I rarely reach for biscotti personally, but the recipes I found produced a lot of cookies, were easy to scale, and required minimal hands-on fuss. Plus, my coworkers will eat leftover pizza left unrefrigerated overnight, so biscotti would be perfectly safe.
On the first attempt, the dough felt too sticky and hard to shape into the long flat logs needed for slicing. It stuck to my fingers and my pan. I feared the worst as the oven transformed the logs into an oddly shaped oblong. I texted a friend: “I have major concerns.” I planned to discard that batch and try again, but when the oven timer rang the kitchen filled with a warm, toasty almond aroma. Curious, I used a pizza cutter to slice the hot loaf into more than 40 biscotti. A stray scrap fell to the floor and I took a bite—surprised to find it delicious.
These biscotti are like a petite cake: slightly tender and crumbly inside with a mildly sweet flavor, similar to a restrained sugar cookie. After the second bake, they gained a crisp exterior while keeping a soft interior—just right for dipping in coffee without risking a tooth.
Who knew biscotti could be this enjoyable?
📖 Recipe
Almond Biscotti
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Ingredients
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil do NOT substitute butter
- 1 cup White Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Almond Extract
- 3 ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- ¾ cup Sliced Almonds
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs and almond extract until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and about half of the sliced almonds.
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Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. The dough will be heavy and sticky—resist adding more flour.
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Divide the dough into two portions. Place each portion onto the prepared parchment. Fold the parchment over the dough to protect your hands and press it into a log about ½” thick. If your pan is long enough, one long log is fine. Sprinkle the remaining sliced almonds on top.
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Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and slice the logs with a pizza cutter into pieces about ½–¾” thick.
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Arrange the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and return to the oven for about 5 more minutes to crisp the edges. Let cool before serving.