Best Italian Cookie Recipes

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Ranked #234 in Food, #3,286 overall

Biscotti, amaretti, and pizzelle

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Italian Biscotti Recipes 

Many flavor options


This traditional-style biscotti recipe contains egg to bind the ingredients, but doesn't have any butter or oil in it.

1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs

Basic almond-vanilla flavor:
3/4 cup slivered almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, gently beat the eggs and extracts together. Gradually add the egg mixture and fold in gently. Add the nuts part way through. A sticky dough will form.

Flour your hands and divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, form each dough blob into a flattish loaf. Place the loaves on the baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes until firm.

Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and allow to cool until easy to handle.

Using a serrated knife (eg a bread knife), slice the loaves into 1/2" thick slices. For longer biscotti, slice on the diagonal. For shorter ones, slice straight across.

Place the cooling rack on a baking sheet and arrange the biscotti slices on it. Bake for another 10 minutes until firm on all sides. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

These cookies are best in the first few days, but will keep up to 30 days in an airtight container. They are great to eat dipped in coffee, milk or wine to soften them.

Flavor variations:
Any of the biscotti suggested below can be dipped in melted chocolate for an extra-decadent treat.

Maraschino cherry and chopped pistachios
Lemon zest
Orange zest and chopped almonds
Chocolate (when adding cocoa, reduce the amount of flour and add extra egg)
Chocolate walnut
Chocolate hazelnut
Chocolate pecan
Vanilla
Ginger, cinnamon and almond
Anise seed
Gingerbread
Chocolate Chip
Cranberry Pistachio
Lemon walnut
Date and saffron
Poppy seed and lemon

Italian baking and dessert recipe books 

Biscotti by Lou Seibert

Biscotti by Lou Seibert

Biscotti, the delicate, flavorful Italian cookie t more...1 point

The Best 50 Biscotti Recipes (Best 50) by Barbara Karoff

The Best 50 Biscotti Recipes (Best 50) by Barbara Karoff

These twice-baked favorites are surprisingly easy more...0 points

Celebrations, Italian Style: Recipes and Menus for Special Occasions and Seasons of the Year by Mary Ann Esposito

Celebrations, Italian Style: Recipes and Menus for Special Occasions and Seasons of the Year by Mary Ann Esposito

Celebrate Italian style with Mary Ann Esposito's n more...0 points

The Il Fornaio Baking Book: Sweet and Savory Recipes from the Italian Kitchen by Franco Galli

The Il Fornaio Baking Book: Sweet and Savory Recipes from the Italian Kitchen by Franco Galli

Now available in paperback, the acclaimed Il Forna more...0 points

Festa: Recipes and Recollections of Italian Holidays by Helen Barolini

Festa: Recipes and Recollections of Italian Holidays by Helen Barolini

Born of Italian-American parents, Helen Barolini r more...0 points

Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma

Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma

Scrumptious, easy-to-make Italian desserts from th more...0 points

Italian Baking Secrets by Giuseppe Orsini

Italian Baking Secrets by Giuseppe Orsini

Italian Baking Secrets is Father Orsini's sixth co more...0 points

Sweet Maria's Italian Desserts: Classic and Casual Recipes for Cookies, Cakes, Pastry, and Other Favorites by Maria Bruscino Sanchez

Sweet Maria's Italian Desserts: Classic and Casual Recipes for Cookies, Cakes, Pastry, and Other Favorites by Maria Bruscino Sanchez

Sweet Maria's Italian Desserts is baker Maria Brus more...0 points

Making Your Own Biscotti and Dunking Delights by Dona Z. Meilach

Making Your Own Biscotti and Dunking Delights by Dona Z. Meilach

Thanks to biscotti, dunking has become socially ac more...0 points

Amaretti 

Amaretti are the Italian name for the cookies known in the UK and US as macaroons. Home-made macaroons or amaretti have little in common with the store-bought ones, though.

1 egg white
50g ground almonds
100g fine-ground sugar (caster sugar, berry sugar, or grind up regular granulated sugar in the food processor)
2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) almond essence
extra egg white to glaze
whole or halved almonds, or granulated sugar, to decorate if desired

Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment or rice paper. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Whisk the egg white until stiff and fold in the ground almonds, sugar and almond essence. Place spoonfuls of the mixture on the baking sheets, leaving plenty of room for spreading. Brush with egg white, and each biscuit with an almond if desired, or sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until just beginning to color. Cool on a wire rack.

1 tsp cocoa powder can be added for mild chocolate flavor if desired.

Cookie baking equipment 

Oxo Good Grips Pastry Scraper

Oxo Good Grips Pastry Scraper

Designed to scrape and split bread dough as you wo more...0 points

Simply Calphalon Nonstick 6-Piece Bakeware Set

Simply Calphalon Nonstick 6-Piece Bakeware Set

Made of heavy-gauge metal that stands up to years more...0 points

Matfer Exopat 11-5/8-by-16-3/8-Inch Nonstick Baking Sheet

Matfer Exopat 11-5/8-by-16-3/8-Inch Nonstick Baking Sheet

If you love to bake but are disheartened by cookie more...0 points

SilverStone Simply Baking Cookie Pan Set

SilverStone Simply Baking Cookie Pan Set

Our 10x15-in. cookie pans are designed to fit into more...0 points

Cuisinart 4 Piece Measuring Cup Set with Leveler, Red

Cuisinart 4 Piece Measuring Cup Set with Leveler, Red

For baking or recipes that require more exact quan more...0 points

Chicago Metallic Commercial Cookie/Jelly Roll Pans, Set of 2

Chicago Metallic Commercial Cookie/Jelly Roll Pans, Set of 2

Chicago Metallic's Commercial bakeware line is man more...0 points

KitchenAid? Attachments

KitchenAid? Attachments

KitchenAid Attachments are an easy and affordable more...0 points

Pizzelle 

Pizzelle are like small, crisp waffles. They can be flavored in various ways, dusted with icing sugar, or rolled up into cones while still warm and filled. They require a special pizzelle iron to cook them.

3 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup butter (1/4 lb), melted and cooled
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar

Flavoring:
1/2 tsp anise extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat the eggs and sugar together. Add the butter and extracts. Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg mixture, beating will. The batter should be thick enough to drop from a spoon. Drop a spoonful of batter (tsp to tbsp, depending on the size of your iron) onto each section of the pizzelle iron and cook for 30-40 seconds, until golden.

Flavor options:
Orange and lemon zest
whiskey or rum flavored extract or liquor

Fillings for rolled pizzelle:
fruit and whipped cream
ice cream
chocolate pudding
fruit preserve and nuts

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Italian cookies on the web 

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My Italian Grandmother: Anise Cookies
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