High altitude butter pecan biscotti made with brown butter, brown sugar, and lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. These classic Italian cookies are perfect for dunking in coffee, hot chocolate or milk!
You might also love these high altitude recipes for dark chocolate biscotti and the best almond biscotti.
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What are Biscotti?
Biscotti, also known as cantucci, are Italian almond biscuits or cookies originating from Tuscany. First they are baked in a loaf or slab, then sliced and baked again. Since they are twice baked, their texture becomes hard and crunchy, making them ideal for dunking into hot (or cold) drinks. Tea, coffee, or even cold milk are all great with biscotti. Almond is the traditional flavor for biscotti, but there are unlimited flavor variations you can try.
The word biscotti, meaning “twice-baked” is plural, referring to more than one cookie, while the singular term for one cookie is biscotto. However, biscotti is typically the only word used when referring to these cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to Make. Making biscotti is a simple baking project that anyone can master, even if you’re a beginner baker. It doesn’t require any special equipment or skills to make a delicious pan of these crunchy cookies.
Perfect for Holidays. Since biscotti has such a long shelf life and freezes so well, I always make biscotti for the holidays. It keeps well in the freezer until Thanksgiving and Christmas, and is a wonderful treat to have on hand for guests to enjoy with their morning coffee.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Butter. Use unsalted butter, so you can control the saltiness of the biscotti. Browning the butter first adds a richer, deeper, nuttier flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour. Adds structure to the cookie.
- Dark Brown Sugar. Sweetness, and a subtle molasses flavor. You can also use light brown sugar if preferred.
- Baking Powder. Leavens the cookies, making them puff up a bit.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances flavors.
- Cinnamon + Nutmeg. The spices should be subtle – enough to complement the flavors of brown butter and pecans, without overwhelming them.
- Pecans. Crunch and texture.
- Eggs + Egg White. The eggs bind the dough together. I also brush the top of the dough with egg white before baking, which gives the chopped pecans on top something to stick to.
- Vanilla Extract. Use a good-quality vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Instructions
Brown the Butter.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the butter is fragrant and nutty golden brown solids have formed on the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat.
Make the Biscotti Dough.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices and 1 cup chopped pecans.
- Stir the hot browned butter, scraping all the browned bits off the bottom of the saucepan, too, into the flour mixture. Add the eggs and vanilla, and stir the dough until combined. It will be fairly soft and sticky.
- Cover and chill the dough for 2 hours.
The following process photos are from my ginger walnut biscotti, but the method is the same for today’s butter pecan biscotti.
Bake the Biscotti – 1st Bake.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the chilled dough into 3 equal portions, about 10 ounces each. Dust the dough with a little flour to keep it from sticking, and shape each portion of dough into a slab (using your hands or a small rolling pin to press it out onto the baking sheet) measuring about 8 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick. Space the slabs of dough 4 inches apart on the baking sheet – they will spread somewhat while baking.
- Brush the top of the dough with the egg white, then sprinkle with the 1/4 cup chopped pecans, pressing the pecans lightly into the dough. For a little extra sweetness, you can also sprinkle the top of the dough with a few tablespoons of granulated sugar, but this is optional.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are starting to brown, and the biscotti has spread out and puffed up a bit. If you gently press on the center of one, it should feel baked through, not raw or doughy.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F.
Cut and Bake the Biscotti – 2nd Bake.
- Use a large spatula or cake lifter to carefully lift the slabs of biscotti onto a cutting board. Use a sharp non-serrated knife (I find that a chef’s knife works best) to slice the slabs into individual biscotti about 3/4 inch thick. Place the biscotti back on the baking sheet, turned on their side with the cut side facing up.
- Bake the biscotti for 10 minutes. Turn the biscotti over, so the other cut side is facing up, and bake for 10 more minutes. Cool completely.
Recipe Variations
Drizzle with White Chocolate
When I developed this recipe years ago, I drizzled the baked biscotti with melted white chocolate chips, then sprinkled them with more chopped pecans and a little flaky finishing salt. Since the biscotti aren’t super sweet, the white chocolate adds a sweeter finish for those who have more of a sweet tooth.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Because biscotti are dry and crunchy, they can be stored for several weeks or more, in an airtight container. That is, if they last that long. They can also be baked in advance and frozen for 3-6 months.
After the second bake, if your biscotti aren’t crisp after cooling completely, then they may be slightly under-baked. You can return them to the oven for a few minutes to finish drying out.
If you cut the biscotti while it’s too hot, it can crumble when you cut it. If it cools for too long, it can become hard and break when you cut it. Be sure to cool the biscotti after the first bake for the time stated in the recipe, no more and no less.
Yes, after the second bake, as your biscotti cools off, they will finish hardening and drying out.
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High Altitude Brown Butter Pecan Biscotti
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg white (for an egg wash)
- ¼ cup pecans, finely chopped
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the butter is fragrant and nutty golden brown solids have formed on the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices and 1 cup chopped pecans.
- Stir the hot browned butter, scraping all the browned bits off the bottom of the saucepan, too, into the flour mixture. Add the eggs and vanilla, and stir the dough until combined. It will be fairly soft and sticky.
- Cover and chill the dough for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the chilled dough into 3 equal portions, about 10 ounces each. Dust the dough with a little flour to keep it from sticking, and shape each portion of dough into a slab (using your hands or a small rolling pin to press it out onto the baking sheet) measuring about 8 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick. Space the slabs of dough 4 inches apart on the baking sheet – they will spread somewhat while baking.
- Brush the top of the dough with the egg white, then sprinkle with the 1/4 cup chopped pecans, pressing the pecans lightly into the dough. For a little extra sweetness, you can also sprinkle the top of the dough with a few tablespoons of granulated sugar, but this is optional.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are starting to brown, and the biscotti has spread out and puffed up a bit. If you gently press on the center of one, it should feel baked through, not raw or doughy.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F.
- Use a large spatula or cake lifter to carefully lift the slabs of biscotti onto a cutting board. Use a sharp non-serrated knife (I find that a chef's knife works best) to slice the slabs into individual biscotti about 3/4 inch thick. Place the biscotti back on the baking sheet, turned on their side with the cut side facing up.
- Bake the biscotti for 10 minutes. Turn the biscotti over, so the other cut side is facing up, and bake for 10 more minutes. Cool completely.
Hi, I would like to make this recipe and offer it as a christmas gift for friends. How long can it stay fresh ?
Biscotti lasts for a long time! I keep it in a cookie jar or airtight container at room temp for several weeks – or longer – and it’s still crunchy and delicious. You can also freeze it for up to 3-6 months.
I made these with for Christmas gifts and my only regret is not making a triple batch! These were simple to make and very delicious. I will definitely make these again!
I made these last year. They were so good. I can’t wait to make them again.
Can I follow the same recipe if I’m not at high altitude?
You can refer to my FAQs for more details, but this recipe will likely work well at low altitude.
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/baking-faqs/
HIGHLY recommend this recipe!
I’ve lost count at this point with how many times I’ve made this recipe. It’s ALWAYS a hit and disappears right away! Heather, you’ve restored my faith in baking in high altitude. Thank you for this recipe!
Hi! I made these in 2023 and they were delicious. I think the recipe has since changed – there used to be a white chocolate drizzle on top I think? Is there a way for me to find and use the original recipe? Thanks in advance!
This is the exact same recipe, I just didn’t add the white chocolate drizzle when I updated the photos. You can definitely add it to yours, though!
Great, thanks so much! Was it just melted white chocolate drizzled on top, or was something added to it? I remember sprinkling pecans and salt flakes on top, but can’t recall if the chocolate was thinned in some way.
I didn’t thin the chocolate. It was just melted white chocolate drizzled on top, then sprinkled with chopped pecans and flaky salt (I like Maldon).