These high altitude cherry chocolate chip biscotti are loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips and tart dried cherries, with a hint of almond extract, and a crunchy texture that’s perfect for dunking in coffee or hot chocolate.
You might also love these recipes for butter pecan biscotti, dark chocolate biscotti, and cherry cranberry pie.
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What are Biscotti?
Biscotti, also known as cantucci, are Italian almond biscuits or cookies. 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.
The word biscotti is actually plural, meaning it refers to more than one cookie. The singular term for one cookie is biscotto, but biscotti is typically the only word used when referring to these classic Italian cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to Make. Even if you’re a beginner baker, this is a really simple recipe that anyone can master. It doesn’t require any special equipment or skills to make a delicious pan of homemade chocolate chip biscotti.
Long Shelf Life. One of the best things about biscotti is that because they are hard, crunchy cookies, they last for a long time. You can keep them in an airtight container or cookie jar for weeks or longer, without worrying about them going stale.
Perfect for Holidays. When I have company for the holidays, I love to have a jar of homemade biscotti that everyone can enjoy with their morning coffee while I’m making breakfast. It’s also a delicious addition to a Christmas cookie box, and makes a great edible gift.
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.
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the beaten eggs, melted butter, vanilla and almond extracts, and stir everything together until mostly combined, but you still see some floury bits.
- Add the chopped dried cherries and the chocolate chips, and stir the dough together until soft and sticky.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Bake the Biscotti – 1st Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line a large 15×20 inch baking sheet (or two medium baking sheets) with parchment baking paper.
- Scrape the chilled dough out onto the parchment paper and cut it in half, dusting each portion with a little flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Shape each portion of dough into a long log, measuring about 14 inches long and 2 inches wide. Make sure you leave about 4 inches between each portion of dough on the baking sheet, since they will spread out as they bake. Use two baking sheets if you need more space.
- Brush the top of the dough with egg white.
- Bake for about 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 from the oven, and let cool for exactly 10 minutes on the baking sheet. 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 – 1 inch thick. Place the biscotti back onto 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.
- Make sure the biscotti is completely cooled before storing it in an airtight container.
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
Store biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for several weeks, or in the freezer up to 3-6 months.
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High Altitude Cherry Chocolate Chip 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.
Equipment
- Large Baking Sheet (15×20 inches)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling on top
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- ½ cup dried sweetened cherries, roughly chopped
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 egg white (for egg wash)
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the beaten eggs, melted butter, vanilla and almond extracts, and stir everything together until mostly combined, but you still see some floury bits.
- Add the chopped dried cherries and the chocolate chips, and stir the dough together until soft and sticky.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Bake the Biscotti – 1st Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line a large 15×20 inch baking sheet (or two medium baking sheets) with parchment baking paper.
- Scrape the chilled dough out onto the parchment paper and cut it in half, dusting each portion with a little flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Shape each portion of dough into a long log, measuring about 14 inches long and 2 inches wide.Make sure you leave about 4 inches between each portion of dough on the baking sheet, since they will spread out as they bake. Use two baking sheets if you need more space.
- Brush the top of the dough with egg white.
- Bake for about 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 from the oven, and let cool for exactly 10 minutes on the baking sheet.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 – 1 inch thick. Place the biscotti back onto 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.
- Make sure the biscotti is completely cooled before storing it in an airtight container.
Notes
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/
I made these yesterday. I’ve never made biscotti before as I was pretty intimidated by the process. But your steps were so easy to follow and they are absolutely delicious!
I’m happy you loved them, and that you found the process so simple. Biscotti is always so fun to make for the holidays!
When do you sprinkle the extra sugar on them? Thanks!
Before baking. Brush the slabs with the egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake.