What Americans call biscotti in Italy are known as cantucci or cantuccini if they are small.
Biscotti is the generic term for cookies or biscuits in Italian, and it literally means twice (bis) cooked (cotti). The word “biscotti” is plural….you can have one biscotto or two biscotti!
In Tuscany, cantucci are traditionally served at the end of a meal with a glass of vin santo for dipping, but you can also serve them for breakfast alongside your favorite hot beverage or as a snack.
No matter what you call it, here is my basic cantucci recipe. You can add whatever you’d like and I’m even experimenting with different flours. This recipe makes about 25 pieces, depending on how you cut them. Enjoy!
The version I made today was with whole wheat flour, sunflower oil and 35 grams of dried cranberries and 35 grams of filberts (hazelnuts). yum!
Ingredients
Biscotti Dough
WET
- 80 grams milk
- 60 grams vegetable oil
- 100 grams sugar
- 30 grams powdered sugar
- `1/2 zest lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
DRY
- 8 grams baking powder
- 300 grams flour
ADD INS
- 100 grams nuts
OR
- 70 grams dried fruit or chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340
- mix wet ingredients
- stir ADD IN ingredients
- add dry ingredients
- transfer dough to lightly dusted counter and knead for only a minute
- split dough into two parts, shape into two logs
- bake for 25 minutes, cool for 20 minutes
- cut diagonally with a serrated knife
- place pieces on the cut side, bake in oven for 10 mins, let cool