For crisp biscotti, I bake the dough as logs first, then slice it and return the slices to a cooler oven to dry. The first bake gives you a biscuit you can cut; the second gives it its crunch.
This is my almond-and-apricot version: 125 g whole almonds and 100 g diced dried apricots. Keep the almonds whole for pieces you can see in each slice.
My tested formula
Yield varies with slice thickness.
- 300 g plain flour
- 240 g caster sugar
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 125 g whole almonds
- 100 g dried apricots, diced
- Vanilla, to taste
Method
- Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, then add eggs and vanilla to form a firm sticky dough.
- Work in the almonds and apricots without crushing them.
- Shape even low logs on a lined tray and bake at 180°C / 356°F until set and lightly coloured.
- Let the logs cool until they are set and safe to handle, but still easy to cut. Slice with a serrated knife, using deliberate strokes through the whole almonds.
- Return slices to a lower oven, around 150°C / 302°F, turning as needed until dry and crisp; cool fully before airtight storage.
Biscotti or cantucci?
If you are looking for a plain Tuscan almond cantucci recipe, this is a different version: it includes dried apricots. In English, biscotti usually means the twice-baked biscuits made by baking logs, slicing them and baking the slices again.
If the slices crumble or stay soft
For cleaner slices, check the log before cutting: it needs to be set, but not so cold and hard that the knife breaks it around the almonds. Keep the logs equal in width and height so they reach that point together.
Judge the crunch after the slices have cooled completely. The lower second bake is for drying, so turn the slices as needed rather than relying on colour alone. Let them cool fully before sealing them in a container.