Almond Biscotti (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 16, 2020
Time
1½ hours, plus 40 minutes cooling
Yield
Makes 30 cookies
Sugar
4 grams (down from 7)
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. Be sure to toast the nuts lightly before making the dough, as they will continue to toast as the biscotti bake.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with vegetable oil spray. Pulse 1 cup almonds in food processor until coarsely chopped, 8 to 10 pulses; transfer to bowl.
- Process remaining ¼ cup almonds in now-empty food processor until finely ground, about 45 seconds. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and process to combine, about 15 seconds; transfer to separate bowl.
- Process 2 eggs in now-empty food processor until lightened in color and almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. With processor running, slowly add Sucanat until thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Add melted butter, almond extract, and vanilla and process until combined, about 10 seconds; transfer to large bowl.
- Sprinkle half of flour mixture over egg mixture and, using rubber spatula, fold until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and chopped almonds and fold until just combined.
- Divide batter in half. Using your floured hands, press dough into two 8 by 3-inch loaves on prepared baking sheet, spaced about 4 inches apart. Brush loaves with beaten egg white. Bake loaves until golden and just beginning to crack on top, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Let loaves cool on sheet for 30 minutes, then transfer loaves to cutting board. Using serrated knife, slice each loaf on slight bias into ½-inch-thick slices. Lay slices, cut side down, about ¼ inch apart on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake cookies until crisp and light golden brown on both sides, 25 to 30 minutes, flipping slices and rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let biscotti cool completely on rack before serving.
Time
1½ hours, plus 40 minutes coolingYield
Makes 30 cookiesSugar
4 grams (down from 7)Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Our ideal low-sugar biscotti had to meet the perfect afternoon coffee requirements: bold, nutty flavor; satisfying (but not tooth-breaking) crunch; good for dipping but equally delicious on its own. We found that cutting the sugar of our traditional recipe from 7 grams to just 3 produced a satisfactory flavor, and we did not miss the extra sweetness. We chose Sucanat to sweeten our biscotti because of its slight molasses undertone that paired well with a bold almond taste. But while the cookies were certainly flavorful, they were drier and a bit harder than we wanted. With less sugar, the dough was unable to hold on to as much moisture. The typical two-step baking process—once to set the log, and a second time to toast the slices—only exacerbated the problem. To account for the loss in moisture, we reduced the baking time in both stages. The resulting biscotti were less dry and sandy, but they were still a bit hard to bite. Whipping the eggs helped alleviate this problem by imparting lift and aeration to the cookies. But too much gluten was still developing in the dough; in order to temper the gluten development and contribute a slight crumbliness, we cut the flour with ground toasted almonds—with the added benefit of extra nutty flavor.
Before You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. Be sure to toast the nuts lightly before making the dough, as they will continue to toast as the biscotti bake.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with vegetable oil spray. Pulse 1 cup almonds in food processor until coarsely chopped, 8 to 10 pulses; transfer to bowl.
- Process remaining ¼ cup almonds in now-empty food processor until finely ground, about 45 seconds. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and process to combine, about 15 seconds; transfer to separate bowl.
- Process 2 eggs in now-empty food processor until lightened in color and almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. With processor running, slowly add Sucanat until thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Add melted butter, almond extract, and vanilla and process until combined, about 10 seconds; transfer to large bowl.
- Sprinkle half of flour mixture over egg mixture and, using rubber spatula, fold until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and chopped almonds and fold until just combined.
- Divide batter in half. Using your floured hands, press dough into two 8 by 3-inch loaves on prepared baking sheet, spaced about 4 inches apart. Brush loaves with beaten egg white. Bake loaves until golden and just beginning to crack on top, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Let loaves cool on sheet for 30 minutes, then transfer loaves to cutting board. Using serrated knife, slice each loaf on slight bias into ½-inch-thick slices. Lay slices, cut side down, about ¼ inch apart on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake cookies until crisp and light golden brown on both sides, 25 to 30 minutes, flipping slices and rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let biscotti cool completely on rack before serving.
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