4.8 from 24 reviews

Gluten-Free Biscotti with Hazelnuts & Chocolate

Name: Gluten-Free Biscotti with Hazelnuts & Chocolate
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 195 min
Ingredients: 1 recipe candied hazelnuts* ((reserve some chopped nuts for sprinkling)); 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly; ¾ cup (150 g) organic granulated sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract; 1 cup (110 g) Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oat flour (or try an equal weight of sorghum flour); 1 cup (155 g) Bob’s Red Mill sweet rice flour (or 1 to 1 all-purpose gluten-free flour); 2 tablespoons (15 g) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour; 2 tablespoons (15 g) Bob’s Red Mill cornstarch; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 8 ounces (225 g) bittersweet chocolate, tempered

By Alanna Taylor-Tobin on Dec 9, 2019 (updated Dec 12, 2024) / 65 Comments Jump to Recipe

These homemade gluten-free biscotti are crunchy, buttery flavor bombs. A blend of gluten-free flours – sweet rice, oat, and millet – build a deliciously sturdy crumb that's easy to slice. Stir in candied hazelnuts and dip them in chocolate for a twice-baked cookie that looks like it came from a classy coffee shop.

A plate of Gluten-Free Biscotti with Hazelnuts & Chocolate served with coffee

A Lifetime of Biscotti Love

Biscotti hold a special place in my heart. Maybe it's because I grew up in 1990's coffee shop culture, where there was a jar of chocolate covered cookies on every counter. Or maybe it was because my paternal grandmother baked them along with rugelach every year for the holidays. Or maybe it's because they remind me of the Jewish equivalent mandelbrot that my maternal grandfather would share with me after school.

Whatever the reason, biscotti were one of the first "fancy" recipes I learned to bake as a teen from a tiny cookbook called Biscotti containing only a few dozen recipes for the Italian-style slice-and-bake cookies. I loved the process of baking biscotti – mixing the dough, shaping it into logs, baking, slicing, baking again. I always felt so professional when finishing them with chocolate.

I baked biscotti for classmates and teachers. I brought some to a job interview at an Italian restaurant where the chef exclaimed, "Ci sono sempre caldi!" – they're still warm! I baked biscotti at music camp every summer, when I worked in the camp bakery in exchange for attending. And I baked biscotti at bakeries and restaurants where I worked as a young adult.

I converted my go-to recipe from the aforementioned book to be gluten-free, and I'm extra excited to share the recipe with you! Caramelized nuts add little bursts of flavor (but you can use plain toasted nuts to save time if you prefer). Dipping the biscotti in tempered chocolate creates a smooth, glossy finish.

Ingredients

Gluten-free flours form a base that is undetectably gluten-free. Oat flour adds fluff and earthy flavor. Sweet rice flour and tapioca flour make the dough sticky and stretchy, helping it hold together when sliced. Cornstarch adds crunch.
Eggs beaten with sugar until foamy form the base of this dough.
Vanilla adds flavor.
Butter adds moisture and richness. Note that traditional Italian biscotti don't contain any fat, but I vastly prefer the "Americanized" version with lots of delicious butter!
Baking powder lifts the dough and a good hit of salt sharpens the flavors.
Candied hazelnuts form addictive crunch and flavor offset by a dip of bittersweet chocolate. You can trade hazelnuts for almonds for more traditional biscotti, or skip the candying step altogether for a more classic biscotti recipe.

Method

This recipe makes about 30 cookies. Give yourself a solid 4 hours to make the recipe start to finish. You'll need to chill the dough for 1-2 hours, then bake and cool the logs, then bake and cool the biscotti before dipping them in chocolate.

You can also break this process up over 2 or more days. See the recipe card for make-ahead options.

Candied hazelnuts are cooling on a baking sheet — Candy the nuts (or just toast them!)

Whipped sugar and eggs form the base of the recipe — Whip together the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thick and pale, 3 minutes.

Stirring candied hazelnuts into the dough — Stir in the melted butter and vanilla, then the sifted flour mixture. Finally, stir in the nuts.

Forming gluten-free biscotti dough into logs — Chill the dough 1-2 hours until firm, then shape it into a log.

Gluten-free biscotti log being cut into slices — Bake the log until golden, let cool, then cut diagonally into cookies.

baked biscotti are chilling in the sun — Bake the biscotti a second time until golden and crunchy.

a biscotto is being dipped in glossy tempered chocolate — Dip the cooled biscotti in tempered dark chocolate, if desired.

biscotti are being finished with chocolate and nuts — Sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts.

Biscotti: American vs. Italian

Most people know that the word biscotti means "twice cooked" referring to the process of baking the logs once, slicing, and baking again. But did you know that biscotti as we know them in the US are actually technically cantucci? In Italy, biscotti (plural) or biscotto (singular) refers to any type of cookie. Think: biscuit in the British sense of the word. Cantucci refers to the type of cookie shown here which hails from Tuscany. But since biscotti are what we call them in the US, I'm going with it!

Traditional Italian biscotti don't contain any fat. Their texture is dry and made to be dipped into espresso or dessert wine. I've tried multiple version for fat-free biscotti and have found that I vastly prefer the Americanized type. These biscotti are best eaten alongside a cozy beverage. But thanks to their buttery nature, you can enjoy them solo too.

the finished biscotti rest on a baking sheet

Gluten-Free Biscotti Bliss

You'll be hard pressed to guess that these biscotti are gluten-free, thanks to their wheat-like texture from a sturdy flour blend and eggs. Bite through the thin chocolate shell to crispy cookie redolent with the flavors of earthy toasted hazelnuts, vanilla, and caramel and you'll be in gluten-free biscotti heaven.

Biscotti, cantucci, Italian slice-and-bake cookies: whatever you call them, when you dunk one of these crunchy, buttery treats in a mug of hot coffee, you'll be calling it delicious!

biscotti have been dipped in melted chocolate and sprinkled with nuts

Gluten-Free Biscotti with Hazelnuts (or Almonds) and Chocolate!

Hazelnuts add an earthy bite to this gluten-free biscotti recipe, but you can use almonds for a more traditional cookie. Or go crazy and try these with pistachios, pumpkin seeds, pecans, or any nut you like!

Though these biscotti are plenty flavorful on their own, you can gild the lily and dunk them in chocolate. I like to temper my chocolate to ensure that it doesn't form any unsightly streaks when it hardens.

How to Serve

These gluten-free biscotti with hazelnuts and chocolate pair beautifully with a hot cup of coffee. Enjoy them with an afternoon tea or as an after dinner treat. In Italy, biscotti are traditionally served with a sweet dessert wine such as vin santo.

hands are reaching for biscotti to pair with coffee

Give the Gift of Gluten-Free Biscotti

These gluten-free biscotti keep beautifully and make a fine DIY gift. Just pack a bunch into a cookie tin or mason jar tucked into some parchment paper for a sweet holiday present.

Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten-free biscotti recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.

4.80 from 24 reviews

Gluten-Free Biscotti with Hazelnuts & Chocolate

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You'd never know that these crunchy biscotti are gluten-free! With a crunchy, buttery crumb and candied hazelnuts all dipped in chocolate, they make a classy coffee break (or anytime!) treat.

Alanna Taylor-Tobin

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 45

Cooling time: 2

Total: 3 15

Servings: 30 cookies

Ingredients

1 recipe candied hazelnuts* (reserve some chopped nuts for sprinkling)

Wet Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
¾ cup (150 g) organic granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

1 cup (110 g) Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oat flour (or try an equal weight of sorghum flour)
1 cup (155 g) Bob’s Red Mill sweet rice flour (or 1 to 1 all-purpose gluten-free flour)
2 tablespoons (15 g) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
2 tablespoons (15 g) Bob’s Red Mill cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

To Finish

8 ounces (225 g) bittersweet chocolate, tempered

Instructions

Candy the nuts as directed. When the nuts have cooled, chop them coarsely. Bigger chunks of hazelnut look pretty, but small pieces make the biscotti easier to cut, so choose your own adventure!

Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the eggs with ¾ cup of sugar on medium-high until thick, foamy, and lightened in color, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, sift together the oat flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
With the mixer on low, add the melted and cooled butter and vanilla. Stir until combined. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine. Increase the mixer to medium and beat for about 20 seconds; this helps activate the sticky qualities of the flour which will help the dough hold together.
With the mixer on low, stir in the candied chopped hazelnuts. Remove the bowl and give the dough a final fold with a flexible spatula, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure the dough is well-combined and the hazelnuts evenly dispersed.
Cover and chill the dough until firm enough to handle, 1-2 hours. You can chill the dough for up to 2 days at this point, you’ll just want to let it soften a bit before proceeding with the next steps.

Shape & Bake

Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a log that’s about 12 inches long, 1 inch high and 2 inches wide. Place longways on the baking sheet (or sheetspaced at least 3 – 4 inches apart. (You can use one sheet for both, but you will need both sheets for the cut cookies.)
Bake the logs until golden, firm, and cooked through, 25-30 minutes, rotating once or twice. Let the logs cool completely. (At this point, you can wrap and freeze the logs to be baked later if you like.)
Use a wide metal spatula to remove a log to a cutting board. With a large, sharp chef’s knife, cut the log on a steep diagonal into ½ - ¾-inch thick slices. Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets and repeat with the other log.
Bake the cookies a second time until dried and golden, about 12-17 minutes, flipping the cookies over halfway through if they are browning more on the underside. Let cool completely.

Finish

Dip the biscotti in the tempered chocolate and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.
These biscotti keep well, in an airtight container, for up to 1 week if they last that long.

Notes

To simplify this recipe:

*You can skip the candied nut step and use toasted, chopped hazelnuts, almonds, or the nuts or seeds of your choice instead. Decrease the sweet rice flour by 2 tablespoons and proceed with the recipe.

You can skip the step of tempering the chocolate or use another tempering method if you prefer. Chocolate that hasn't been tempered will likely form streaks when it hardens but it will still taste delicious.

Make-Ahead Options:

Biscotti take several steps that can be broken up over time. You can make the dough up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate until ready to use, or freeze to bake in the future. If chilled for more than 2 hours, you'll need to soften the dough at room temperature until soft enough to shape, 15-30 minutes. If frozen, defrost before using.

The baked logs can be wrapped and refrigerated for several days or frozen before slicing and baking. Baked, undipped biscotti cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month. Refresh in the oven until crispy before using.

Biscotti Troubleshooting:

Biscotti, like all cookie recipes, are sensitive to slight changes in measurement. Use the weight measurements listed here for the most accurate results. If measuring by volume, use the dip and sweet (aka scoop and swoop) method: dip a dry measuring cup or spoon into the flour or starch and use a small offset spatula or the back of a knife to sweep away the excess flour flush with the cup or spoon.

If your biscotti logs spread too much during baking, try adding an extra tablespoon or two of either flour next time. If the biscotti don't spread enough and the cookies feel dense or dry, decrease the flour by the same amount next time.

If the biscotti logs are difficult to cut or fall apart when cut, be sure to let them cool to room temperature in their middles before slicing. For extra sturdy logs, wrap and chill the logs for several hours or overnight. Chopping the nuts into smaller pieces will also make the logs easier to cut.

Nutrition

Calories: 146kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 84mgPotassium: 72mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 113IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

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Comments

4.80 from 24 votes (11 ratings without comment)