Spiced Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti Recipe

Sweet hazelnut spread meets the dark, bold flavors of cocoa and espresso powder in this delicious chocolate hazelnut biscotti recipe. These wonderfully crispy cookies go great with your favorite cup of tea and easily last the week. Perfect for sweet breakfast treats!

An Italian Legend

With roots dating back to the Romans, but most widely associated with Italy, the biscotti holds a solid foundation in the history of cookies.
The word biscotto derives from “bis”, which is Latin for twice, and “cotto” for baked or cooked. Just like in the good ole days, we too will be baking these cookies twice, to get the perfectly crunchy cookie the biscotti is known for.
Depending on where in the world you live, you will find that this cookie goes by many names.
Italians will call it cantucci, which specifically refers to what Americans know as a biscotti. Italians will actually call any type of crunch cookie biscotti, no matter the shape it’s found in. Head over to England—the Brits go with biscuit.
No matter where in the world your roots lie, or you call home, I think we can all agree that this cookie is a timeless treat!

 

So What Exactly Is a Biscotti?

What makes a biscotti a biscotti you ask?
Let me tell you…there are many ways to make a biscotti, and some, unfortunately, fall short.
A well-made biscotti should be a crunchy, firm, and a perfectly dunkable cookie. In your endeavors of trying biscotti’s, you may have tried some that are too light, airy, and simply fail when you dunk.
The original recipes included almonds, as they were abundantly available, and the twice-baking method drew out moisture, which created a sturdy, hard, and resistant to mold cookie that would last.
Ingredients? Simple—flour, water, salt, almonds. Nowadays we’ve added new and creative extracts, ingredients, and fruits to create an endless array of combinations.
The first step when making a biscotti is to ensure you have a recipe that has the correct ratio of ingredients to yield a dough that doesn’t bake too light and airy.
The dough is then formed in to logs, baked, cooled and cut, then baked again to ensure all edges get just the right amount of crunch. Now we’re on the right track!
 

What's in a Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti?

Let’s start with chocolate—a must!
Then we’ll throw in a little more chocolate and hazelnut, our Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Tea, mini caramel bites, a dash of cinnamon for a pop of underlying flavor that leaves you going mmm, and top with sliced almonds to create this delightfully decadent chocolate hazelnut biscotti.
You can never go wrong with a biscotti when serving up tea.
It’s the perfectly sweet and crunchy “cookie” that pairs well with your favorites—both tea and friends!

Tea Pairings

Prepping that menu for the next tea party, birthday party, or best friend get-together? Yes, I urge you do it just for friends or even to ease your own soul.
Just the other day I had my best friend whip up a batch of biscotti to share in a surprise tea party just for my birthday! It was simply one of the best gifts—tea, biscotti, mini sandwiches, and girl chat!
Wondering what to pair with these chocolate hazelnut biscotti’s? Of course, I’m going to recommend the tea we’ve added right to this recipe, our Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Tea. With this crunchy and not overly sweet cookie, it’s perfect to sip and dunk in tea. Feel free to add a little cream and sugar for some extra ooh-la-la goodness.
I’d also recommend trying our Full Moon Chai or our Portland Rose City Chai. The Full Moon Chai encompasses delightful vanilla, warmth, and vibrancy that is surrounded in a sweet creaminess all on its own.
The Portland Rose City Chai is packed with a burst of flavors that will take your breath away. It includes Oregon rose petals, almond, spices, lemongrass, black tea, and hints of blackberry. This flavor combo in and of itself is amazing, but with the addition of our chocolate hazelnut biscotti—divine!