Hazelnut Biscotti with Chocolate

You'll love these Hazelnut Biscotti with Chocolate! Known as "tozzetti" in Italian, these twiced-baked cookies are made for dunking! Enjoy them dipped in coffee, milk or hot chocolate for a delicious snack or treat.

Do you know what's better than Hazelnut Biscotti? Chocolate-dipped Hazelnut Biscotti!

I'm talking about toasty, buttery, roasted hazelnuts paired with rich, dark chocolate. If you've ever had Nutella, that's the flavor combo!

And, I'm here to say that white chocolate works well with these hazelnut cookies too. I use those flavors in my White Chocolate Banana Bread.

Biscotti vs Tozzetti

In America, "biscotti" refers to twice-baked crunchy cookies, such as these hazelnut ones and Almond Biscotti.

But in Italian, "biscotti" simply means "cookies," regardless of the style or how many times they've been baked. It's similar to the English word "biscuits."

In Italy, Hazelnut Biscotti are known as tozzetti. They hail from the Lazio and Umbria regions, where hazelnuts (nocciole) are produced.

Recipe ingredients

Hazelnuts: You'll need shelled, raw hazelnuts. Roast them and remove the skins for the best flavor and texture. (Note, the photo above shows chopped hazelnuts with the skins on, which is how we used to make these.)

If you need a hazelnut substitute, go with almonds or walnuts.

Flavoring: Hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico, intensifies the hazelnut flavor and works nicely with vanilla extract. If you need to omit the liqueur, you can substitute a tablespoon of almond extract.

Salt: A little salt brings out the other flavors, ensuring the biscotti won't seem bland. Don't skip it!

How to make it

See the card at the end of this post for the full recipe, but here's an overview.

Make the dough

1. Add the softened butter, eggs, sugar, liqueur and vanilla to a large bowl.
2. Beat on medium until blended.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in another bowl.
4. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine until a dough forms.

Add roasted hazelnuts

1. Roast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet (affiliate link).
2. Remove the skins by rubbing the hazelnuts in a lint-free towel.
3. Chop the hazelnuts and add them to the dough.
4. Knead the dough and gather it into a ball.

Shape, bake, slice & bake again

1. Cut the dough ball into two halves and shape them into two flat logs. Bake them for 20-25 minutes.
2. After cooling them, cut off the top right corner of each log at an angle.
3. Cut each log diagonally into one-inch strips.
4. Arrange the dough strips, cut-side up, on a baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes, flip them over, then bake another 9 minutes.

Dip in chocolate

1. Place some white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, lightly covered.
2. Heat in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time until melted.
3. Place some dark chocolate chips in another microwave-safe bowl and melt them.
4. Dip the bottom of each cookie into the dark or white chocolate.
5. Set the chocolate-dipped biscotti onto a wire rack (affiliate link) to dry.

Recipe tips

• Toasting the hazelnuts in the oven brings out the best flavor and even results.
• Toast the hazelnuts before chopping them, so they don't burn.
• Be sure to flatten the logs of dough so you don't end up with dome-shaped biscotti.

How to serve them

Although you can eat these crunchy cookies plain, they're delicious with a dusting of powdered sugar and are made for dipping!

Dunk your Hazelnut Biscotti in coffee, hot chocolate or even cold milk, if that's your thing! The cookie will soften and take on the flavor of the beverage.

Frequently asked questions

More cookie recipes you'll love

• Pignoli Cookies
• Italian Jam Cookies (Pizzicati)
• Italian Rainbow Cookies
• Italian Pizzelle Cookies
• Chewy Meringue Cookies
• Anginetti (Italian Lemon Knots)

If you try this Hazelnut Biscotti recipe, please leave a comment and a rating!

Hazelnut Biscotti with Chocolate

Enjoy these chocolate-dipped Hazelnut Biscotti cookies dunked in coffee, hot chocolate or cold milk!

4.75 from 4 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 Makes 20 biscotti

Calories: 144kcal

Author: Mamma C

Ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup raw hazelnuts (without shells, whole)
• ▢ 4 tablespoons salted butter (softened)
• ▢ 2 eggs (room temperature)
• ▢ ½ cup sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur (I use Frangelico)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour (measure by scooping and leveling off)
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ cup bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli)
• ▢ ¼ cup white chocolate chips (Ghirardelli)

Instructions

• Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake them for 10 minutes, stirring at the halfway point. Let the nuts cool on a wire rack. To remove the skins, enclose the nuts in a lint-free towel and use your hands to scrunch the towel until the skins fall off. Peel off any remaining skins. (See notes.)
• Coarsely chop the skinned hazelnuts.
• If the butter is not softened, heat it in the microwave on defrost for four seconds at a time. In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, eggs, sugar, liqueur, and vanilla and beat on medium until blended.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir it in. Stir in the toasted hazelnuts. Blend it as best as you can with a spoon.
• On a floured surface, scrape out the dough. With floured hands and adding a little extra flour as needed, knead the dough for a minute or so, until it comes together nicely. (If the dough is sticky and not holding together, you need to add a little more flour.)
• Divide the dough into two equal parts. Shape each section of dough into a flat log about 10 inches long and two inches wide. (See photos in the post.)
• Bake the dough logs on a greased baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper for 20-25 minutes. You don't want to brown the dough.
• Remove the dough logs from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Keep the oven on, since you will need it again.
• After 10 minutes, slice the dough logs on the diagonal, starting at one corner. (See photos.) Continue slicing the logs diagonally into strips 1 inch wide.
• Arrange the slices with the cut side facing up on your baking sheet (they brown more nicely if you don't use parchment). No grease is needed on the pan. Bake the first side for 9 minutes, then flip over the biscotti and bake the second side for 9 minutes.
• Cool the biscotti on a wire rack.
• For the chocolate dip, place the dark chocolate chips in a small, microwaveable bowl and lightly cover it with wax paper. Heat in the microwave on high for 20 seconds at a time until the chocolate begins melting. Stir and heat some more if needed, until the chocolate is melted.
• Repeat with another small bowl and the white chocolate chips.
• The biscotti should be cool enough to touch before dipping. Dip the flat bottom of each cookie in either the white or dark chocolate. (I do half a batch of white and half a batch of dark chocolate.)
• Let the biscotti dry on a wire rack until the chocolate hardens.
• Store them in a covered plastic container at room temperature. Enjoy the biscotti dunked in your coffee, hot chocolate or cold milk. (You can eat them without dunking them, but they'll be a bit dry.)

Notes

Hazelnut skins are edible but can be bitter and tough. Remove them for the best taste and texture, but it's not mandatory.

If you don't wish to use the hazelnut liqueur, you can substitute a tablespoon of almond extract.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 96IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this Recipe? Mention @cookingwithmammac or tag #CookingWithMammaC!

(Recipe Source: Cooking with Mamma C. Originally published on December 7, 2016 and updated now with new photos and additional information.)