Cantucci, also called Biscotti di Prato, are a classical sweet treat from northern Tuscany. They have a very ancient history and are now considered the most traditional dessert in the whole region. Imagine that the first official record of their existence comes from a book written in 1691!
These cookies are usually served at the end of the meal together with Vin Santo, a Tuscan dessert wine made from raisins that was historically used to celebrate Mass. Of course, you can choose to eat them with coffee, tea, milk or just enjoy them on their own!
The word biscotti literally means twice (bis) cooked (cotto) and in fact, cantucci, are the emblem of twice-baked cookies. They are extremely simple to make, you just have to mix all the ingredients together, shape the dough into long logs and bake them. Then, when the logs are still warm, cut them into slices and cook them again.
Once ready, you can store cantucci in a sealed container for several weeks, and eat one once in a while as a treat. At my place, however, they hardly ever last for more than a few days, especially around Christmas!
Prep notes:
This is the most classical cantucci recipe, and it calls for raw unpeeled almonds. However, if you’d rather have a different filling, you can definitely replace the almonds with other kinds of nuts or anything else you fancy, from dried fruit to dark chocolate chips. That said, I’d suggest you to taste the original version first: it’s amazing!
Finally, according to tradition, these cookies should be quite hard and dry as they are usually dipped in sweet wine. Nevertheless, if you prefer your cantucci to be a little softer, all you have to do is to reduce the second baking time by a few minutes.
Enjoy!
Traditional Italian Biscotti (Cantucci Toscani)
Ingredients
- 1 cup unpeeled almonds
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, plus 1 for brushing
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 orange zest
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 370 F.
- Roughly chop half of the almonds.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, honey, and eggs. Whisk for a couple of minutes until the compound turns lighter in color.
- Add flour, baking powder, orange zest and salt. Mix everything together until well combined.
- When you achieve a crumbly texture, add the almonds, both chopped and whole.
- Shape the dough into three long logs (about 1 1/2 inches high) and place them on your baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Remember to leave enough space between the logs to allow for rising.
- Evenly brush the log’s surface with egg.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
- Take the logs out of the oven and lower the temperature at 330 F.
- Cut the logs diagonally into 1/2-inch slices using a serrated knife.
- Put the slices back onto the baking tray, cut sides down. Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes.
Nutrition
About the Author: Giorgia Fontana
These are amazing and authentic using the key ingredients you need, without all the added butter or oil. The flavor brings me right back to my childhood.
Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I found i had to add quite a bit more floyr to get a crumbly texture.
In France, we call this biscuit “le croquant aux amandes” (crunchy with almonds) but we don’t use zest of orange.
Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome!