This easy lemon biscotti recipe comes together in a matter of minutes and is flavored with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, and topped with a sweet lemon glaze. Enjoy these crunchy lemon biscotti with a cup of tea or coffee.
Biscotti, or cantucci, are twice-baked, oblong-shaped almond biscuits that originated in Tuscany, Italy that are usually served with a sweet dessert wine such as Vin Santo. Outside of Italy, these biscuits or cookies are served with coffee. A great addition to the cookie jar! And a great cookie or biscuit to bake for the holiday season.
Jump to:
Recipe Updates
This Italian lemon biscotti is based on my almond biscotti recipe. And is a real treat for lemon lovers! I think these crunchy cookies pair really well with a cup of tea, in particular a cup of rooibos, or your favorite herbal tea.
This recipe has since been updated since it was first published (in early 2022). I tweaked the butter and flour ratios a bit to make it more tablespoon and cup-friendly.
And then I played around with the method by rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar. This enhances the lemon flavor as the zest releases its oils. I find this allows the lemon zesty flavor to shine through.
Ingredients
Here are notes on the ingredients used, please refer to the recipe card for full quantities.
Plain flour (all-purpose flour/standard grade flour) refers to flour that has a protein content of approximately 9.5-12%. For cakes, this can be replaced with cake flour. If measuring ingredients by cups, make sure to aerate the flour and then scoop it into the measuring cup using a spoon before leveling it off. Scooping directly out of the flour container will result in too much flour being added to the mixture.
Salt is a crucial ingredient in all baked goods. I use table salt in all my recipes. One teaspoon of table salt equals 1.5 teaspoons of Morton Kosher Salt equals 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal.
Eggs - I use a New Zealand size 6 egg, which is around the same size as Australian and South African Large Eggs, but closer to a US/Europe Medium sized egg.
Butter adds flavor, softness, and moisture and sometimes aids in the leavening of baked goods. I use New Zealand butter in my recipes, which has approximately 82% butterfat and can be very yellow (similar to European or Irish butter). Butter cannot be substituted with butter or margarine spreads, but it can be substituted with baking margarine.
Almond extract - I do not like almond extract and very rarely (if ever) bake with it. But if you want more of an almond kick to these lemon biscotti, add in a quarter of a teaspoon of almond extract.
Vanilla extract enhances the flavors of the other ingredients in the recipe and is a cornerstone ingredient in baked goods and desserts containing eggs.
Lemon Zest and Lemon juice from fresh lemons give these lemon biscotti their delightful lemon flavor. Lemon extract can also be used to enhance the lemon flavor, I seem to never have lemon extract on hand, but I would add only a 1 teaspoon to start off with.
Icing sugar or confectioner's sugar/powdered sugar for the lemon glaze.
Raw almonds - whole chopped, or slivered/sliced almonds add a delightful almond flavor to these biscotti.
A short note on almond extract - I'm not a fan and honestly feel like it would overpower the lemon flavor in these Italian cookies.
Room Temperature Ingredients
Use room-temperature ingredients! Using room temperature ingredients ensures that ingredients in the batter or dough will be incorporated more easily. Take note that room temperature refers to around 20°C/68F.
Weighing and Measuring Ingredients
Weighing ingredients with a kitchen scale is more accurate than using measuring cups. All my recipes are developed and tested using grams only.
However, I have activated the metric-to-cup conversions. Simply click on "USA/Cups" or "metric" for your preferred measurements. For these conversions, cups are equal to 240mL/8 fl oz, tablespoons are 15mL and teaspoons are 5mL.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Note - All ingredients must be at room temperature before baking. This can take up to an hour for refrigerated ingredients.
1 - Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two baking sheets or a single large baking sheet with parchment paper or baking paper. Set aside.
2 - In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar to release the lemon flavor into the sugar.
Note - you can rub the lemon zest into the sugar with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer.
3 - Add the room-temperature butter to the lemon-sugar mixture and beat together until smooth and creamy. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
4 - Add in the eggs and beat until smooth and creamy. Then add in the lemon juice and vanilla (and lemon extract if using) and beat in until mixed.
5 - Add the dry ingredients (almonds, baking powder, salt, and half the flour) to the wet ingredients. Mix through, then add the last bit of flour and mix until a smooth dough forms. You can mix the dough by hand to make the dough smooth and cohesive.
6 - Divide the biscotti dough into two. Take one half, and form it into a rough sausage shape about 20-25cm (7-10 inches) long and about 3-5cm (1-2 inches) wide. Place the rolls onto the prepared lined baking tray.
Note - if the dough is feeling a bit sticky, wet your hands before getting in there.
7 - Bake the dough for 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool. You can lift the logs onto a wire rack if needed.
8 - Once the dough has cooled enough to handle, use a sharp knife and slice either straight across or at a slight diagonal to about 1.5 cm-2.5 cm (0.5-1 inch) thick.
Note - I find that sometimes a sharp serrated knife breaks off pieces of the biscotti, and personally prefer to use a sharp chef's knife.
9 - Place the slices, in a single layer, onto a baking sheet, and bake for the second time for a total of 25-35 minutes. I like to bake them for 10 minutes, then flip them over and bake for 10 minutes, and then prop them on the bottoms and finish off the bake for another 10 minutes. This will dry out the biscotti and give it a deep golden brown color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Note - the thickness of the slices will determine how quickly the biscotti cookies dry out in the oven.
10 - To make the lemon glaze, mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice, starting with half of the lemon juice and moving up to create a nice pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cooled biscotti.
Small-Batch
If you only want a small batch of biscotti, this recipe can be easily halved by clicking on the "½" button by the ingredients. Simply follow all the instructions and make a single biscotti log for the first bake.
Storage and Freezing
Store the lemon almond biscotti at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.
Lemon Biscotti FAQ
Yes. Just be extra careful to not overmix the biscuit/cookie dough.
Yes. Biscotti are twice-baked, which drives off the moisture from the cookie.
These cookies are meant to be dunked into a sweet wine, or a hot beverage before eating. The longer the biscotti are baked during the second baking round, the drier they will become.
Biscotti originated in the city of Prato, which is found in the Tuscan Region of Italy.
Twice-baking the biscotti drives off excess moisture, which allows these cookies to be stored for weeks at room temperature.
Other Recipes You May Like
Rate & Review!
If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating! It gives my readers and me helpful feedback. If you want more recipes, subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Recipe Card
Lemon Biscotti
Equipment
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
lemon biscotti
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar
- zest of 2 lemons
- 8 tablespoons butter (room temperature *Note 1)
- 2 eggs (medium-large *Note 2)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh lemon juice)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups plain flour (all-purpose/standard grade)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ cup almonds (raw, chopped or slivered)
lemon glaze
- ½ cup icing sugar (powdered/confectioner's sugar)
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice (fresh lemon juice)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two baking sheets or a single large baking sheet with parchment paper or baking paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar to release the lemon flavor into the sugar. *Note 3¾ cup white granulated sugar, zest of 2 lemons
- Add the room-temperature butter to the lemon-sugar mixture and beat together until smooth and creamy. This will take about 2-3 minutes.8 tablespoons butter
- Add in the eggs and beat until smooth and creamy. Then add in the lemon juice and vanilla (and lemon extract if using) and beat in until mixed.2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients (almonds, baking powder, salt, and half the flour) to the wet ingredients. Mix through, then add the last bit of flour and mix until a smooth dough forms. You can mix the dough by hand to make the dough smooth and cohesive.2½ cups plain flour, ½ teaspoon table salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¾ cup almonds
- Divide the biscotti dough into two. Take one half, and form it into a rough sausage shape about 20-25cm (7-10 inches) long and about 3-5cm (1-2 inches) wide. Place the rolls onto the prepared lined baking tray. *Note 4
- Bake the dough for 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool. You can lift the logs onto a wire rack if needed.
- Once the dough has cooled enough to handle, use a sharp knife and slice either straight across or at a slight diagonal to about 1.5 cm-2.5 cm (0.5-1 inch) thick. *Note 5
- Place the slices, in a single layer, onto a baking sheet, and bake for the second time for a total of 25-35 minutes. I like to bake them for 10 minutes, then flip them over and bake for 10 minutes, and then prop them on the bottoms and finish off the bake for another 10 minutes. This will dry out the biscotti and give it a deep golden brown color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. *note 6
- To make the lemon glaze, mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice, starting with half of the lemon juice and moving up to create a nice pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cooled biscotti.½ cup icing sugar, 4 teaspoons lemon juice
Notes
- All ingredients must be at room temperature before baking. This can take up to an hour for refrigerated ingredients.
- New Zealand size 6 eggs are around the same size as an Australian/South African Large or a US/European medium.
- You can use a stand mixer or hand mixer to rub the lemon zest into the sugar.
- If the dough is feeling a bit sticky, wet your hands before getting in there.
- I find that sometimes a sharp serrated knife breaks off pieces of the biscotti, and personally prefer to use a sharp chef's knife.
- The thickness of the slices will determine how quickly the biscotti cookies dry out in the oven.
Small-Batch
If you only want a small batch of biscotti, this recipe can be easily halved by clicking on the "½" button by the ingredients. Simply follow all the instructions and make a single biscotti log for the first bake.Storage and Freezing
Store the lemon almond biscotti at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly. All temperatures stated are conventional, unless otherwise stated. Recipes tested in grams and at sea level.
Pin for Later
Comments
No Comments