This double chocolate sea salt biscotti is a delicious and easy coffee house favorite you can make at home in no time! These biscotti have all of my favorite things: dark chocolate, flakey sea salt, and a crunchy exterior that softens when you dip it in hot espresso. Grab a cup of coffee and get to baking— trust me, you won’t regret it! See below for Frequently Asked Questions and the Recipe Background.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a biscotti?
A: Biscotti are Italian cookies, traditionally flavored with almond extract, that are oblong, dry, and crunchy. Biscotti can be served as dessert with Vin Santo (an Italian dessert wine) or for breakfast with coffee/espresso.
Q: Does the butter really have to be at room temperature?
A: YES. The butter has to be at room temperature. If it is cold, it won’t incorporate into the sugar and this recipe will not turn out well. If you forget to let the butter soften, try microwaving it for 5 seconds, flip it to another side, microwave for 5 more seconds, and continue that process until it’s soft to the touch.
Q: Should I use natural or dutch process cocoa powder?
A: Both natural and dutch process cocoa powder work well in this recipe— my personal favorite is Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. Just make sure you’re using cocoa powder not hot-cocoa mix.
Q: Can I use another type of chocolate?
A: Of course! You can use any kind of chocolate you prefer— I like dark chocolate in this recipe because it pairs nicely with sea salt.
Q: Why do you have to bake the biscotti twice?
A: The first bake is to create a sliceable long with a crunchy exterior and soft interior. The second bake is to dry out the biscotti slices so they aren’t soft on the inside while retaining the extra crunch around the edges.
Recipe Background
When I used to visit my husband in college, we had a Saturday morning tradition of grabbing coffee and breakfast from a poplar local cafe and then walking around Colonial Williamsburg. The shop would be filled with a million people— everyone from hungover college students to families of tourists all trying to get their morning caffeine fix. But the thing I remember most were the biscotti. They always had giant glass canisters of practically every flavor of biscotti possible. When we graduated, I definitely missed those Saturday morning trips and thought I’d try to recreate them at home.
But I also used to think biscotti were these elusive coffeehouse creations that weren’t worth making at home— especially when I learned they required a double bake. No thanks. But after making biscotti for the first time, my mind was changed. They’re incredibly easy and even more delicious than I remember. Trust me, the dough is easy to work with, basically foolproof, and the double bake is not neatly as scary as it sounds. What are you waiting for? Time to soften some butter!
The Recipe
Double Chocolate Sea Salt Biscotti
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp coffee extract optional
- Flake Salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and coffee extract (if using) until light and fluffy.
- On low speed, add in the egg and mix until fully combined. The batter may look slightly curdled at this point— don’t be alarmed; it just means your ingredients were different temperatures.
- Next, add the flour, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that all of the flour has been incorporated.
- Place the dough on the parchment-lined baking sheet and shape it into a log about 2” wide and 1/2-3/4” tall, depending on how thick you’d like your biscotti. If the dough starts to stick to your hands, lightly dampen them with water.
- Sprinkle the top with flake salt.
- Bake the dough for 20-25 minutes, or until it is set in the middle. Remove it from the oven and slice into equal sized slivers. I cut the biscotti on a diagonal about 1/2” wide but again, the size is up to you.
- Place the biscotti back onto the baking sheet with one of the cut sides facing up. Bake for ad additional 25-30 minutes, or until the biscotti are crisp no longer soft in the center.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature and consume within 3 days.
Notes
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