American-Style Vanilla Biscotti

Here it is, a biscotti recipe everyone can enjoy — unlike classic Italian biscotti, which are quite hard, these are light and crunchy. Biscotti bake twice rather than once, and thus take a bit longer start-to-finish than normal drop cookies. But the dough is put together exactly like drop cookie dough. And if your kitchen skills include shaping a meatloaf and slicing a loaf of bread, you've got what it takes to make delicious, gorgeous biscotti.
15 mins
50 mins to 1 hr
1 hr 5 mins
30 to 40 biscotti, depending on size
American-Style Vanilla Biscotti


  2. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract (if you're using it), and baking powder until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
  5. Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven.
  10. Yield: 30 to 40 biscotti, depending on size.

Tips from our Bakers

  • Want to bake these in a biscotti pan? Simply press the unbaked dough into the pan, and bake as directed in the recipe. Remove the pan from the oven, and after 15 to 30 minutes loosen the edges of the biscotti log, and carefully turn it out of the pan onto a cutting surface. Let it cool slightly, and proceed with the recipe as directed. Your resulting biscotti will be larger, and the yield will be fewer.