White Chocolate-Dipped Espresso Walnut Biscotti Recipe

The Tuscan cookie biscotti is intended to be consumed as an afternoon snack with coffee, which offers the perfect foil to biscotti's dry, crisp texture. There are many tips and techniques for making the perfect biscotti out there in the world. Primarily, the cookie's texture comes from a double bake technique where the dough is first baked as a log and then sliced crosswise into the familiar, oval-like shape and baked again. 

In this version, recipe developer Taylor Murray combines the toasty nuttiness of walnuts with the deep, dark flavor of warm espresso. The whole cookie is dipped in a light coating of melted white chocolate to give your bite just a hint of extra sweetness. Follow along as we make a batch of these delectable cookies from scratch. This recipe uses the genius technique of blooming espresso in melted butter to help extract the flavor without watering down the dough.

While biscotti has a fancy-sounding name, the ingredients to make them are relatively simple. The cookies themselves involve all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract. This particular recipe adds a hint of espresso powder to the cookie dough, plus a hefty helping of toasted chopped walnuts. Finally, the finished cookies are dipped in melted white chocolate. You can swap the white chocolate with milk or dark chocolate, if desired.

Heat the oven to 350 F.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small pan, melt the butter.

Whisk in the espresso powder and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla until smooth.

Add the cooled espresso butter.

Whisk in the sugar.

Fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Fold in the walnuts.

Divide the dough into three pieces and place on the prepared sheet tray.

Shape each piece into a log about 2 inches wide and 7 inches long.

Bake until lightly browned, about 25 minutes.

Let cool until not hot but still warm, about 20 minutes.

Use a serrated knife to cut each log crosswise into ½ inch–thick pieces (you should have roughly 28).

Return the pieces to the baking sheet, cut-side down.

Bake again until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Dip the cooled biscotti in the melted chocolate on a bias, covering roughly half the cookie.

Place the cookies back on the parchment paper to cool.

Serve, or store in a tightly sealed container.

Plain, regular biscotti doesn't have to have nuts in it. That's great news for people with nut allergies that want to steer clear of crunchy tree and ground nuts. For this recipe, you can simply omit the walnuts without making any other alterations to the recipe. If you only need to avoid walnuts, you can substitute in equal amounts for other kinds of toasted chopped nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, or pecans.

That said, even though almonds are a common and traditional ingredient found in biscotti, there are many ways to make this iconic cookie that don't include nuts. Flavor the dough with chocolate chips and orange zest, or go for a lighter touch and make a simple vanilla biscotti. Additional ground coffee or espresso powder in the dough can be a great way to substitute for nuts, as coffee naturally has nutty undertones.

Dipping food in white chocolate is simple but requires a few key techniques. White chocolate has a lower melting point and can easily burn or seize if it's not handled properly. The most foolproof way to melt white chocolate is to use a double boiler. This involves filling a saucepan with a few inches of water, setting a metal bowl over the pan, and adding the white chocolate to the bowl. Stir constantly until the white chocolate is fully melted.

Depending on the type of white chocolate you're using, it may be too thick to use for dipping without resulting in large clumps. The best solution is to add a small amount (about 1 tablespoon) of melted refined coconut oil. Stir and test the consistency to determine if you need to add a bit more. Coconut oil cools and hardens at room temperature, so it won't interfere with the way the white chocolate dries on your cookies.