Biscotti

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A plate of biscotti

Biscotti (plural of Italian biscotto) are crisp Italian cookies traditionally flavored with anise. Traditionally, biscotti are made by baking cookie dough in two long slabs, cutting them into half inch thick pieces, and reheating them to dry them out. A basic recipe is a mix two parts flour for one part sugar with enough eggs to create a batter. To the mixture baking powder and flavourings such as anise, chocolate, or nuts are added. The slabs are baked once for some twenty five minutes. They are then cut up into individual cookies and cooked a second time for a shorter period of time. The longer the second period, the harder the cookies. Originally the cookies were twice-baked so they could be stored for long periods of time.

Because biscotti can last for long periods of time, they are used widely by explorers, soldiers, etc.

Biscotti come in many variants; in different regions of Italy, biscotti are prepared or flavoured differently. In Tuscany they are often eaten with vin santo, though in other parts of the world (particularly the United States) biscotti are considered an essential part of the espresso bar experience. The generally hard texture of biscotti makes the cookie ideal for dipping in coffee or wine. It should be noted that in Italian, "biscotti" usually refers simply to any generic cookie, and what in English are known as biscotti are called "biscotti di Prato" (sometimes, incorrectly, "cantucci" or "cantuccini").

Etymology: Italian, from Medieval Latin bis coctus, meaning "twice cooked". Cf. English biscuit and German zwieback.