Candied Orange Biscotti Delight

My mother-in-law handed me a biscotti at a holiday gathering years ago, still warm from her oven, and I bit into this impossibly crisp cookie that somehow tasted both delicate and substantial. The candied orange peel caught me off guard—bright, chewy pockets of citrus against the crunch—and I spent the rest of the evening dunking them into coffee like everyone else at the table seemed to know how to do. When she finally shared her recipe, I realized she'd been holding back on how forgiving these biscotti actually are to make, how the magic happens twice over in the oven. Now I find myself baking batches not because anyone asked, but because the smell of orange zest and butter in my kitchen makes everything feel a little more intentional.

I made these for my book club on a gray November evening when everyone needed something warm to hold onto, and watching people's faces light up when they realized these weren't store-bought changed something in how I think about sharing food. One guest asked for the recipe before she'd even finished her first biscotti, and another dunked three in a row without talking, which I took as the highest compliment. That's when I understood that biscotti aren't just cookies—they're an excuse for people to slow down together.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour (2 cups): The foundation that keeps everything tender; don't sift it unless you're feeling precise, but do measure by spooning and leveling for consistency.
• Baking powder (1 teaspoon): Just enough to give the dough gentle lift without making these cake-like.
• Salt (1/4 teaspoon): A whisper that makes the orange flavor sing brighter than you'd expect from such a small amount.
• Granulated sugar (3/4 cup): Creaming this with eggs is where the structure begins, and you'll see it transform from gritty to pale and pillowy.
• Eggs (2 large): Room temperature eggs incorporate more smoothly, and they're the binding agent that holds everything together during both bakings.
• Unsalted butter (1/4 cup, melted and cooled): Melting it first makes it distribute evenly; cooling it prevents the eggs from scrambling when you add it to the mixture.
• Pure vanilla extract (1 teaspoon): Worth using the real thing here because it balances the brightness of the orange without competing.
• Orange zest (1 tablespoon): Finely grated and measured, this is where most of the personality lives, so use a microplane and don't hold back.
• Candied orange peel (2/3 cup, diced): The chewy surprise inside each bite; dice it small so it distributes evenly throughout the dough.
• Sliced almonds (1/2 cup, optional): They add crunch and sophistication, but the biscotti work beautifully without them if you're avoiding nuts.

Instructions

Prepare your space:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper—this matters because it prevents the bottoms from browning too fast during the first bake. Having everything ready means you're not scrambling when the mixture comes together.

Combine the dry ingredients:

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. This helps distribute the leavening evenly so you don't end up with dense pockets.

Build the wet mixture:

Beat sugar and eggs in a large bowl for about two minutes until the mixture turns pale and noticeably thicker. You'll feel the difference in your arm—suddenly it's less soupy and more like a ribbon when you lift the beaters.

Add the flavorings:

Stir in the cooled melted butter, vanilla, and orange zest, mixing until you can't see streaks of butter anymore. The aroma at this point is worth pausing for.

Bring it together:

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring just until everything combines into a shaggy dough. Stop as soon as you don't see flour streaks—overworking makes these tough.

Fold in the treasures:

Gently fold in the diced candied orange peel and almonds if using, distributing them as evenly as you can. The dough will be sticky, and that's exactly right.

Shape the logs:

Divide the dough in half and shape each piece into a log about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide on your parchment paper. Flatten them slightly so they bake evenly and look intentional.

First bake:

Bake for 25 minutes until the logs are lightly golden and set but still slightly soft in the middle. They should smell incredible and feel firm when you touch them, but not completely hard.

Cool and slice:

Let them cool for 10 minutes—this brief rest makes them sliceable without crumbling—then use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to cut them diagonally into half-inch slices. You'll get about 24 pieces if you're generous with the slices.

Second bake setup:

Lower the oven to 300°F, lay your slices cut side down on the baking sheet, and arrange them close enough to touch but not overlapping. This is where the magic of becoming truly crisp happens.

Finish the crispness:

Bake for 10 minutes, then flip each biscotto and bake for another 10 minutes. You're looking for a deep golden color and a texture that sounds crispy when you tap it.

Final cooling:

Transfer to a wire rack and let them cool completely—this is when they firm up to that perfect dunkable texture. Resist dunking immediately; they're fragile while still warm.

Save

These biscotti remind me of quiet afternoons in my kitchen when I'm not baking for anyone but myself, when the ritual of making something twice-baked feels like meditation. There's something honest about food that requires patience and a second chance in the oven—it teaches you that things often get better the second time around.

When to Serve Them

Biscotti live at their best in coffee cups and wine glasses, but I've learned they're equally at home on a dessert plate after dinner, arranged casually like you didn't spend an hour making them. They pair beautifully with strong espresso in the morning, sweet wine in the evening, or hot chocolate when you're feeling indulgent. I've even tucked them into gift boxes because they hold their texture so well that they're one of the few homemade desserts you can gift without worrying about timing.

Variations That Work Beautifully

The candied orange peel is the star, but this recipe invites experimentation without falling apart. I've swapped the almonds for pistachios and made them nut-free for friends with allergies; I've dipped half of a batch in dark chocolate because sometimes you want that flourish, and I've added a tiny pinch of cardamom once just to see what happened (it was stunning). The base dough is forgiving enough that you can play with it, and that's part of why I keep making these—they're sophisticated enough for company but friendly enough for everyday experimenting.

Storage and Longevity

The beauty of biscotti is their staying power; kept in an airtight container, they last nearly three weeks without losing their crunch, which means you can bake a batch on Sunday and enjoy them slowly through the week. I use glass containers with good seals because paper bags allow them to soften, and I've learned to keep them away from heat and humidity. They're also genuinely frozen-friendly if you somehow have leftovers, though I've never actually ended up with extras that needed freezing.

• Store in an airtight container at room temperature and they'll stay crisp for up to three weeks.
• Keep them away from humid environments and they'll maintain their texture beautifully.
• If they do soften slightly, a quick 5-minute warm-up in a 300°F oven brings back the crunch.

Save

These candied orange biscotti have become my answer to the question of what dessert to bring, what treat to make when I want to feel like myself in the kitchen. They're the kind of recipe that keeps giving back long after you've finished eating them.

Kitchen Guide

→ What gives the biscotti its orange flavor?

The bright citrus note comes from finely grated orange zest and sweet candied orange peel incorporated into the dough.

→ Can I substitute almonds in this biscotti?

Yes, sliced almonds can be replaced with pistachios or omitted entirely for a nut-free version.

→ How are biscotti baked to achieve their crisp texture?

They are baked twice: first as whole logs, then sliced and baked again until golden and crisp.

→ What is the best way to store these biscotti?

Store biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks to maintain freshness.

→ Are there suggested pairings for serving?

These biscotti pair wonderfully with coffee or dessert wines, enhancing their sweet citrus notes.