Snickerdoodle Biscotti
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These crisp yet tender cinnamon-spiced biscotti are covered in a crunchy cinnamon sugar coating. They’re just asking to be dunked in your favorite cookie beverage pairing! This post has detailed instructions for how to nail perfect biscotti every time.
BISCOTTI: AN UNDERRATED COOKIE
If you’ve been around here for a long time, you might know about my love of biscotti. I think that biscotti is such a fun cookie to make and eat, and with a collection of recipes for biscotti that is always growing, I like to keep a collection ranging from traditional anise biscotti to fun flavors like lemon poppy seed, red velvet, funfetti, and this snickerdoodle version.
Classic snickerdoodles (and salted caramel stuffed! and chocolate chip ones! and ones without cream of tartar!) are pretty popular in the cookie world, and rightfully so. The combination of spicy cinnamon and sweet sugar grabs you by the tastebuds and sucks you into its irresistibly sparkly coating. I mean, a cookie that sparkles? Heck yes– sign me up!
Combine that irresistible flavor with a simple, unexpected cookie? You’re going to love this recipe.
My personal favorite part about biscotti is the dunk. I like to dunk mine in coffee and milk, and I really can’t decide which I like better. I guess it depends on whether or not I’m eating breakfast or a snack. Because with coffee, any cookie can become a breakfast food. Don’t get that twisted. It’s a confectionary fact.
TRUST MY METHOD– YOU CAN DO THIS!
If you’re currently thinking that making biscotti is hard or intimidating, think again. I lay it all out below so you will know exactly how to tackle biscotti. It’s not very difficult, but requires a bit of hands on commitment.
You’ll see lots of pictures for reference in that post, and alongside my recipe instructions, you’ll ace this on the first try, I know it. Easy peasy cinnamon sugar squeezy.
Isn’t that that how it goes?
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR CINNAMON SUGAR BISCOTTI
You only need 9 total ingredients for this recipe, and you’ll use some of them twice (once for the cookie, another for the egg was + cinnamon-sugar coating).
Grab these ingredients:
• unsalted butter
• oil (see notes for specific suggestions)
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• granulated sugar
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• ground cinnamon
• salt
STEP-BY-STEP: HOW TO MAKE EASY SNICKERDOODLE BISCOTTI
While this is a simple recipe, you’ll want to be sure you’re reading through the recipe before starting so you know what to expect. There is a lot of hands-on happening here as well as some resting time between steps.
STEP #1: start by lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, then lightly flour the surface.
STEP #2: next, whisk together the butter, oil, egg, vanilla extract, and sugar until combined, then set this mixture aside.
STEP #3: next, toss together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix with a large wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula until everything starts to come together. The mixture will be crumbly, and this is totally ok. It will come together in the next step.
STEP #4: turn dough out onto the lightly floured baking sheet and, with floured hands, pat dough into a rectangle about ½” thick. I always make my rectangle 6″ wide and 7 and ½” long. Using a ruler or a ruled silicone baking mat is helpful here.
STEP #5: next, brush the slab with an egg wash then mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle the slab generously with the entire cinnamon-sugar mixture.
STEP #6: bake the dough slab for 20 minutes, or until the top and sides of the slab are lightly browned. Remove the slab from the oven, but do not turn off the heat. Place baking sheet on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
STEP #7: once the dough is cool enough to touch, cut the slab into 1″ thick slices using a sharp knife. Cut these 1″ slices in half, making a perpendicular slice down the entire slab.
STEP #8: set the slices cut sides up on the baking sheet and return the baking sheet to the oven to bake for 6 minutes.
STEP #9: remove from oven, turn biscotti over, and bake the other side for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet, then transfer biscotti to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
BISCOTTI TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS
The biggest complaint I get from folks making my biscotti recipes is that there is not enough moisture in the dough to bring it together. Trust me, there is. Your mixture will be crumbly when you dump it out, but pressing it together will work just fine. This is like pie dough— lots of pieces all over the place, but when pressed together, make a cohesive dough.
Do not add any additional liquid to the biscotti dough. Biscotti are meant to be crumbly and crunchy, and not trusting the process and adding too much liquid will make it impossible to get this texture and likely make the instructions difficult to follow as written.
Take care when slicing the biscotti slab if you’re using a silicone baking mat. I have done this dozens of times in my baking life, so I know what pressure protects my liner when using a knife. If you aren’t comfortable slicing on top of a baking mat, use parchment paper instead.
HOW TO SERVE BISCOTTI
Biscotti are best served dunked in coffee, tea, or milk. You will often see biscotti wrapped up in baggies for gifting or serving, but biscotti stick nicely in the spots between cookies on cookie trays!
HOW TO STORE BISCOTTI
Be sure you’re storing biscotti in an airtight container. Since the edges are exposed, biscotti are prone to losing moisture easily. While snickerdoodle biscotti are meant to be a crisp cookie, there’s a difference between crisp and stale.
While these snickerdoodle biscotti aren’t super sweet as a cookie on their own, the cinnamon sugar coating on the outside is the perfect touch to make these biscotti classically snickerdoodle.
And since you’ll be putting the cinnamon sugar coating on before any baking, it will get nice and crispy and toasty and ohmygosh it’s just the best. A mildly messy cookie is always a good one in my book.
So try your hand at biscotti, if you’ve never attempted it. I bet you’ll surprise yourself in just how next level you can take your cookie skills, despite my promise to you they are much easier than you think they are. PLUS, the dunk. I’m always for the dunk.
Snickerdoodle Biscotti Recipe
Ingredients
BISCOTTI
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter melted
- 3 Tablespoons (45mL) oil1
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 and ¾ cup + 1 Tablespoon (218g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
COATING
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Lightly flour the baking sheet. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the butter, oil, egg, vanilla extract, and sugar until combined. Set aside.1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, 3 Tablespoons (45mL) oil1, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix with a large wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula until everything starts to come together. Mixture will be crumbly. This is ok. It will come together2 in the next step.1 and ¾ cup + 1 Tablespoon (218g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Check out this Instagram reel to see how I make my biscotti. Turn dough out onto lightly floured baking sheet and, with floured hands, pat dough into a rectangle about ½" thick. I always make my rectangle 6" wide and 7 and ½" long (using a ruler or a ruled silicone baking mat is helpful here).
- Brush the slab with an egg wash then mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle the slab generously with the entire cinnamon-sugar mixture.1 large egg, 1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Bake the dough slab for 20 minutes, or until the top and sides of the slab are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the heat. Place baking sheet on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Once the dough is cool enough to touch, cut into 1" thick slices using a sharp knife. Cut these 1" slices in half, making a perpendicular slice down the entire slab.
- Set slices cut sides up on the baking sheet. Return to the oven to bake for 6 minutes.
- Remove from oven, turn biscotti over, and bake the other side for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet (cookies will become crunchy as they cool). Transfer biscotti to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Biscotti stay fresh in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. Baked biscotti may be frozen up to 3 months.
Notes
- Oil: I like to use avocado oil, but you can use any neutral oil you like such as canola, vegetable, or coconut.
- Dough coming together: this is my biggest complaint from people who don’t trust the process and think there is not enough liquid for the dough. There is! Use your hands and press it all together. I’ve included photos to help guide and reassure you.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
These look so yummy… monday morning with hot milk ohhhh *drools*
Could not get the dough to come together using measures provided. Adding extra oil and butter made no difference.
Please check your recipe as this was a waste of time and ingredients for me
Hey, Claire! I’m really sorry to hear this. I know the recipe is correct— I just checked it against all the other biscotti recipes on my blog. They all use the same base, and I am always able to bring the dough together. I wouldn’t publish them if I couldn’t! In fact, I just remade one of my biscotti recipes last weekend, so I know the recipe still stands proven to work.
Claire, I too had issues with this recipe. When doubled and compared to a traditional biscotti recipe, this has too much flour and I’ve never seen a recipe with both oil and butter. If I were to do it again, I’d follow the recipe of a vanilla biscotti recipe and add cinnamon. I’m hoping I can salvage this batch, but it definitely isn’t going to make it to my biscotti gift baskets.
Bummer to hear this didn’t work for you– I assure you that all of my biscotti recipes work. I make them all the time, and I promise that I would not publish a recipe that didn’t work. In general, doubling or halving or otherwise adjusting a recipe’s yield can never promise the same results, and I never double biscotti because it can get too dry. I’ll be revisiting this recipe soon and adjusting the instructions to reflect clearer specifications.
First time making (and eating) biscotti and these were easy in my opinion and tasted amazing. Not sure if my thickness\crispness was right on but I plan to keep trying!
Awesome, Kim!
My husband loved this recipe!
Thanks, Lizzy 🙂