Wonderfully crisp and crunchy and brimming with nutty flavour, these Keto biscotti are the perfect partner for a hot cup of tea or coffee at any time of year. 
Biscotti, also known as cantucci, are twice-baked, oblong Italian almond biscuits that were created in the city of Prato. While some people associate them with the holiday season and Christmas, they’re traditionally enjoyed all year round.
The word biscotto actually originates from the medieval word “biscoctus”, which means “twice cooked”. This rendered the cookies extra dry and crunchy and they could be stored for long periods of time.
Traditionally, biscotti are made with flour, sugar, eggs and almonds or pine nuts. To lower the carb count, my Keto biscotti contain almond flour as a main ingredient. I also replaced the sugar with granulated erythritol.
A quick word about almond flour: I’m using ground almonds, which is equivalent to regular almond flour in the US. If you want to use super-fine almond flour, consider reducing the amount to 1 cup / 100g to prevent your dough from becoming too dry.
How to make Keto biscotti – step by step:
1.) Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl – almond flour, granulated erythritol, baking powder, nuts and the pinch of salt. Then add the wet ingredients – beaten egg and almond extract – and stir, then knead until a dough forms.
2.) Roll the dough into a log shape. Mine was 28 cm long. Flatten into an oblong biscotti shape – flat at the bottom, rounded at the top. Bake on the middle shelf for around 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.
5.) Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Then cut into biscotti with a serrated knife.
6.) Return to the oven for another 12-15 minutes to allow the biscotti to crisp up. Rotate the baking sheet if you notice that the biscuits at the back brown faster than the ones in the front.
Tips and Variations
Biscotti made with wheat flour can be rolled into a log and will spread into the oblong shape whilst in the oven. This does not happen with almond flour biscotti. Be sure to flatten your log into the desired shape!
Almond flour lacks gluten and is therefore more fragile. Use the sharpest serrated knife you own for cutting the log. Also, to prevent the cookies from breaking, I pressed the side of the cookie I was cutting against the log to stabilise it.
I used half pistachios and half pecans. But you can vary the nuts. Almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts and pistachios can be used whole. If you’re using large nuts such as walnuts or pecans, break them into slightly smaller pieces first so they don’t stick out of your log.
I think it’s the almond extract that makes the recipe taste special. But if you don’t have it, vanilla extract or powdered vanilla bean also works.
Want more Christmas flavour? Try adding 1 tsp of orange extract or 1 tsp grated orange zest. Or add winter spices such as 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp crushed cardamom and 1/8 tsp nutmeg. 1/4 cup of dried (unsweetened) cranberries would also work well!
Want to up the decadence factor? Consider dipping one end of the Keto biscotti in sugar free chocolate or drizzle melted dark chocolate (minimum 85% cocoa solids) over them. You could even add 1/4 cup sugar free chocolate chips to the dough before baking.
Check out my other classic sugar free cookies:
- Keto Sugar Cookies
- The Ultimate Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Keto Lemon Cookies
- Sugar Free Meringues
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Extra Crispy Keto Biscotti
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Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup / 125g almond flour or ground almonds (reduce to 1 cup if using extra-fine almond flour)
- 1/2 cup / 60g pistachios and pecans almonds and hazelnuts also work
- 1/4 cup / 50g granulated erythritol
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 Fahrenheit.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl - almond flour, granulated erythritol, baking powder, whole pistachios, crushed pecans and the pinch of salt.
- Add the wet ingredients - beaten egg and almond extract - and stir, then knead until a dough forms.
- Roll the dough into a log shape. Mine was 28 cm long. Flatten into a biscotti shape.
- Bake on the middle shelf for around 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely. The log will firm up. Then cut into biscotti with a serrated knife and lay down flat next to each other on the baking sheet.
- Reheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F and return to the oven for another 12-15 minutes to allow the biscotti to crisp up.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Louise Lawrie says
Made these today and they are lovely! However just a tiny bit too sweet for me – I used Splenda, it’s all I had. Could I cut down on sweetened levels to make these suit my tastes better?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Of course you can! Note that if you use Splenda, you must measure in cups and tsp and not grams. It is lighter in weight than erythritol.
Nino says
Can you use vegetable oil instead of an egg?
Katrin Nürnberger says
It is possible to make cookies without egg. But I think in this case the egg plays a role in texture and crunch. If you left it out, you may want to replace it with something else that does that job, like chia or flax.
MiRai says
reminds me of a healthy version of bishop bread 😀 I wonder if anyone who´s not on keto, just like me, tried it with nuts and dried fruit like dates, could be yummy as well
Princess says
Could you use coconut flour in this recipe? If, yes what changes needs to be made? I have a lot of coconut flour and want to make use of it.
Katrin Nürnberger says
I haven’t tried it. But if you want to give it a go, I’d use 1/3 the amount stated for almond flour (maybe an additional 1 tbsp if necessary, you’ll have to judge the consistency of your mix). You may also want to add 1 tbsp flax or 1-2 tsp ground chia seeds for a sturdier texture as coconut flour is more brittle. It’ll be a bit of an experiment! 🙂
Faith says
Succulent. Thanks for sharing. It’s a feast of the senses.
Barry says
These taste so good but it is very frustrating because I have made this recipe, following everything to the letter, about 6 times, and I have never been able to get crispy biscotti.
I have let them cool by even putting them in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 hours. I have cooked them at 350 after they’ve cooled and have also set the oven at 250 and let them cook longer but that didn’t work either. It seems I am constantly fighting a battle between soft biscotti and burning them. I have even tried putting in a little cornstarch but that didn’t work either. I use unblanched fine almond flour.
Would using less egg decrease the moisture content and possibly help? Thanks.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Barry, it’s possible that your egg is way larger than the one I used. So, you could either source smaller eggs or try using only the egg white. I’ve made these walnut cookies with egg whites only. It’s great as a binder and contains no additional fat.
The only issue with using just egg white MAY be that cutting into slices could be more of a challenge (just thinking here). If you try either, please do let me know the result. I’d love to hear.
And make a nice mayonnaise with the leftover yolk!
Bev Wright says
These are my “go to” recipe when I want something delicious and easy to make.
Love them thank you
Katrin Nürnberger says
That’s so good to hear!
Susan C. says
Delicious! I usually make these with lemon extract, macadamia nuts, and pistachios. Great for an on-the-go sweet snack. They’re a little challenging to cut into slices… just make sure it has fully cooled first, use a freshly sharpened butcher knife, and cut quickly and firmly.
Katrin Nürnberger says
I agree, you need a very sharp knife and cut with gusto:)
Curtis Chavira says
Just made these today and they came out so scrummy. Easy recipe and delicious- I used swerve brand erythritol . Only had pecans on hand and it was perfect – thanks for the recipe.
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you liked them!!!
Pinky says
Marvellous recipe! Its actually in fact tastier than the normal biscottis. I used Lakanto monkfruit sweetener instead of erythritol and it has a minty aftertaste. I cooled them overnight and only bake again the next morning, and it was easy to slice ! Will try to make with other nuts variants , thanks for sharing!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Sonal , it sounds to me like your oven temperature was maybe too low? Did they brown? If not, they need more time at a higher temperature. The other possibility is that you just did not wait long enough until they had cooled down. Once cold, all low carb cookies are 100% more crisp than when they’re fresh out of the oven. Hope this helps 🙂
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Sally, biscotti are supposed to be dry and crunchy. But to me it sounds like you may have used a super-fine almond flour, which means that the flour/fat ratio was off. I always bake with what we here call ground almonds (essentially regular almond flour). If almond flour is very finely milled or even fat-reduced, you need to use much less of it as it absorbs more liquid. Do you think this could have been the issue?
mag says
These sound great and I’m looking forward to trying them. Any idea how long they keep?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Mine lasted about 1 week, but only because that’s when we finished the last one. I think they last longer than that 🙂
Pamcakes! says
I have a favorite biscotti recipe, it’s rosemary and orange-it’s fabulous! Since I am new to keto baking I looked for a straight forward recipe and this one fit the bill. I browned 2 tablespoons of butter, and added it to a 2 tablespoons of chopped rosemary and the zest of an orange, to bloom them, and then I added that to the monkfruit sugar and let it sit for a few minutes to cool down. I added that to the dry ingredients stirred and then added the egg and vanilla extract- I was out of almond, but I’m sure it would be excellent. I also added a little zest into some monkfruit sugar and topped the log with it before I baked it. Super important to allow them to cool before slicing, and I find it best to use a long serrated bread knife with even pressure to prevent them from breaking. These biscottis are delicious, I hope you try it!
Pamcakes! says
I forgot one thing, I use sliced almonds, again it makes the slicing a whole lot easier!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Oh my, rosemary and orange sounds like a fabulous mix!
Liz Rogoff says
I’ve made this recipe several times. I even Vitamix -ed my own almonds when I didn’t have flour or meal on hand. I use both pistachios and almonds, even added no sugar added dried cranberries during holidays Great recipe! Even my non keto husband enjoys!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Adding the cranberries sounds great! I must try that next time (even if that’s not during the holidays 😉
Anne Marie says
Will any egg substitutes work in this recipe?
Katrin Nürnberger says
You’d have to give it a try, I have not made them without an egg. A chia egg would probably work well here.
Wendy says
Hi Katrin, I have made this recipe twice now (Keto Pistacio, Pecan Biscotti) and it tastes great but I get so frustrated trying to slice it, is there another way I could make these as the perfect shaped biscuit? I have used the sharpest knife, cleaned it between slices even made some slice indents in the top before baking? this is the first crunchy biscuit I have made since doing Keto, thay are fabulous
Wendy
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Wendy, I think the main benefit of baking the log whole is than you’re then able to slice the whole nuts almonds without squashing the dough and get that traditional biscotti look with the clean nut halves showing. If you’re happy to use crushed, smaller nut pieces instead of whole nuts you could chill the unbaked log in the fridge for 1 hour and then slice it before baking. You’ll have to adjust the baking time (maybe turn the cookies over as well), but the end result should be just as crunchy.
Or you cut your biscotti a little thicker? I didn’t do mine as thin as I originally wanted, because I worried they would break.
Hilary says
Looks so good! Can I use Stevia powder in place of Erythritol?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Hilary, I have never used stevia powder, so I’m not sure about the concentration. But the erythritol is not essential to the recipe. If your powder is pure and you only need a tiny amount, you may want to consider using a medium egg or add a little more almond flour so you end up with the same wet/dry ingredient ratio.
Barbara T says
I used Costco almond flour which said superfine so I used 100 g as suggested (1 cup if my math was correct). The mixture was moist but easy to fashion into the log so probably correct. I also used half (25g) of the “sugar” Swerve granular in my case and for me that was plenty sweet enough. The almond essence is essential I thought. I baked them in a toaster oven which may have baked the biscotti faster and as is normal with almond flour I needed to watch in both stages that there was not too much browning. Slicing the biscotti resulted in a couple of broken slices but no more than I used to have with regular flour biscotti. And since before the second baking the cookies are still a bit soft you can push together any breaks. Definitely a keeper recipe. Thanks.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Barbara, thanks so much for you detailed comment. It’s always so helpful to hear how other brands and methods work out. Glad your cookies were a success!!!
Rebecca says
Hi katrin, if I wanted to use coconut flour instead of almond flour what would the measurement be, and would I have to change anything else
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Rebecca, I always start with using around 1/3 the amount of coconut flour in place of almond flour and increase to up to 1/2 the amount if necessary. So, I’d try 45-50g of coconut flour to start with (it absorbs more liquid than almond flour). You MAY want to consider using a little xanthan gum as well, perhaps 1 tsp – I always find coconut flour is more fragile than almond flour. Use a slightly lower oven temperature the second time you bake them (150-160C) and keep them in for longer so they dry out sufficiently, maybe even leave them in the oven after you have turned it off. Just a thought – you could also consider using half sesame flour and half coconut flour. I think that would taste lovely (and less coconutty). Sesame flour is roughly a 1:1 replacement for ground almonds, depending on how finely it is milled.
Katrin Nürnberger says
hi Linda, it’s all added now. Thanks for pointing this out!
Nigel says
GREAT RECIPE
Katrin Nürnberger says
Thank you Nigel!!
Susan Yakus says
I think you are my new best friend!! I have been dying for a crispy cookie recipe. It seems like everything I try, has a weird, cornbread texture. Also, what size egg? Does it matter? I usually use XL eggs and sometimes Jumbo. Thanks so much, Susan
Katrin Nürnberger says
My eggs tend to be medium to large (I buy them from a local farm and they are never exactly the same size). Try to stick to a large one. I think if you use an xl egg you may want to increase the amount of almond flour by a bit (maybe 1-2 tbsp), just to make sure your biscotti are super crunchy