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.
Ingredients
Traditionally, biscotti are made with flour, sugar, eggs and almonds or pine nuts. To lower the carb count, my keto biscotti contain almond flour. I also replaced the sugar with granulated erythritol.
Here are all the ingredients:
- 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 by 1 tablespoon to prevent your dough from becoming dry.
- Sweetener - I recommend erythritol-based sweeteners. Use either pure erythritol, or a monk fruit or stevia blend. They make the crunchiest cookies. Xylitol or allulose won't set as hard.
- Baking powder
- Sea salt
- Egg - I used a large egg.
- Almond extract - In my opinion, almond extract is essential as it increases the almond flavor. Vanilla extract could be a substitute.
- Nuts - I used pistachios and pecans.
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Step 1
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl - almond flour, granulated erythritol, baking powder, nuts and the pinch of salt.
Step 2
Add the wet ingredients - beaten egg and almond extract. Stir, then knead until a dough forms.
Step 3
Roll the dough into a log shape and place it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Mine was 28 centimetres long.
Step 4
Flatten into an oblong biscotti shape - flat at the bottom, rounded at the top. Bake on the middle shelf for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.
Step 5
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Then cut into biscotti slices with a serrated knife.
Step 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.
Expert Tips
Biscotti recipes 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.
Recipe FAQs
Reduce the amount of almond flour by 1 tablespoon and add 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. You may also need to increase the amount of sweetener by 1-2 tablespoons.
Butter is not an ingredient in traditional biscotti.
If you do, the cookie slices will brown more all over. To prevent this, you could try reducing the oven temperature and leave them in for longer.
I have not tried this myself, but it could work well. Flax is a great binder. I use it in my keto granola and it helps make it super crispy.
Xanthan gum helps to bind and thicken ingredients. However, it makes bakes softer. And we want our biscotti to be crunchy!
Variations
Vary the nuts. I used half pistachios and half pecans. 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.
Vanilla extract. 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.
More Christmas flavor. Add 1 teaspoon of orange extract or 1 teaspoon grated orange zest. Or add winter spices such as 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon crushed cardamom and ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg. ¼ cup of sugar free dried cranberries would also work well!
Chocolate. Dip 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 ¼ cup sugar free chocolate chips to the dough before baking.
Storage
Low carb biscotti should be stored like any other cookie: In an airtight cookie jar. They stay fresh for several weeks.
You can also store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Keto Cookie Recipes
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Recipe
Extra Crispy Keto Biscotti
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup / 125g almond flour or ground almonds (reduce by 1 tablespoon if using extra-fine almond flour)
- ½ cup / 60g pistachios and pecans almonds and hazelnuts also work
- ¼ cup / 50g granulated erythritol
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F electric or 160C / 320F fan.
- 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. See tips for slicing in the recipe notes.
- Reheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F and return to the oven for another 12-15 minutes to allow the biscotti to crisp up.
Louis
I've made these a number of times (pecan/pistachio and orange extract/cranberries) and they're always delicious, but I can't manage to prevent the cookies from crumbling. When I bake the log, I get deep fissures from one end to the other, and when I cut it the cookies break apart. I tried a couple of things to correct this but none of them worked. I made sure to use fine almond flour (not extra fine). I added a bit of extra egg (three small/medium for a double recipe) and made sure it was thoroughly distributed throughout the dough. I added a tablespoon of psyllium husk powder. I tried wrapping the dough in plastic before rolling it into a log, then putting the log into the refrigerator for a few hours to firm up before baking. I also let the log cool overnight before attempting to slice it. Nothing worked! Is there a secret to getting perfect, intact cookies...and not a big pile of crumbles?
Katrin Nürnberger
Compact the dough as much as possible when you roll it into the log, to prevent air bubbles. Also, use the sharpest serrated knife you own for cutting the log. I pressed the side of the cookie I was cutting against the log to prevent it from crumbling.
Louis
Thanks Katrin!
Ilya Snowdon
Leave Biscotti to cool no shorter than one hour or leave longer before cutting
Liz
I've made these several times and they've turned out great, but the last couple times I can't get them to crisp up. Ideas? I've put them back in the oven several times and let them cool completely and they just won't crisp this time.
Katrin Nürnberger
Maybe you used a different product this time? Coarser almond flour or a super large egg?
Jessy
Hi! I do not have erythritol sugar...can I use regular sugar or brown sugar? Thank you so much!
Katrin Nürnberger
Of course, the erythritol is a 1:1 sugar replacement.
Ola
Best biscotti ever! I love how crunchy they are 🙂 Thank you for this fab recipe!
Becky
Spectacular!!!
Monica
This is a great recipe! Thank you!! Have you tried adding xanthum gum at all? I’ve seen some other recipes with xanthum gum. Wondering what difference it would make. Do you think that would improve the texture?
Katrin Nürnberger
Xanthan gum would make it less crunchy. I would avoid it in this recipe.
Gijs
Fantastic. I have tried the recipe today and the biscottis are a real treat. Will definitely make them again.
Valerie Rey
Bonjour,
Si on veut faire à la saveur de Noel doit on mettre aussi l'extrait d'amande?
Merci pour vos merveilleuses recettes 🙂
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, almond extract would work really well here. Great idea!
TMarie
These are really good. Mine always over brown.
Should I reduce the oven temp or bake less. They firm up nice and have good flavor.
Katrin Nürnberger
Both will work, although it's probably easier to reduce the temperature slightly. Another thing you can try is to place aluminium paper over the cookies as soon as they are sufficiently browned. That way you can bake them longer and they won't burn. You can also try baking on a lower shelf where the oven temperature will be less.
Louise Lawrie
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
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
Can you use vegetable oil instead of an egg?
Katrin Nürnberger
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.
Ilya Snowdon
You could experiment with a vegetable gum and oil.
Unless you can find a egg replacement commercially.