Bookmarked this NPR article way back and was looking for pointers before I dig in. My biscotti-baking relatives are no longer alive to bake homemade batches and I never took notes. My Aunt and sister usually buy them now. Anise is my favorite. I do like them on the chewier side more than dry hard.
Advice?
Get a good sharp serrated knife to slice them. I’ve made lots - they’re kind of a PITA IMHO. But, good luck.
Thanks John. 
You could read a lot of recipes, cross your fingers, and pick one…
I don’t know if finding good ones first, and then trying to get that recipe, would be faster or slower in the end.
The tiny serrations, or the wide type?
Look for a recipe with some butter, they will be softer than biscotti made with only eggs.
Some biscotti cut more neatly if wrapped in plastic for a day after the first bake.
Wide
What I said there didn’t make any sense. I should have said that instead of reading lots of recipes you might eat good biscotti and ask directly for that recipe.
I made marzipan/almond/pistachio/chocolate biscotti yesterday (something I don’t do often), and came up with an old problem - the biscotti breaking up when cutting after the first baking. I used to use a ham slicer before, but it was never ideal; yesterday it just wouldn’t work. I then used my relatively new Mercer bread knife; great knife for bread, but the serrations are not fine, and I think the edges of the teeth kept getting caught on the nuts, and the slices kept breaking up.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a proven knife with fine serrations, that will not break the bank?This would be a rarely-used knife so I want something comparable to the Mercer in cost (under $30 from Amazon).
The picture shows what I’m battling.
I wonder what it would be like if I just threw it all into the food processor. I’d lose the texture, of course, but would it cut okay and taste the same?
At first glance, I’d just process the nuts and chocolate a bit finer in the food processor using the pulse feature. For the almonds, I’d use commercial thinly sliced ones. I make a Greek style biscotti, called paximadia, in which I use the thin sliced almonds - works great without the breakage. Also, maybe just test cut using a sharp chef’s knife, possibly.
The recipe calls for halved almonds, but I used slivered. Using sliced instead is a good idea.
Interestingly, the recipe specifies that you chop the chocolate as fine as possible without using a food processor as it would then be too fine.
I will try a chef’s knife.
Thanks.
A call for your favorite biscotti recipe(s). I’m thinking of taking them to a holiday party. Anything goes. Watcha got?
I’d be happy to provide a LONG LIST of recipes not to use.
I have a several of those myself. Why are there so many ill conceived biscotti recipes??
My first still is my favorite (uses oil, with pistachios and cranberries). I have yet to find a chocolate or otherwise flavored version which really floats my boat.
Have you tried making paximadia or mandelbrot? Biscotti adjacent, but distinct
I couldn’t believe how delicious some Mandelbrot I acquired through a cookie exchange were.
Much more addictive than any commercial Mandelbrot or almond biscotti I have eaten.
I have had a cinnamon chocolate chip biscotti that I liked a lot, from a bakery, not a home baker.
…
Do you tend to dunk your biscotti when you eat them, or eat them dry?
You could try the one about which I posted above, 3 years ago. If interested, I could post the recipe, with the caveat that I have not yet found a way to get clean cuts, albeit that it’s not something I’ve made often, so have not tried various knives.
I have not made the versions you suggest - I’ll take a look at recipes. Thanks!
ETA: Personally, I’m a dry biscotti fan. But since these are for a shindig, you never know who’s a dunker…
tangent, these caught my eye.
Thank you! I’m not much of a marzipan fan, however, so will pass on that one.
maybe try paximadia from a Greek bakery, or make a small batch first. they are a bit of an acquired taste, and tend to be for dunking in coffee or tea, not for eating as a sweet on its own
@Lambchop , and @ernie_in_berkeley , do you have a Paximadia recipe you would like to share with @MunchkinRedux ?
I can find ours, it’s a photocopy of a dittoed recipe!
