Biscotti are a quintessential cookie for the holiday,s, and I just know my Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Biscotti recipe will become your new favourite! I learned how to make them from watching my mom create batch over batch in the weeks leading up to Christmas. She almost always dipped them in chocolate and (obviously) those were my favourite!

I make LOADS of them every year to share with friends and family. In fact I make them all year long. They are the perfect breakfast for me on the go because they are not too sweet and light. They have less than half the amount of fat compared to most other cookie varieties.

WHAT ARE BISCOTTI?

Biscotti are Italian cookies. The word translates to "twice cooked" since these cookies are indeed baked two times!

First they are baked in a flattened log shape to cook them through. Once cool enough to handle, you slice them and bake them again to crisp them up and dry them out. This is the one time I like a dry cookies -- they're wonderfully crisp and crunchy and delightful with a cup of coffee or tea.

But, don't mistake dry for tasteless and hard. These are still tender and crisp and so so flavourful. This is based on my Italian mama's recipe, except I'm using olive oil. IT'S DELICIOUS.

HOW TO MAKE A TRADITIONAL DARK CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL BISCOTTI RECIPE

A lot of recipes out there make biscotti the way you’d make most cookies – by creaming butter and sugar, but that is not the traditional method.

My mom taught me how to make biscotti and the real way is to only use melted butter that gets whisked into beaten eggs and sugar. It’s almost like making muffin batter, except the proportion of dry ingredients outweighs the wet ingredients to leave you with a stiffer (but not dry) dough. In this version for Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Biscotti I replace butter with olive oil and it is exceptional!

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL BISCOTTI RECIPE

This recipe combines 5 ingredients that just belong together:

Olive oil - use a nice fruity olive oil. You don't have to use extra virgin, but do try to use a nice clean one and make sure it is fresh! Rancid oil will ruin your recipe.

Dark chocolate - chocolate and olive oil are a magic pairing. Make sure to use dark chocolate for the best experience. I wouldn't recommend milk chocolate because it can burn during the second baking time.

Almonds - if you roast your almonds before you put them in the cookie dough, you get bonus points! It will elevate the flavour so much.

Dried figs - these are optional but just imagine the combination of olive oil, almonds, figs and chocolate. *Swoon*.

Lemon zest - you could also use orange zest.

This combination is divine. Of course you can use any other type of nut, and I would suggest pistachios or hazelnuts. You can also substitute figs for dried cranberries or apricots.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1). Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

STEP 2). Combine dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend evenly.

STEP 3). Blend wet ingredients. Combine eggs, sugar in a medium bowl and whisk vigorously until thickened and lightened in colour like custard. Whisk in olive oil, lemon zest and almond extract.

STEP 4). Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until most of the flour is absorbed.

STEP 5). Add the nuts and things. Add the dried figs, chocolate chips and almonds and fold them through to distribute evenly. The dough will be a bit sticky.

STEP 6). Shape the dough. Divide dough in half and place it onto a lightly floured work surface. With lightly floured hands, gently roll each portion into an 11 to 12-inch log and then transfer the logs onto the prepared baking sheet spacing them about 3 inches apart. Flatten logs with your hands so that they are about 2½ inches wide and ¾-inch high.

STEP 7). Brush & Bake. Brush flattened logs lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and cool for at least 30 minutes so that the cookie logs no longer feel soft and are firm enough to slice neatly. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

STEP 8). Slice and bake again. Use a sharp serrated knife to slice logs diagonally into ½-inch pieces and place them back onto the baking sheet so they are standing right-side-up. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until dry and crisp. Let cool completely before dipping in melted dark chocolate. Serve with espresso!

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

Let it cool - It is important to ensure the log is cool enough that it is set, otherwise when you try to slice it the log will squish. Also, the nuts are soft while warm and are more difficult to saw through neatly. Once cooled, they will take to the knife better. I suggest waiting at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Use a low temperature for the second bake - I always lower my oven to around 300 degrees F for the second bake because we just want to dry them out slightly. They should turn slightly golden but shouldn't get too brown at this stage.

Don't over work the dough - just gently fold in the mix-ins at the end and don't mix the dough too much or it will get too sticky.

Avoid adding more flour - the dough will feel quite soft, but just let it sit to firm up a bit before going in with more flour. Just use floured hands to help shape it into a log. The right amount of flour will ensure these cookies stay light and crisp rather than hard and dense.

HOW TO SLICE DARK CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL BISCOTTI

I always use a sharp serrated knife to slice the biscotti log in a gentle sawing motion. The sharp teeth help to saw through the hard nuts so you get nice clean cross-sections.

If you like biscotti, check out my other biscotti recipes:

Crisp Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Biscotti

Double Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Gingerbread & Chocolate Layer Biscotti

Chocolate & Toasted Almond Biscotti