This classic Italian recipe gets all southerned up with the the addition of cornmeal, bourbon, and pecans. The result is a sweet, crunchy, nutty bite of southern goodness.
Don't want to scroll through the page to get to the recipe? Use the table of contents to click on the section you want to go to.
❤️ Why you'll love it
- Crunchy texture is great for dipping in milk, coffee, or a cup of tea
- Cornmeal biscotti is a Southern version of the classic coffee shop treat
- Great for gifting and sharing—they last in the pantry for weeks!
This easy biscotti recipe is great for both first-timers and seasoned bakers. The toasted pecans add to the deliciously crumbly texture and the splash of bourbon enhances the sweet, nutty flavors—they're simple, Southern perfection!
Table of Contents
📖 Variations
- Don't like to cook with alcohol? Swap the bourbon for two teaspoons of pure vanilla extract (the good stuff!) and one tablespoon of cold water.
- You can swap the pecans for whole almonds, chopped into pieces.
- Changing the flavor of biscotti is super easy! Some people like to add orange zest, mini chocolate chips, dried cherries, or anise seeds.
- If you have white cornmeal in your pantry already, you can use it instead of yellow. However, know that the corn flavor will taste milder.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
The hardest thing about making homemade biscotti is waiting for it to be cool enough to eat.
It's a twice-baked cookie which is what gives it its unique crispness and texture.
First you form it into a wide, thinnish loaf and bake it for about 30 minutes. Next you take it out of the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes.
Now, slice the loaf into cookies and bake again, turning them over about halfway through.
How to cut biscotti
It IS a SUPER easy biscotti recipe but the cutting requires some thought. Personally, I like to cut on a diagonal which gives me some super long cookies.
Cutting the loaf straight across makes more cookies but they are smaller. Still, the smaller ones are all the same size while the diagonally cut ones have numerous sizes.
It's up to y'all. There is no right or wrong way to go with an easy biscotti recipe like this.
Unless you don't make it. That would be SO wrong.
🥫 How to store biscotti
I love this easy biscotti recipe because it lasts way longer than some other classic treats—as long as you can resist eating them all at once!
Seal the crunchy cookies in a tin or airtight container—just be sure the lid fits tight. They'll keep at room temperature for around two weeks, sometimes longer.
You can also freeze biscotti for up to three months in zip-top freezer bags.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Don't let the biscotti cool too long after the first bake—the loaf should be warm enough to cut easily, but not so warm it crumbles.
- Chop up the pecans in a food processor to make prep less messy!
- If the biscotti dough is too sticky to shape, wet your hands a little before handling it.
- Transfer biscotti to the cutting board by lifting it up using the long edges of the parchment paper—like a little biscotti hammock. This will prevent the soft loaf from tearing.
- You can cut on parchment paper, but shouldn't cut on Silpat. It can ruin the mat and even expose you to fiberglass from inside the silicone.
- You can chill biscotti dough overnight to split up prep if you want.
- Biscotti holds up great in the mail. Here are my tips for shipping cookies to far-away friends and family.
👩🍳 FAQs
If your biscotti are too soft then you didn't bake the cookies long enough for the second bake. If your biscotti slices are around ¼ inch thick they'll only need around 20 minutes in the oven after they're cut.
Undunked biscotti are hard and crunchy. I like the coffee dunk but some people prefer the milk dunk.
The cookies will continue to harden as they cool on a wire rack. So, once they're golden brown and the cook times from the recipe card have elapsed, you're good to take them out of the oven.
📚 Related recipes
- A fall favorite, these Bourbon Pumpkin Pie Biscotti are flavored with the sweet, spiced flavors of autumn and a delicious white chocolate drizzle.
- Pecans, bourbon, and white chocolate take Brown Butter Blondies to the next level. Trust me when I say, you won't be able to eat just one!
- Pecan Cranberry Cookies taste just like the holidays but are great all year long. They're easy, shippable, and always the first to disappear from cookie trays!
🍽️ Serve with...
- Coffee Punch is a traditional Southern beverage and the perfect drink into which you can dunk your crunchy biscotti—they're a great match!
- Want a warm option? Salted Caramel Brulee Lattes taste like they're from your favorite coffee shop, but without standing in that lo-ong line.
- You can't go wrong with Irish coffee and biscotti!
📞 The last word
This easy recipe will have you making biscotti often. We went through this entire batch in about 36 hours.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Bourbon Cornmeal Biscotti with Toasted Pecans
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2-½ cups all purpose flour
- 1-¼ cups sugar
- ½ cup yellow corn meal
- 1-½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped and toasted
- ½ cup butter, cut in small cubes
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons bourbon, may substitute 2 teaspoons vanilla + 1 tablespoon ice water
Instructions
- Toast pecans in a 350F oven for about 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Line a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.
- Mix the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and pecans in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle. Blend on low for a few seconds or until well blended.
- On the slowest speed add the butter a little at a time until the mixture looks like small crumbs.
- Add the pecans.
- Add the eggs and bourbon and beat until you can form a ball with the dough that won't fall apart.
- Remove from the bowl and form into a long loaf on the silpat covered baking sheet. The loaf should be just a little higher than your fingers if you lay your flat hand next to it.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes. Don't let it get cool - it needs to still be warm.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350F.
- Put the loaf on a cutting board and slice it into ½-inch thick slices. Some people use a serrated knife - I use a chef's knife. Use what works best for you. If you slice straight across you'll get about 24 medium sized biscotti. If you cut on a diagonal you'll get about 18. I prefer to cut on the diagonal.
- Place cut side down on the baking sheet and put back in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. They should be lightly browned around the edges.
- Carefully turn each biscotti over and return to the oven to bake for 10 minutes more.
- Remove from the oven.
- Leave on the baking sheet until completely cool. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
✍🏻 A note from Marye...
I know y'all don't always like the stories bloggers tell so when I have one I try to put it at the very bottom so you can read or skip as you like.
I love biscotti. Sometimes I'll head over to a coffee shop with my laptop and sip a latte while I indulge in a biscotti.
Being a bit of an Anne Shirley I tend to imagine myself in Italy enjoying the view. Trust me, that takes a LOT of imagining because the nearest coffee shop is on the I-35 service road.
I like it so much better when I make my own lattes and indulge in homemade biscotti!
At least I have a choice of sitting on the back deck and watching the birds or sitting on the front porch and watching the squirrels.
I hope you'll try this recipe!
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