Sourdough Biscotti! Crunchy almond cookies enriched with a cup of sourdough discard. These sourdough cookies are perfect for dunking into coffee, espresso or dessert wine.

a stack of almond sourdough biscotti in a table

I love biscotti because they really are easy to make and they keep for weeks. They also happen to be a great vehicle for using your sourdough discard. (Check out this recipe for Almond & Anise Biscotti if you don’t have sourdough discard available.)

If you don’t have one, you can learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter. Then I can show you how to Feed and Maintain Sourdough Starter or How to Keep a Small Sourdough Starter.

Scroll through the process photos to see how to make Sourdough Biscotti:

a glass measuring cup filled with sourdough starter, olive oil and eggs. — Combine the sourdough discard, eggs, oil, vanilla and lemon zest

two side by side photos showing how to finish mixing sourdough biscotti dough — Dump the biscotti dough out onto a work surface and finish kneading in the flour by hand. Form the dough into a ball and divide it into two equal pieces.

two side by side photos showing sourdough biscotti before and after baking. — Form the dough into two logs. Cool the baked biscotti completely before proceeding.

a sliced loaf of biscotti cookies — Slice the cooled loaves on an angle.

two photos showing biscotti before and after toasting — Line the sliced biscotti onto a sheet pan and bake until golden brown on both sides.

FAQs about Sourdough Biscotti:

Can Sourdough Biscotti be made ahead?

Yes. To work ahead, the dough logs can be wrapped and refrigerated for several days or frozen for several weeks. The baked loaves can also be held for a couple of days before slicing and baking the second time. Since biscotti keep so well, you can make the biscotti completely several days or even several weeks before you’re ready to serve them.

Do I have to bake the biscotti a second time?

Since the word “biscotti” literally means “twice cooked” you do need to bake them twice to make “biscotti”. That being said, if you want a soft cookie, the pastry police won’t come to your house if you skip the second bake.

Can Sourdough Biscotti be refrigerated?

There is no need to refrigerate biscotti. In fact, the refrigerator could make the cookies soggy. The biscotti are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

How long will Sourdough Biscotti keep?

I have kept biscotti in a cookie jar with a tight lid for several weeks.

Can Sourdough Biscotti be frozen?

Yes. But since they keep so well at room temperature there’s usually no need to freeze them. If you want to keep them more than two weeks they can be frozen for up to 3 months. You might want to re-toast them briefly after defrosting if they are less crunchy.

a sourdough biscotti cookie sitting on top of the cup of expresso

a biscotti being dunked in a cup of expresso

I know you hate to throw away that sourdough discard. Check out these recipes that use sourdough discard.

Since you’ve got your starter fed, peruse the entire list of My Best Sourdough Recipes. Have fun!

If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.

Sourdough Biscotti

Yield: 48 cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Resting Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Crunchy almond biscotti cookies enriched with a cup of sourdough discard. Perfect for dunking into coffee, espresso or dessert wine.

Ingredients

1 cup (8 oz, 224g) sourdough discard
2 large eggs, plus 1 for egg wash
1/4 cup (2 oz, 60 ml) olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Grated zest from 2 large lemons
3 cups (15 oz, 420g) all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups (14 oz, 392g) granulated sugar, separated
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1.5 cups (8 oz, 224g) toasted almonds, roughly chopped into large chunks

Instructions

In a glass measuring cup combine the discard, 2 eggs, olive oil, vanilla and lemon zest, set aside. In a mixing bowl combine flour, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix the dry ingredients for 30 seconds to combine.
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until almost combined. Add the almonds and mix until almost combined. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and finish mixing by hand until all the flour is absorbed.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 1/2 sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Split the dough into 2 equal portions. Use your hands to roll each piece of dough to a log 13" long x 2" wide. Set the logs onto the sheet pan, leaving at least 3" between them. Brush the logs with egg wash and sprinkle with the last 1/4 cup of granulated sugar.
Bake until golden brown and feels firm when pressed in the middle, about 35 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely.
Use a serrated knife to cut each log into 1/2" slices on a slight diagonal. Lay the cookies flat on the sheet pans and bake 10-12 minutes until toasty and golden brown (see note). Flip the cookies over and bake on the other side for another 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Store in a cookie jar for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

If you like your biscotti super-crunchy bake the sliced cookies for the longer time, bake for the shorter time if you like them a little softer.

To work ahead: the dough logs can be wrapped and refrigerated for several days or frozen for several weeks.

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Thomas Brophyut

Friday 15th of October 2021

I’ve made several batches of this recipe. Even one with orange peel and dried cranberries. Great recipe. Yesterday, instead of making 2 logs I tried making cookies with the dough. Came out even better!

Noy

Monday 6th of September 2021

Hi! looks great! can I use butter instead of olive oil? my concern is that that taste of the olive oil will collide with the sweetness of the cookie

Eileen Gray

I haven't made them with butter so couldn't tell you how the result will be. You don't particularly taste the olive oil. I love the flavor of these cookies.

Maggie

Sunday 5th of September 2021

I made it today but found the texture of the biscotti is very hard to bite. Is this the way it should be?

The taste is actually really great, just wonder how to improve the texture or my mom (elderly) wouldn’t be able to eat it.

Thanks!

Yes, biscotti are very hard. Great for dunking into coffee or dessert wine. If you want a softer cookie, skip the second bake. Just slice and eat.

Josie

Wednesday 5th of May 2021

Absolutely delicious biscotti. I'll definitely be making these again.

Elaine

Sunday 11th of April 2021

Hello, Thanks for this recipe! I’ve made it a few times using half whole wheat and half all purpose flours Everybody agrees it’s very yummy My question is regarding the weights The recipe calls for 3 cups or 420 g flour I just verified 1 cup is 120 g so the next time I will use 360 g flour How has the additional 60 grams of flour affected my final product? (I’m accustomed to the denser results using whole wheat because I always bake that way) Thanks

Wednesday 14th of April 2021

@Eileen Gray,

Monday 12th of April 2021

The weight of a cup of flour is not an absolute measurement. It depends on how you fill the cup. I use the "dip and sweep" method to fill the cup. That is, I "dip" the cup into the bin and overfill it. Then I "sweep" away the excess. Using this method I get 5 oz (140g) of flour. If you fluff and spoon the flour into the cup you'll get closer to 4oz of flour in the cup. I formulate my recipes using weight measure so changing the weight of the flour will change the final result. If you are using weight measure use what is specified in the recipe.