by These exquisite Chocolate Biscotti with Pine Nuts feature an irresistible combo of rich cocoa, dark chocolate and toasted pine nuts. And the ultimate indulgence!
Whether you enjoy them as an afternoon snack or pair them with your morning coffee, they are sure to please all die-hard biscotti fans.
If you have been following along for a while, you probably know how much I adore biscotti! There is no holiday or special occasion without at least one form or flavour of biscotti.
From Cherry Biscotti with roasted pistachios to Almond Biscotti with Pineapple and Coconut or Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti…there’s one to please every Biscotti fan.
These Chocolate Biscotti with Pine Nuts are adapted from Anna Olsen’s cookbook “Another Cup Of Sugar” and have graced my holiday cookie platter for many years. They’re everything I adore in a good biscotti! In my opinion, they are the absolute “ultimate biscotti.”
For those not familiar with Anna Olsen, she hosts the Food Network’s show called “Sugar.” It’s all about sweet and decadent delights.
These double chocolate biscotti are a far cry from the rock-hard variety sold at most coffee shops, as those are usually made without butter and are more suited for dunking to render them edible.
What also sets them apart from the other varieties is that after the initial first bake of 30 minutes, they are slightly cooled, sliced and returned to the oven with the oven turned off and allowed to dry out this way for an additional 30 minutes. So, they only get one bake, much like my Nutella Rolled Biscotti.
Let’s get started!
Ingredients for Chocolate Biscotti with Pine Nuts
How to Make Chocolate Biscotti
- Place the softened butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Cream together until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time until they are fully incorporated.
- Then, stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, semolina flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
- Stir the flour and cocoa mixture into the butter mixture until well combined.
- Stir in the pine nuts and chocolate pieces until evenly distributed.
- Divide the dough into three equal portions and roll it out into approximately 10 1/2-inch logs. Then brush with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake in a preheated oven set at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
- Let the biscotti logs cool for 20 minutes, then slice the biscotti into half-inch or up to 3/4-inch slices and place upright on a baking sheet.
- Return the cookies to the oven with the oven turned off and allow the cookies to dry out for 30 minutes.
Why I Love These Double Chocolate Biscotti
There is much to adore about these biscotti! They are rich in butter and chocolate flavour, with a fudge-like appearance when fresh out of the oven
They’re deliciously speckled with tender roasted pine nuts and chocolate chunks with a slight crunch from the cornmeal. A generous sprinkle of sugar crystals for a festive appeal and a lovely almond flavour in every tender bite!
I enjoy baking two versions of these delightful cookies and presenting them together, creating a visually impressive arrangement of biscotti that serves as a magical conclusion to a special meal. See below for the switch-up!
Most enjoyable with a tall glass of milk or for a more grownup appeal serve them with a small glass of aged Porto as my hubby prefers! Or a big glass of Porto, whatever works for you…I will not judge 🙂
Happy Baking!
How to Toast Pine Nuts
For lightly toasted pine nuts, spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet in one single layer.
Toast them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for approximately 5 minutes and toss them halfway through. You may need to add an extra minute or two of toasting time, depending on your oven.
Remove the pine nuts from the tray and transfer them onto a large plate. If you keep them on the hot baking tray, they’ll continue to toast longer than needed.
Toast only the amount needed because toasted pine nuts turn rancid quicker than raw pine nuts.
Switch-Up for the Pine Nut Biscotti:
Follow the recipe as indicated except omit the 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and replace it with all-purpose flour. The total amount of all-purpose flour will then be 3 1/3 cups of flour for the pine nut biscotti.
This post was originally published on December 9, 2016, and republished on December 24, 2023, with updated content and photos.
Chocolate Pine Nut Biscotti
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used dutch dark cocoa)
- 1/3 cup durum semolina flour (or fine corn meal)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (I used fine sea salt)
- 1 1/4 cups lightly toasted pine nuts
- 3/4 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or chocolate chips)
Egg Wash
- 1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoons of water (for egg wash (brushing over the unbaked logs))
- 1/2 cup turbinado sugar (for sprinkling over the unbaked logs)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter with both sugars for a couple of minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, until each is fully incorporated.
- Stir in both the vanilla and almond extracts.
- In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, durum semolina and the salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until blended. You will have a soft dough.
- Stir in the pine nuts along with the chocolate chunks until evenly distributed.
- Transfer the dough onto a floured work space and divide it into 3 portions.
- Roll the dough into a 10 ½ inch log with floured hands and transfer it to the prepared cookie sheet. (At this point, it helps to have the cookie sheet nearby for easy transfer)
- Repeat with the remaining two portions of dough.
- The dough spreads during baking, so make sure they are 2 inches apart.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the biscotti logs with the egg wash.
- Sprinkle generously with the turbinado sugar.
- Bake the logs for 30 minutes. When ready, the top should feel firm to the touch.
- Remove the biscotti from the oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for approximately 15 to 20 minutes for easy slicing.
- Transfer the logs to a cutting board and slice each log, one at a time, into 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch slices.
- Place the sliced biscotti upright on the baking sheet.
- Return the cookie sheet to the oven and turn the oven off.
- Keep in the oven for 30 minutes so that the biscotti slowly dry out as the oven cools off.
I will be making this one as well. Your biscotti are wonderful.
Serving these side by side are simply gorgeous and I have not yet found a more tender biscotti then these ones. They are a keeper! xxx
Look so yummy…my dads favorites❤️ I’ll try some for him
I am sure he will love them?
Love the combination of pine nuts and chocolate. Great idea! 🙂
Thanks so much Ronit, they are a delicious combination?
I love that coarse sugar on top. I can tell the texture of these biscotti is just perfect. Great job!
Hi Jess, yes the coarse sugar really adds a special touch! Thanks so much?
This recipe is so very different than what I’ve had…they sound great with the pine nuts.
Hi Karen, they are really quite indulgent and very much different from the usual biscotti we see in coffee shops?
Oh your biscottis are just perfectly looking… as usual, of course!
Thanks so much Annika that is very kind of you!
so many good biscotti recipes, so little time! These look fantastic, Marisa.
Hi Kathryn, I can totally relate, there never seems to be enough days in the week! Thanks so much?
Marisa, after a marathon week of biscotti baking, I thought I was finished BUT I must make these. Printing out the recipe as I type. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Bella, I promise you will not be disappointed, it’s a fabulous recipe to add to your repertoire! Do let me know how they turn out….I value your opinion?❤️
Gorgeous Marisa!
Thanks Lynn, they’re pretty amazing?
They look amazing
You’re so right about hard biscotti in coffeeshops. Also glad you’re using the word biscuits/biscotti properly, because it should only be used to describe cookies that are baked twice. I like your alternate version with pine nuts and chocolate. My favorite are the original with almonds. When I bake them, people are always surprised they’re not the tooth-breaking kind 😉
Nowadays there are so many different flavours to choose from but the almond biscotti is definitely a classic. Thanks Stefan!
Wonderful recipe, Marissa. I’m in agreement with both you and Stefan regarding the rock hard biscotti. How did these become the norm? I do intend to save your recipe but won’t be baking any biscotti this season. I’ve a few dental appts to make and I won’t be eating cookies of any kind for a little while. Not to worry. There are plenty of other opportunities to bake and enjoy these beauties in the year ahead and I intend to take full advantage. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Yikes, dental appointments, I feel your pain already! Good luck with those! Any day would be a special day to bake a good biscotti and I have no doubt that you will be trying them soon. Thanks for your comment John ?
Very beautiful biscotti and what a great gift these would make! Thanks for sharing and Cheers.
They do indeed make a great gift, my colleagues are always delighted to receive them! Thanks for dropping by and cheers to you Teresa, enjoy the holidays 🙂
Just love your chocolate pine nut biscotti, Marissa! 🙂 My better half and I love biscotti but have always had it outside. I can’t wait to try these at home.
As a token of appreciation, I’ll be sharing this recipe link as the Recipe of the Day on our Facebook group ‘Recipe Repertoire’ (a group uniting food bloggers and food lovers). Congrats and do join and have a look at https://www.facebook.com/groups/703073099864104/
Thanks so much for dropping by and commenting, Anugya! These biscotti are truly amazing, hope you get to try them. I’ll be sure to check out your Facebook page 🙂
Absolute pleasure, Marisa! 🙂
Hi Marisa,
These look delicious. I’m wondering about the durum semolina flour vs the fine corn meal. Which do you prefer and why? Also, I see that durum Semolina flour comes in Coarse or fine I assume it would be fine ground??
Thank you, I look forward to making these for Christmas Eve.
Jo
First so happy to hear your giving them a go, they’re absolutely fabulous! Both the durum semolina flour and fine cornmeal will help to keep the biscotti tender. The difference is that the cornmeal has a gritty texture so if you opt for it make sure it’s very fine. Having said that they’re really both great choices but I like that slight crunch from the fine cornmeal. If your undecided go for the durum semolina, it’s all a matter of taste. Enjoy!
Hi Marisa,
Love your blog! For the biscotti can we use plain flour instead if durum or cornmeal?
Hi Anna, although I haven’t tested it I don’t see why not. But just keep in mind that it will alter the end result as the semolina flour really makes these biscotti quite tender. If you try it do come back and let us know how it turned out. Thanks so much for commenting!
Why do these not have baking powder in them? Or baking soda?
Janet, there’s no need for either in this recipe. The dough puffs up from the steam while baking. This creates a dense cookie without the baking powder, and it works well for biscotti.