Discover Cantucci: The Petite Cook™’s Italian Biscotti Delights

Learn how to make cantucci following the authentic recipe – These traditional Italian biscotti are twice baked and made without butter.

Cantucci (also called cantuccini or biscotti di Prato) are traditional Italian biscotti from Tuscany. You can often see them on restaurant menus as “cantucci e vin santo” because they are usually dipped in this popular sweet wine.

The cantucci recipe is very simple and calls for simple ingredients including almonds, flour, eggs, and natural flavors (no butter or oil).

The cookie dough comes together in minutes, all you have to do is mix the ingredients in a bowl and form the loaf!

Once baked, you’ll cut the loaf into slices to form the classic cantucci.

At this point, a second baking is necessary where they form a beautiful golden crust and their typical crumbly and crunchy texture!

Did you know? In Italy, we often give cantucci as a homemade gift for the holidays together with a bottle of vin santo.

Follow the recipe step by step and you too can prepare these delicious cookies to gift to your family and friends!

Cantucci VS Biscotti

Cantucci and biscotti are the same types of cookies, the only real difference between them is the name, but it’s worth exploring their meaning.

Biscotti in Italian means cookies, and we use it to indicate any kind of cookies.

In the US, biscotti is referred to the cookies that in Italy we call “cantucci” or “cantuccini” (if they’re smaller in size), probably because they’re also called “biscotti di Prato”, the city where they were invented almost 200 years ago.

However, only the biscotti made with almonds are the authentic cantucci, if they include other ingredients (chocolate, pistachio, cranberries etc.) then they’re just biscotti.

Italian biscotti ingredients

The authentic biscotti di Prato are made with simple ingredients, and as I mentioned earlier, these are dairy-free cookies and made without butter.

Here below you will find my ingredient recommendations for the best results.

• Flour – A little all-purpose flour acts as a binding agent and helps the dough come together.
• Eggs – The eggs act as a binding agent while also adding richness and flavor to the dough.
• Almonds: For the best cantucci, you should use unpeeled almonds because they give a particular flavor to the biscotti. I also like to roast or toast the almonds for a few minutes for a deeper flavor.
• Sugar: You can use granulated sugar, brown sugar, or raw cane sugar.
• Citrus fruits: the recipe calls for both orange and lemon zest, I recommend that you use organic orange and lemon.
• Baking powder: Although the leveling agent called baker’s ammonia was traditionally used, these days baking powder is a common substitute.

How to make cantucci

Learn how to make these cantucci biscuits at home!

Follow the step-by-step photo instructions below for a quick overview, and scroll down until the end of the post for the full printable cantucci recipe.

STEP 1. Whisk the sugar, eggs, lemon and orange zest until you have a pale and light mixture.

STEP 2. Add in sifted flour, baking powder and almonds. Knead the dough for a few minutes until soft and easy to work with.

STEP 3. Form two small loaves, and brush them with egg wash.

STEP 4. Bake the loaves for 13-15 minutes, then cut them into slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet and continue to bake for 12 minutes, turning them on the other side halfway through baking time.

Remove the cantucci from the oven, allow them to cool completely, and serve.

Baking tips

These biscotti are incredibly easy to make even if you’re not a professional baker!

Below you can find my baking tips, for the best results:

• This is optional, but toasting the almonds adds an extra layer of flavor to the biscotti.
• To simplify your job, you can roughly chop the almonds before adding them to the cookie dough.
• If you want softer biscotti, mix 2 tablespoons of cold butter with the flour, before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
• For best results, I like to weigh and then sift the flour into the baking bowl, this helps avoid lumps in the dough.
• Bake the loaves until risen slightly and cooked through (but not completely dry) before cutting them into slices.

Storage tips

Once ready, Tuscan cantucci keep very well for up to 30 days if placed in a tin box. You can also store them in an air-tight container, or in a paper bag.

More cookie recipes to try

If you liked these traditional biscotti, why don’t try these delicious cookie recipes too?

Did You Try This Recipe?

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Recipe

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Course: Snack/ Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Serving: 40

Calories: 61kcal

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 275 grams all purpose flour
• 145 grams granulated sugar
• 130 grams unpeeled almonds
• 2 eggs
• zest of 1 orange
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 egg yolk beaten with a little water

MetricUS Customary

Instructions

• Whisk the eggs, sugar, orange and lemon zest until you have a pale, fluffy mixture.

• Add sifted flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt, and mix until you have a soft dough, then add in the almonds and mix briefly.

• Preheat oven to 360°F / 180℃ and arrange the baking rack onto the middle shelf.

• Divide the dough into two parts and give each part an elongated shape to form a loaf. Brush each loaf with the egg yolk mixture, and transfer to a baking tray covered with parchment paper.

• Bake for approximately 15 minutes or as long as necessary for the loaves rise slightly in size and are cooked through.

• Remove from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, and cut out the cantucci from each still hot loaf. The cantucci should be about 1.5 cm ( ½ inch) thick and possibly all evenly sized.

• Transfer the biscotti back in the oven and bake them for 15-20 minutes at 150°C / 300℉, turning them halfway through the baking time to ensure they’re evenly baked on both sides.

• Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the same baking tray, then serve.

Notes

Please note that for all my baking recipes I like to use gram measurements as it is more accurate. However, US cups are also provided.
Baking tips

• This is optional, but toasting the almonds adds an extra layer of flavor to the biscotti.
• To simplify your job, you can roughly chop the almonds before adding them to the cookie dough (this helps when you cut the loaves into slices).
• If you want softer biscotti, mix 2 tablespoons of cold butter with the flour, before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
• For best results, I like to weigh and then sift the flour into the baking bowl, this helps avoid lumps in the dough.

Nutrition

Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.5mg

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.