Lemon Biscotti are crunchy Italian cookies with bright lemon flavor. Enjoy them on their own or as a dunking cookie with tea, iced or hot.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Biscotti are easy to make and are their long shelf life makes them perfect for gifting.
- These lemon biscotti are crunchy but not hard. They are delicious for snacking.
- The bright citrus flavor makes these an ideal cookie to enjoy with tea any time of year.
There are more than 20 biscotti recipes on The Monday Box, from ultra chocolate biscotti to fig jam biscotti. There is even gorgeous biscotti that's marbled chocolate and peanut butter or vanilla and chocolate layers!
Crunchy Lemon Biscotti are a great addition to the collection. The refreshing lemon flavor makes these biscotti a lovely warm weather treat as well as perfect for pairing with a hot cup of tea.
You don’t have to add icing to the already lemony dough, but the extra flavor boost from in the sweet-tart icing will make lemon lovers super happy.
Ingredients
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Biscotti cookies
- Combine the ingredients to form the biscotti dough.
- Use damp hands and a scraper or spatula, to shape the dough into a log on a parchment lined baking sheet. Smooth the top and sides with damp hands.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then cool on the pan before slicing. Stand the biscotti on the baking sheet.
- Return the biscotti to the oven for the second bake until dry and golden brown.
Icing
- In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice powder or extract, and water.
- Place half of the icing in a small ziplock bag.
- Color the other half of the icing yellow with a few drops of food coloring (or ½ teaspoon of natural food coloring powder). Place the yellow icing in a small ziplock bag.
- Line up the cooled biscotti on a wire rack. Use one color of icing at a time to zig zag the icing over the biscotti. Repeat with the second icing color.
Storage
Store in an airtight storage container at room temperature for 2-3 weeks.
Tips
- This dough is sticky. Chilling the dough for several hours reduces the stickiness a bit, but not enough to be worth the extra time. To shape the sticky dough into the required log shape, use damp hands and/or a damp rubber spatula. Smooth the tops and sides of the dough log with wet hands.
- After baking the log, use a serrated knife to cut the dough into individual biscotti. If the dough is crumbly, dampen the crust (top and sides) slightly to soften before cutting.
- During the second time baking, be sure to bake until dry and firm. If, after the biscotti cool, you find that they are not dry and crunchy, return them to the oven to dry out further. Biscotti without icing can be returned to the oven, even weeks later, to bring back crunch that may be lost over time.
- Lemon biscotti made with lemon extract instead of lemon zest and/or lemon juice, stay fresh and crunchy longer. Icing made with lemon juice/powder tends to get spotted after a few days. Use lemon extract instead of lemon juice/powder in the icing if you want the biscotti to look good longer.
- For shipping in hot weather skip icing and send the biscotti plain or topped with large crystal decorating sugar before baking.
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Variations
Add-ins that pair well with the lemon dough. Fold ½ cup – ¾ cup of any of these items into the dough before shaping.
- White chocolate chips
- Chopped or slivered almonds
- Dried fruit bits (cranberry, cherry, blueberry)
More biscotti recipes
Cinnamon Red Hot Biscotti gets it's beautiful color and spicy cinnamon flavor from Red Hots candy!
Apple Cinnamon Biscotti tastes like the fall, but is delicious year round.
Honey Cake Biscotti is a crunchy cookie with lots of cozy honey flavor.
Pumpkin Cranberry Biscotti is a must have cookie for dunking in a cup of coffee.
Cinnamon Maple Oat Biscotti is full of toasty flavors and crunch.
More recipes for a lemon theme
Send all sorts of lemon goodies in a Squeeze the Day care package with a lemon theme!
Chewy, crunchy Lemon Bars are ideal for picnics and warm weather care packages.
Italian Lemon Cookies are soft and cake-like with sugar coated crunch.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies have lots of crunch and lots of flavor.
Lemon and Lime Butter Cookie Rosettes are delicious melt-in-your-mouth cookies, with zesty lemon or lime flavor, that are piped to look like roses.
Shrewsbury Biscuits are lovely lemon cookies from the UK,perfect for afternoon tea. They are pretty, tasty, and full of history.
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Lemon Biscotti
Ingredients
Biscotti
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind from 1 medium lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice powder or ½ - 1 teaspoon lemon extract to taste
- 2-3 teaspoons water
- Yellow food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, salt, lemon rind or lemon extract, vanilla extract, and baking powder.
- Beat in the lemon juice (if using) and eggs. The batter may look slightly curdled.
- Mix in the flour until combined. The dough mixture will be sticky.
- Scrape the biscotti dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Using damp hands and a scraper or spatula, shape the dough into a 13”x 3”log, about ¾" thick. With wet hands, smooth the top and sides.
- For the first bake, bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool on the pan 10 - 25 minutes.
- Reduce the oven to 325°F.
- With a sharp serrated knife, cut the log crosswise into ½ inch slices. If the dough crumbles while cutting, dampen the crust lightly to make slicing easier.
- Stand the biscotti on the prepared baking sheet. Return the baking sheet to the oven for the second bake for 30- 35 minutes, until very dry and beginning to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Remove the biscotti from the oven, and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
- TO ICE:
- In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice powder or extract, and water.
- Place half of the icing in a small ziplock bag.
- Color the other half of the icing yellow with a few drops of food coloring (or ½ teaspoon of natural food coloring powder).
- Place the yellow icing in a small ziplock bag.
- Line up the completely cooled biscotti on a wire rack with wax paper under the rack to catch drips.
- Use one color of icing at a time, to allow the first color of icing to begin to dry before using the second, so that the colors don’t blend together. Cut a small corner piece off the ziplock bag, and zig zag the icing over the biscotti. Repeat with the second icing color.
- Dry completely (at least 2 hours) before storing.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 weeks.
Notes
- This dough is sticky. To shape into the required log shape, use damp-wet hands and/or a damp rubber spatula. Smooth the tops and sides of the dough log with wet hands.
- After baking the log, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the dough into individual biscotti. If the dough is crumbly, dampen the crust (top and sides) slightly to soften.
- During the second baking, be sure to bake until dry and firm. If, after the biscotti cool, you find that they are not dry, with a crunchy texture, return them to the oven to dry out further. Biscotti without icing can be returned to the oven, even weeks later, to bring back crunch that may be lost over time.
- Lemon biscotti made with lemon extract instead of lemon zest and/or lemon juice, stay fresh and crunchy longer. Icing made with lemon juice/powder tends to get spotted after a few days. Use lemon extract instead of lemon juice/powder in the icing if you want the biscotti to look good longer.
- Do not add icing to the biscotti if mailing to or from a hot location.
- Double wrap two or three biscotti in plastic wrap, cut sides together. Place bundles in an airtight container or ziplock bag.
Nutrition
First Published: April 29, 2018. Last Updated: February 24, 2024. Updated for additional information and better reader experience.
Nicole
Made these and they are wonderful. My toddler and I had a blast making these and enjoying them.
Sandy Pochapin
Hi! I've been baking biscotti for many years and every year I try to find a new recipe. I usually make at least 4 or 5 different kinds and send them to family around the world, as well as giving them to lots of friends at home at the holidays.
This year your lemon biscotti recipe was one of my "new ones" and it was a HUGE hit. I couldn't get my frosting to look anything like yours and I couldn't find yellow food coloring anywhere (I tried gel frosting in desperation) but the biscotti themselves were amazing. I can't wait to see what you do with the new reformatted version of the recipe. I am a fan for life...
Wendy Sondov
We need to start our own biscotti fan club! I too love biscotti and think they are the BEST sharing cookie whether you are sharing locally or shipping far away. I'm so glad you enjoyed these lemon biscotti! Thank you for the very kind words. I use Americolor gel food coloring because I find that it changes the icing consistency less than a liquid coloring and Americolor gives you more intense color with very little of the gel. You can buy it at hobby supply stores, craft stores, and cake decorating stores. It's also available on Amazon (https://amzn.to/42QUuor). The icing should have been an easy zigzag squeezed out of a tiny corner cut in a ziplock bag. I wonder if your icing was either too thick or too thin? I use a consistency just slightly thicker than white glue. Happy baking!
Michelle
This is my second biscotti baking attempt; first recipe used less butter but was not great. I just had a taste of these before popping them back in for second bake and am tempted to open the oven and grab another slice! Used the zest but extract instead of juice. Yum!
Anu
Hi.. Wanna bake this beautiful Biscotti. What can I use as egg replacement?? Thanks in advance
Wendy Sondov
I've never made these biscotti with an egg replacement. I'm sure it can be done, but may take some experimenting to get the measurements right. I've read that combining aquafaba and almond butter works well as a substitute in some cookies (about 1/4 cup of aquafaba and one tablespoon of almond butter). Please share when you find something that works well!
Kara
My first time making biscotti and they were perfect!
Wendy Sondov
That's great! For some reason, we all think biscotti are hard to make until the first time we do it and realize they are easy to make and so delicious! Enjoy!
MAMOSAE MOSAE
So wonderful, I'm so happy being this group, and thank more coz I like baking. I'm speachless
Jane
When using a standard mixer. Do you use the paddle or dough hook??? Why is the dough so dry after mixing? Do I need to add water???!
Wendy Sondov
I always use the paddle attachment when baking cookies and cakes. The dough hook is really for kneading thick dough for bread. This dough should not be dry. The directions even say to form the loaves with damp hands which is what you need to do to keep wet sticky dough from sticking to your fingers while you form the loaves. The creamed butter and 2 eggs should be plenty of liquid. I can only guess that you either left something out or didn't measure the flour accurately. It is important not to scoop flour because that compacts the flour in the measuring cup and you end up with too much. Always spoon flour into the measuring cup and level off with a knife.
Elisabeth Martin
Too doughy. Disappointing
Wendy Sondov
Sorry to hear you were unable to create the lemon biscotti to your taste. This is NOT a doughy cookie at all. If made correctly, it is light and crisp. The recipe notes in the blog post and on the recipe card do warn that the batter itself is sticky and recommends using damp hands for shaping. However, once these biscotti are twice baked, there shouldn't be anything doughy about them. If you would like further help in figuring out what went wrong while you were baking, I will need more details.
I. Rossi
Can you post the correct metric measurements for those of us who use a scale? (Hopefully the recipes are also tested with the metric measurements) Using metrics makes your baking consistent. Using different size eggs than the recipe suggests can cause dough to be a bit off too. I have found the putting the logs, etc in frig for awhile solves the sticky situation.I do transfer the logs to the larger size baking sheet.
Wendy Sondov
I'm sorry, but I don't have the metric measurements for my recipes but I DO have a solution for you. As this recipe was adapted closely from a King Arthur Flour recipe, you can use that one for metric measurements. You will find it here: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/lemon-almond-biscotti-recipe
I agree with you completely. Weighing the ingredients is the only way to ensure consistency, however, as the vast majority of my readers are in the US, I publish my recipes in measurements they use and are familiar with. Sadly, most American home bakers don't even own a scale.
As for chilling this particular recipe, you may have missed where I wrote in the tips section that even after several hours of chilling, I found this dough to still be sticky and not worth the wait time. Simply forming the logs with damp hands solved that problem in with this particular dough.
SUSAN ASPEOTES
I love this biscotti recipe and just made a double batch. One hint I have found is : when you first shape the dough into the logs. score the dough with a serrated knife and then do the first bake, After cooling, then you can snap the cookies apart and turn in their sides for the second baking. Saves from trying to slice after first baking and getting a bunch of (tasty) crumbs
Wendy Sondov
I'm glad you found a way to make baking these biscotti easier for yourself! If you are getting crumbs, it is possible that the biscotti have cooled too long. Dampening the top of the dough log would eliminate crumbling. Thank you for sharing your method.
Henry
How deep are you scoring them?
Sandra Bartholomew
Thanks so much Susan what a great idea but making these for years I never thought of doing that. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Margo
This was my first time baking biscotti and they came out perfect. I substituted 2 teaspoons of orange emulsion for the 2 teaspoons of lemon extract. I also used alcohol-free vanilla extract and did not ice the biscotti. Light and delightful!
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Margo. I'm so glad that you enjoyed your orange version of these biscotti. They sound lovely. Once most people find out how easy it is to bake biscotti, a whole world of possibilities open up! Happy baking! Thank you for commenting and rating this recipe. 🙂
Adele Schoterman
I’m wondering if using less better would result in a less fragile product. Any thoughts?
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Adele. I am not sure what you mean by fragile. Did you bake these and find that they broke easily? They shouldn't. Most of the biscotti recipes on The Monday Box, including these, use the same base recipe which produces a sturdy biscotti that travels well in care packages, but they aren't rock solid biscotti like some are. You can munch on these with or without dunking. I do agree with you that using less butter would probably produce a harder cookie, but I don't know if they would be good or not.
Deb
Hello, I love baking & your blog's mission. Had great fun making this Lemon Biscotti, used a gluten free flour, too. Alas, so very fragile! Carefully packaged but keeping my fingers crossed for shipping AZ to MI. Can you also share your packing methods? Thankyiu!
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Deb! I'm glad you found The Monday Box and gave the Lemon Biscotti a try. My daughter has to be gluten free, and i do have a number of recipes that were developed with gluten free ingredients. As I am sure you know, not every recipe converts to gluten free with the same outcome. Most often it effects the texture, either chewy or dry. I am going to guess that the gluten free flour, in this case made your biscotti dryer and therefore more fragile. The recipe as written produces a very sturdy, solid cookie. I like to package all of my cookies, but especially ones that are slightly less sturdy, in bunches. Strength in numbers! If you would bundle your biscotti in plastic wrap in groups of two or three, then stack the bundles in a plastic storage container or freezer weight zip lock bag, they should be fine. Also, be sure there is no movement in the storage container and in the shipping box itself. When cookies move around they break. You picked an excellent recipe for warm weather shipping! I hope your biscotti care pacakge was a huge success! Happy baking!
Monica
Adore all your biscotti and you know I'm a big fan right along with you. I can't seem to stop my constant craving for them and I've discovered my son likes them a lot more lately...I plan to make some in a couple of days. I love them all and particularly when there's citrus like your version of lemon involved. Hope you are enjoying these with a cup of coffee these days...
The Monday Box
Thanks, Monica! Lemon is my warm weather flavor of choice. Its so light, fresh, and vibrant. I love that these biscotti are crunchy, not hard, so that they can be a stand alone cookie. The King Arthur version of this biscotti adds almond flavoring, which you would probably love (knowing that you love all things nutty! 😉 ) .
Carlee
Can you believe I've never made biscotti? They are on my list of things to bake and you just moved them closer to the top!
saltandserenity
Wendy, these are so pretty. What brand of lemon extract do you use? I find that the ones I have tried, smell like lemon pledge, and I can't stand that fake smell.
I have the same tea cups with the birdie on them. They make me so happy every time I take them out to use for a photo shoot. I think they are from World Market. I was so sad when the World market near me in Florida closed. They had the best props.
SassyCindy
Hello,
My name is Cindy. I was reading your comment about the lemon extract. I make my own because it's so easy!! I never buy it at the store anymore. In fact I make all my relatives and friends most of their extracts like lemon, orange, and vanilla. They love it so much they call me when they're running low. It does take about 6 months to make a good flavorful extract so planning ahead is key!
Try it and you'll never buy it again!!
Cathy Bastian
Sassycindy,
Omg! Can you share your recipe for the lemon, orange and vanilla extracts.
It Would definitely be a tasty experiment, bc lemon flavouring is pretty much my most used flavour in my baking, then orange and vanilla. Thank you in advance. Cathy B.
Sue
Ohhhhh Wendy these look so good!
Shannon @ Love At First Bento
These look so yummy, and perfect for spring! I would absolutely love a plate of those to be dunking in my tea right about now - talk about a perfect food & drink pairing! Totally mesmerized by those beautiful icing swirls you did on top too, you are seriously so good at decorating! And your tip about using lemon extract instead is very illuminating - I had no idea it could make such a difference!