I’ve always been a fan of biscotti but truly fell in love with this cookie on a family trip to Florence back in 2016. We stayed in the heart of the city just a few blocks from the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Around the corner from our hotel was the iconic Caffe Gilli which happens to be the oldest cafe in the city, having been established back in the 1700’s when the Medici family was still in power.
Every time we walked to one of our destination sites, we would pass by this cafe and found ourselves staring at the gorgeous dessert displays. Needless to say, we didn’t stare for long and quickly decided that we couldn’t just walk past this confectionary museum. We had to try it out for ourselves. After all, when in Florence….
This presented us (or me in particular) with the great dilemma of what to try first. Should I taste one of the gorgeous fruit tarts, chocolate creations, tiramisu, puff pastry or sponge cake soaked in liquor and layered with exotic jellies?
Surprisingly, my eyes strayed to the biscotti and I found myself tasting a different variety of this cookie each and every day for the rest of our visit. Amazingly, this simple cookie was all I wanted to dunk into a cup of perfectly brewed coffee or espresso. So little time, so many gastronomic delights!
I’ve been making biscotti as far back as I can remember and every time I serve it, this seems to be the one dessert that disappears first. Surprisingly, this is also one of the easiest cookies to make and can be stored for days in an airtight container (don’t ask me how long exactly as they literally walk off overnight at my house) or frozen for months at a time.
Sure, biscotti appears to be complicated and mysterious, sort of like a suave Italian stranger dressed in simple but elegant clothes. But it’s really nothing more than a twice baked cookie. If you can make a cookie, then biscotti is certainly within reach.
And there are so many amazing flavors from sweet to savory. Which is exactly what brings me to this parmesan rosemary variety. A few simple ingredients (which you may already have on hand) and a short amount of prep time is all that it takes to turn out these beauties.
Crispy, salty and loaded with sharp parmesan and fresh rosemary flavor, these biscotti are like a more elegant and worldly sibling of the ordinary cheese cracker. Pile them on a charcuterie board or serve them as a snack, along with a glass of wine or coffee, dunked into a hearty soup or even as a salad crouton. These biscotti fit in everywhere seamlessly and leave a long lasting impression (just like that suave Italian stranger).
I hope you’ll give them a try and, if you do, please let me know what you think.
Foolproof Parmesan Rosemary Biscotti
Ingredients
- 12 tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tbs sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 egg white
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ cup rosemary, finely minced
- ½ cup toasted pecans, medium-chopped
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt (you can increase this if you'd prefer or skip it altogether)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 °F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and pepper.
- Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl between each addition.
- With the mixer running, slowly add the dry ingredients then the cheese and mix only long enough for the mixture to come together.
- Stir in the rosemary and pecans making sure that all of the ingredients are well incorporated This is a very sticky dough. Do not be tempted to add more flour.
- Lightly sprinkle some flour on your hands. Divide the dough in half. Shape each portion into a log approximately 12 inches long x 2 inches wide on the prepared cookie sheet making sure to leave about 3-4 inches between the two logs.
- Beat the egg white with a whisk (or a fork) for about 15-20 seconds until bubbly. Brush the logs (top and sides only) with the egg white and sprinkle with the flaky salt. Bake for about 35-40 minutes until lightly brown.
- Remove from oven and cool to room temperature (about 20 minutes). Turn the oven down to 300 °F.
- Slice the biscotti into ½ inch slices on a diagonal. Place each slice, cut side down, on an unlined cookie sheet. Bake for another 15 minutes. Turn each slice over and continue baking for another 15 minutes (the biscotti may still be a tiny bit soft at this point but will firm up as they cool). Transfer to a baking rack and cool completely.
