By Mark Bittman
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- 4(132)
- Notes
- Read community notes
An hour and six ingredients are all you need for this recipe from Mark Bittman, who urges cooks to step outside the biscotti safety zone of chocolate and hazelnut by substituting cheese, herbs and spices in this twice-baked Italian treat. Shape the dough into a log and bake until firm before cooling, cutting into slices and baking until crisp. A cup of coffee is still the best pairing.
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Ingredients
Yield:About 16 biscotti
- 2eggs
- 1cup grated Cheddar cheese
- 1cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- ½teaspoon baking powder
- ¾teaspoon salt
- ¼teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
73 calories; 3 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 72 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the eggs and cheese in a food processor and process until yellow and thick, about a minute. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne and pulse three or four times, just to integrate the dry ingredients; you don’t want to overwork the gluten in the flour.
Step
2
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it until it holds together — it may be a bit crumbly at first. Shape the dough into an 8- to 10-inch log, transfer to the prepared baking sheet and gently flatten.
Step
3
Bake until the log begins to color and is firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes, then cut on the bias into half-inch slices. Lay the biscotti flat on the baking sheet and bake until crisp and toasted, 15 minutes; turn and toast the second side for another 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
Ratings
4
out of 5
132
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Cooking Notes
don
Very cool recipe. I have a shortcut for biscotti. For the second bake, instead of cooking and flipping, I place the biscotti on a baking rack on top of the baking sheet. Does a good job of toasting on both sides.
sfemet
For those who prefer it: 1 cup cheese is 3oz by weight
jet
3 oz for a drier cheese like parmesan, but closer to 4 oz for the cheddar called for in this recipe.
Margaret
Really easy and tasty, great with Bloody Mary's Fathers Day morning. I'll make them a little smaller next time so more of a co*cktail snack and a bit more chili powder. Used ground New Mexico chili instead of Cayenne, which adds more flavor, but maybe less hotness.
jet
Please disregard my earlier post. sfemet is correct, as to grated parmesan. Cheddar is closer to 4 oz per cup.
Sorry for my mistake.
Ruby
Not difficult but not great. I've made them three times. The overall texture is a bit heavy or dense and they turn out kind of dull each time. They're also too salty for my taste. Reducing Cayenne to 1/8 teaspoon was a good move, but I'll try a different recipe for savory biscotti next time.
Renee
After reading the comments I decided to add a 1/2 cup of fresh chopped curly parsley and scallions. The biscotti were quite flavorful and well received.
April
Thanks, I was looking for a recipe that used herbs/spices for the Master garderner fair. I usually stand my pieces upright on the second bake and it saves having to turn them. It works great.
Nora
I was looking for a savory biscotti and this one was the simplest with the ingredients ...I have made this two times and the second time adjusted for 100% whole wheat since that was all I had...I added 2 tablespoons of water to compensate...I also added 1/8 tsp garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper instead of the cayenne, and threw in some chopped cashews(2tbl) ....also used 2 Tbl parmesan.....comes together fast and toasts nicely....I am sure anything will go in this. A winner!
JM
I made them with whole wheat flour. Not a great idea. Kind of chalky and dull. I will use regular flour next time.
Joan
Mark Bittman usually hits a home run, but, even though I like mild food, I found these to be almost tasteless. I used sharp cheddar and the chili....anyone else have this problem?
dotti
Not cheesy or spicy enough for me even with added Parmesan.
Savs
These turned out fine, but they lacked the more delicate texture of some cheese biscotti I've made-- namely the Parmesan Black Pepper biscotti from Smitten Kitchen or the standard biscotti recipe from Cook's Illustrated. Maybe swapping out some of the regular flour for almond flour would help?
Laura H W
Delicious and easy...but be leery of adding the salt as the cheese brings plenty of its own. I make this biscotti with "cheese stubs" (left over bits of cheese) and it turns out beautifully every time. I made a batch today with leftover Swiss cheese, which had a great nutty flavor but was too salty. These biscotti perfectly compliment beer and champagne.
don
Very cool recipe. I have a shortcut for biscotti. For the second bake, instead of cooking and flipping, I place the biscotti on a baking rack on top of the baking sheet. Does a good job of toasting on both sides.
rajchelsea
One of the easier biscotti recipes to make! I doubled it and was still able to mix everything in my processor. I added minced chives to the dough as I kneaded/shaped the logs since I had some from the farmer's market that I wanted to use up. It was a delightful addition!
Fifi Vavoom
For me, a little too salty. I will adjust down next time. Added oregano, Parmesan, and cayenne. Apart from the saltiness, just great!
Marsha
I made this with smoked cheddar and added some minced kalamata olives, should have cut back a little on the salt because of the olives. Good, would make again.
Janet
Can you freeze the dough for baking later?
sfemet
For those who prefer it: 1 cup cheese is 3oz by weight
jet
3 oz for a drier cheese like parmesan, but closer to 4 oz for the cheddar called for in this recipe.
jet
Please disregard my earlier post. sfemet is correct, as to grated parmesan. Cheddar is closer to 4 oz per cup.
Sorry for my mistake.
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