Topped with the traditional biscotti icing that is just the right amount of “sweet”, these gluten free Soft Italian Biscotti have a slightly thin, crunchy outside and a super soft inside. Your family might refer to them as anisette, anise, anginetti, or even Italian holiday cookies.
After trying many times to recreate this family favorite (aka Aunt Mary’s Biscotti), I finally got it! In our family, it’s a tradition to make these soft biscotti right before every holiday, and I was determined to recreate a gluten free version. Although they are not exactly the same as my great aunt’s, I think she would be proud!
What Are Soft Italian Biscotti?
Traditionally, authentic italian biscotti are known as twice baked, golden “toast” looking cookies made for dipping in coffee, espresso, or a tall glass of milk. They’re usually flavored with anise, almonds, vanilla, or chocolate. The word biscotti actually means “twice baked,” but in modern Italian, it can also refer to any cookie or cracker.
In our family, biscotti took on a different look and meaning than described above. They’re the ones with the rainbow sprinkles and white icing that you may have seen before. Some of you may even have a similar family recipe, or you might refer to them as anisette cookies, anise cookies, anginetti, or Italian holiday cookies. We just called them biscotti!
Just like the traditional toast-like biscotti, certain soft biscotti recipes call for anise, almond, citrus, or vanilla extract to flavor the cookie. It’s funny, because most of my aunts on my mom’s side used vanilla, while a few of my aunts on my dad’s side would use anise. Two deliciously soft cookies, with quite different tastes!
The shape of the cookie can vary, as well. The simple shape I used in this post was done by rolling them into balls and very slightly flattening the top of each with a spoon. However, with our traditional family recipe, we would roll each piece out into a log, then coil each piece into a small bun shape, bringing the end up over the top and pinching to seal. Some families even make them into an “s” shape.
I realize that cookies of any kind are supposed to be enjoyed as a dessert, but in my family, it was nothing out of the norm to have them for breakfast!
Tips for Making the Best Gluten Free Soft Italian Biscotti
This dough is a bit stickier than the classic soft italian biscotti recipe, so it’s important to make sure you have enough time set aside to either freeze the dough for at least a half hour to an hour or refrigerate it over night. It will be much easier to work with and form into your desired shape.
When you are ready to shape your biscotti, use some tapioca flour on your working surface, and you may need a bit to coat your hands as well. Try not to use too much flour, though, as it will dry out your cookie.
Bake the cookies at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes or until bottoms are slightly brown, rotating oven racks half way so they bake evenly. If you like a crispier biscotti, you can stick them under the broiler for a bit, but watch them closely so they don’t burn! I personally don’t like to broil them because I love them to stay nice and soft.
How to Make Gluten Free/Paleo Flour Mix
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1c almond flour, 1/2c arrowroot, 1/4c tapioca flour, 1/4c coconut flour. (I used Bob’s Red Mill for each type of flour.)
- This only makes a total of 2 cups, so multiply according to what your recipe calls for.
- Store in air tight container. *This will work on a 1:1 ratio with regular flour.
If you try this recipe or any of my recipes, I would love to hear how you enjoyed it! Review and comment below to let me know your thoughts, and share your pictures on instagram, tagging @thehealthychelle or #thehealthychelle – I love seeing your recipe creations! You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!
Gluten Free Soft Italian Biscotti
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Topped with the traditional biscotti icing that is just the right amount of “sweet”, these gluten free Soft Italian Biscotti have a slightly thin, crunchy outside and a super soft inside.
Ingredients
- Biscotti
- 1c butter (you can try dairy free, but I haven't yet)
- 1 3/4 c sugar
- 3/4 c almond milk or regular milk
- 1t pure vanilla
- 6 medium eggs *note medium and NOT large eggs
- 6t baking powder
- 6-7 cups (or more, pending consistency of dough) of GF/Paleo flour mix *see above
- Icing
- 1# powdered sugar
- almond milk or regular milk
- 1t pure vanilla
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Cream butter, sugar, eggs. Slowly add milk and vanilla.
Add flour mixture and baking powder slowly in parts until dough is formed.
This dough is a bit stickier than the traditional recipe, so you might need to add a little more than 7 cups. I wouldn’t add too much of the GF flour mixture as the almond flour can get a little overpowering and gritty.
Place dough in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to harden, or refrigerate over night.
Prep surface with a bit of tapioca flour for easier rolling.
Scoop dough by rounded tablespoon and shape as desired on nonstick cookie sheet. *Coat your hands with tapioca flour if dough is still too sticky to shape.
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until bottoms are slightly brown, rotating oven racks half way so they bake evenly.
Cool for a 5 minutes and transfer to cooling rack.
Icing - Pour powdered sugar in medium bowl and slowly add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time to get consistency of a slow drip.
Once it is the right consistency, add the vanilla. You might need to add a little more powdered sugar to get it just right.
Dunk completely cooled biscotti face down and wipe the dripping side with the back of a spoon.
Let sit for icing to harden. Store in air tight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
-
108 Calories
-
15g Carbohydrates
-
20mg Cholesterol
-
4g Fat
-
1g Fiber
-
2g Protein
-
2g Saturated fat
-
11mg Sodium
-
11g Sugar
Notes
*Nutritional info for 1 biscotti (estimate) *You can roll them the traditional way, or roll them into balls and slightly flatten the top of each with a spoon to get the shape pictured above. *You can also try squeezing lemon juice into your icing mixture (to taste) for a nice, refreshing taste. Finish it off by topping the cookie with lemon zest after the icing has dried half way.
