Italian Biscotti

These Italian biscotti are the sesame-crusted, anise-scented style you’ll find at Italian bakeries and holiday cookie trays. The dough is mixed by hand, pushed through a cookie press or rolled into small balls, then dipped in egg white and coated in sesame seeds before baking.

Anise gives these cookies their distinctive, unmistakable flavor. It’s a licorice-like warmth that’s deeply traditional in Italian baking and pairs brilliantly with a cup of strong espresso or coffee.

The egg white dip before the sesame seeds serves two purposes: it acts as glue for the seeds, and it bakes into a thin, shiny shell on the surface of each cookie. That shell is what gives them their signature snap when you bite through.

Kitchen Tips

• Work the dough with your hands as directed, but don’t knead it. Overworking develops too much gluten and makes the cookies tough instead of crisp.
• If you don’t have a cookie press, rolling walnut-sized balls and flattening them works just as well.
• Beat the egg white with a half teaspoon of water until slightly frothy. This makes it easier to brush on the cookies.
• Watch them closely at 8 minutes. Golden edges mean done. These go from perfect to overbaked fast.

Variations

• Dip one end of the cooled cookies in melted chocolate for an Italian-American bakery style.
• Use almond extract in place of some vanilla for a nuttier flavor.
• Sprinkle with coarse sugar instead of sesame seeds for a sweeter version.