Bake

Cinnamon and Hazelnut Biscotti (Tozzetti Ebraici)

by:
December  6, 2015
4.7
12 Ratings
Cinnamon and Hazelnut Biscotti (Tozzetti Ebraici)
Photo by Emiko
  • Makes 50 cookies
Author Notes

The perfume of cinnamon that will waft through the house is reason enough to make these biscotti. I've long preferred Lazio-style tozzetti to Tuscan cantuccini (softer and more cookie-like). But since the first time I tasted tozzetti ebraici ("Jewish tozzetti") from the bakery in the old ghetto of the Tuscan town of Pitigliano, I've never looked at biscotti the same again.

I've been unable to find similar recipes to refer to, so this is basically a recipe I've devised based on traditional tozzetti, but as I've heard that the tozzetti you find at Rome's famous Jewish bakery, Boccione, are cocoa and cinnamon, I've added both of those ingredients. —Emiko

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) sugar
  • 1/2 cup (125 milliliters) olive oil
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 3 3/4 cups (470 grams) flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 7 ounces (200 grams) whole peeled hazelnuts or almonds, roughly chopped in half
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C).
  2. Beat together the eggs and sugar. Add oil and blend until creamy. Add the lemon zest and the dry ingredients (except for the nuts) and combine to form a dough. If it's too sticky to handle, carefully add a little more flour. Add the nuts towards the end. You should have a soft dough.
  3. With floured hands, divide the dough into 6 portions and roll these into 1 inch-thick logs. Place them on 2 baking trays lined with baking paper with plenty of space between them for spreading.
  4. Bake 20 minutes. They should appear dry and cooked and are usually cracked along the top but not browned.
  5. Remove them from the oven, let cool for several minutes. When cool enough to handle, slice with a heavy, sharp knife (not serrated) into 1/2 inch-thick biscotti. Return the biscotti to the oven to dry out ever so slightly, about 5 minutes.
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14 Reviews

Josephine
Josephine July 2, 2022
There is too much flour in this recipe. Three cups of flour is enough. The dough will be sticky, but if refrigerated on a plate covered with plastic wrap for a couple of hours or even overnight, the logs wil be easy to roll out without additional flour. Then proceed with the baking as in the recipe.
 
Emily
Emily June 21, 2022
Loved these! My usual biscotti recipe is very sticky and hard to handle. These were a dream!!! I changed the flavor up a bit to reflect our Western Algeria favorites: cinnamon, cardamom, fennel (would have been anise if I had had any), and orange flower water!!! Delightful!!! Thank you! Versatile and excellent recipe!
 
Missie B.
Missie B. April 24, 2022
These are fantastic and super easy to make. I used almonds and they were wonderful.
I have already shared this recipe and will definitely keep this as a "go to" recipe.
 
trysteroo
trysteroo April 11, 2022
These are great! Could use just a bit more cinnamon and maybe a 1/4c less sugar but other than that the combination of flavors is wonderful. Will definitely make again!
 
Margaret
Margaret April 6, 2022
These are delicious. I used orange zest but otherwise followed the recipe faithfully. Using the weight measures I thought the dough was very easy to handle. This recipe has the advantage that if one suddenly wants to make cookies one does not have to wait to soften butter which is often a problem with other cookies.
 
li
li November 20, 2021
Delicious! The cocoa and cinnamon were a winning combo. Left out the hazelnuts bc I didn’t have any. Added mini chocolate chips instead.
 
Sarah
Sarah December 11, 2020
A really delicate cinnamon chocolate flavor. They beg for a cup of coffee. I added currents, next time I'll add cherries instead to add a bit more tart.
 
Dee
Dee August 20, 2020
Recipe just the right level of sweetness & it has nice texture & crunch... but made the mistake of using EVOO since it's what I had... the smell is too over powering. Next time will use other less pungent vegetable oil
 
Allison
Allison August 15, 2020
So the question is: what came first, this or Mandelbrot?
 
C F.
C F. May 9, 2020
I'm a lousy baker but followed this recipe to a tee and wow - amazing! Easy, delicious, definitely a keeper.
 
MaggieMaggieMae
MaggieMaggieMae April 13, 2016
Would it be possible to freeze these at any point in the process? Dough or finished biscotti?
 
Emiko
Emiko April 14, 2016
I'd definitely freeze the dough! I haven't tried it yet with these but this thread here could perhaps help you out: https://food52.com/hotline/17204-cookie-dough-bake-cookies-and-then-freeze-or-freeze-dough
 
lkalan89
lkalan89 December 12, 2015
Hello Emiko! What is bittersweet cocoa powder? Is this just regular unsweetened cocoa powder?
 
Emiko
Emiko December 14, 2015
Hi yes, sorry for the confusion, you are actually the second person to ask me this! Yes, unsweetened cocoa powder (I have just adjusted this). Try to use Dutch processed as it's more similar to what we have here in Europe rather than natural cocoa powder.