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Biscotti di Vino (Wine Biscotti)

by:
July 29, 2013
5
3 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 45 minutes
  • Makes approx. 24 biscotti
Author Notes

This traditional family-style recipe is common in many regions of Italy with variations per area. This simple, almost biscuit-like biscotti is perfect to serve with fruits and cheeses while enjoying wine or after dinner with espresso and cordials —cucina di mammina

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Ingredients
  • 1 cup red wine (full-bodied)
  • 1 cup vegetable or olive oil
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup organic granulated sugar (unbleached)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
Directions
  1. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl; blend together. Create a center well in the flour mixture and pour in the red wine and oil. Using a fork or mixing spoon, slowly start to blend the dry and wet ingredients until all are combined and the mixture begins to come together as a dough.
  2. The dough will be a bit sticky and oily; but easily able to roll and form. Roll small amounts of dough into a rope and form into a circle; pinch the ends together to complete the shape.
  3. Set oven to 350° F. Once all the biscotti are formed and ready; place them evenly spaced (about three rows) on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes at this temperature and then reduce the oven to 300° F and bake for about 15 to 20 more minutes until they are light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Store the wine biscotti in a sealed container; they keep very well in a cool, dry place or you can freeze them and thaw for later use.
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20 Reviews

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learnoff June 21, 2016
LOVE these cookies. They may be one of my new favorites! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out great. Very easy to make with simple ingredients. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might make them look a little nicer?
cucina D. August 11, 2016
hello learn off! Thanks for the kind comment on my wine cookies. So happy you love them too. The rustic look of these biscotti is due to the simple ingredients and considered beautiful by the Italian locals 😀
Emily |. October 6, 2015
Just got home late from work and wanted to pull together a quick but special dessert for my wedding anniversary - made these to dunk in mrslarkin's espresso zabaglione and loved them. The wine and olive oil flavors make this dessert interesting and not too sweet. The sweet spicy red wine smell while these are baking is a treat! Thanks for the recipe!
cucina D. December 7, 2013
Wonderful Lisanne! Love that you used the cookie press for a new feel for these biscotti. I too sometimes add ingredients depending on my flavor mood. I hope you enjoy and I wish I could attend your wine club event as well.
Lisanne December 6, 2013
Just made these using regular oil and a nice cabernet. I added a bit of fresh ground pepper, and put the dough in my cookie press (too lazy to make rings). A half recipe made 80 2" sticks. These are fab! I am bringing them to my wine club tonight! Thanks!!
cucina D. October 30, 2013
Ciao Sophia, I have not heard of the milk version but that is a good idea for a replacement for Gloria. You can certainly add anise/fennel seeds or lemon zest, althought for our famiglia this recipe is all about the wine and olive oil so we prefer them in their original form. I am working on two other recipes from my famiglia, taralli which are a savory version of these using no sugar but do have anise seeds or cracked black pepper. My other upcoming recipe is my Mammina Loreta's Ciambelle which are softer more pretzel like savory items. Grazie!
cucina D. September 19, 2013
Hello gloria noto,
Thanks for your comment, I am actually not sure you can substitute anything for the wine as this is the main flavor ingredient in this simple recipe. The good news, however, is I am currently working on reviving another old famiglia recipe for Taralli which are a cracker/biscuit-like that has no wine or sugar but includes anise seed and black pepper in one variation. You can visit my food blog and if you subscribe, you will receive this recipe as soon as it posts (I will be sharing here as well) www.cucinadimammina.com
cucina D. September 17, 2013
Hello again Trees,
I am so happy to hear you tried my recipe! This is a very old family recipe and, yes they were not meant to be dessert sweet but rather a snack to be eaten with savory cheeses, cured meats, fruit and of course a glass of red wine.

You can add more sugar if you prefer, just remember this will change your texture a bit and it might affect your cooking time so please adjust as needed.

I would love to hear from you again, please touch base and let me know how your next batch turns out.
Grazie tante!
Trees September 21, 2013
My dad liked the first batch so much that I just made a second one! I used olive oil this time – definitely better than using a more neutral oil. And I used 2.5 cups all purpose flour, 2 cups 6 grain, which I think made the flavor better.
cucina D. September 22, 2013
Sounds great, Trees! Really happy to hear your Dad enjoyed these. I like that you mixed up the flour variety, I may have to try this in the future too, great tip :) Don't forget that these freeze beautifully so you can make a double batch and freeze some for later.
Trees September 16, 2013
Don't these need baking powder?
cucina D. September 16, 2013
No baking powder is needed as they really don't rise, but result in a cracker or crunchy biscuit-like texture. I hope you try this recipe and let me know what you think.
Trees September 16, 2013
I did try it! I halved the recipe and added baking powder. I was expecting them to be more like a cookie, like traditional biscotti, but they are more like a cross between a cracker and a cookie. The next time I make them, I think I'll try to push them in a sweeter direction.
gloria N. September 18, 2013
I can't have wine , what may I substitute
thank you gloria
Sophia R. October 30, 2013
Although these cookies take some of their flavour from the wine (which gives them a bit of tang), I know a variation which uses milk instead of the wine. If you use olive oil rather than a neutral tasting oil you should still get an interesting tasting cookie with some of the grassy notes of the oil coming through - if that is too subtle, you could always add some lemon zest to the dough or anise or fennel seeds (both a common ingredient in these cookies).
Danielle1975 August 17, 2020
The recipe calls for 2 Tbsp baking powder???
Danielle1975 August 17, 2020
Cucina D, the recipe states 2 Tbsp baking powder! Is this a mistake???
cucina D. August 17, 2020
I added the baking powder as it did make the biscotti a bit better
Danielle1975 August 17, 2020
I just made them, with the baking powder and they were good but having never made before I don’t have anything to compare to!
cucina D. August 19, 2020
I’m happy you liked them ~ the baking powder does make them better by giving them some rise in the baking process ✌️❤️