Brown Butter Espresso Biscotti

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Brown Butter Espresso Biscotti will elevate your morning coffee with the heavenly flavors of nutty brown butter, bold espresso, and rich chocolate. Whether you enjoy them dunked or on their own, these biscotti are sure to satisfy!

Dark chocolate-dipped espresso brown butter biscotti in a holiday cookie box with a green velvet ribbon.

Growing up, Kat's Nonna always had biscotti in a jar, ready for our morning and afternoon espresso. These are our go-to biscotti when we need a pick-me-up with our coffee. The robust espresso provides a great energy boost and they have the perfect snap. But the key to these biscotti is the brown butter, which adds a nutty, rich flavor.

If you are looking for other delicious biscotti recipe, try our Double Chocolate Chip Biscotti.

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Why You'll Love Brown Butter Biscotti
Key Ingredients
Substitutions and Variations
Instructions
Baking Tips
Recipe FAQs
Related Recipes
Did You Like This Recipe?
📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love Brown Butter Biscotti

Flavor - The cookies have a decadent coffee and brown butter flavor.
Texture - They are perfectly crispy with a nice crunch.
Time - It takes about 20 minutes to prep the cookies, 20 minutes to bake them the first time, 15 minutes to let them cool, and another 15 minutes to bake them again.

Key Ingredients

Ingredients for espresso brown butter biscotti, flour, vanilla, butter, chocolate, brown sugar, granulated sugar, espresso powder, baking soda and powder, kosher salt.

Butter - Butter gives the biscotti their rich flavor and ensures the cookies don't dry out while baking.
All purpose flour - Flour provides the structure for the biscotti.
Espresso - Espresso has a uniquely nutty almost chocolatey flavor.
Baking powder and soda - Baking powder and soda help the dough rise and make the cookies light and airy.
Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar - Brown sugar adds a deep caramel sweetness and granulated sugar helps to make the biscotti crunchy.
Vanilla extract - Vanilla extract adds a light sweetness and enhances the biscotti flavor.
Eggs - Eggs bind the ingredients together and add loft to the dough.
Chocolate - Dipping the cookies in chocolate adds a decadent accent.

See recipe card for quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Nuts - Add chopped walnuts or almonds for extra crunch.
Cinnamon - Add a little cinnamon for a warm woodsy accent.
Instant coffee grounds - If you don't have espresso, you can also use instant coffee grounds to add the toasty flavor to the cookies.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Steps to make brown butter espresso biscotti, brown butter in a pan and chill, whisk butter, brown sugar, and sugar.

Heat the oven - Preheat oven to 350°F.
Make brown butter - Heat a skillet or saucepan on medium heat. Add the sliced butter to the pan and whisk as the butter cooks. The butter will foam then start to brown and form small brown flecks. The butter will be golden brown and have a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a measuring cup to confirm the liquid measures a half cup. Then allow to cool to room temperature. (Photo 1 and 2)
Mix the wet ingredients - Then, using an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on a medium-high speed. (Photo 3 and 4)

Steps to make brown butter espresso biscotti, whisk in vanilla and eggs, add flour, espresso powder, baking soda and powder, and kosher salt.

Mix in eggs and vanilla - Then add in vanilla and the eggs one at a time and continue to beat until light and creamy. (Photo 5 and 6)
Mix the dry ingredients - Add all-purpose flour, espresso powder, kosher salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Then mix until just combined. (Photo 7 and 8)

Steps to make brown butter espresso biscotti, mix dry ingredients until combined, roll and pat into two logs, then bake.

Make logs to bake - Once the dough is ready, use your hands to form two balls of dough on a floured surface and roll them into two logs about 2 to 3 inches wide and 1 inch high. (Photo 9, 10, and 11)
Bake the logs - Place the logs onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving space between them, then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until slightly firm with cracked tops. (Photo 12)

Steps to make brown butter espresso biscotti, slice logs into cookies, place on baking sheet and bake again, melt chocolate, then dip in chocolate.

Bake again - Remove the logs from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Then, cut the dough diagonally into ½ to ¾-inch slices. Place the biscotti back on the baking sheet, cut side down. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cookies are crisp. Then remove from the oven and let them cool. (Photo 13 and 14)
Heat the chocolate - While the cookies cool, melt the chocolate. In a microwave safe bowl, add ⅔ of the chocolate. Heat in the microwave in 30 second increments at 50% power and stir in between each 30 second interval until melted and smooth. This will help melt the chocolate and prevent the chocolate from burning. Gradually stir in the remaining ⅓ chocolate in small amounts at a time until the chocolate is completely melted. This will temper the chocolate and give the cooled chocolate a nice shine. (Photo 15)
Dip and drizzle the cookies in chocolate - Dip the biscotti partway into the chocolate and or drizzle chocolate on top of each cookie, then quickly sprinkle the chocolate with flaky sea salt and/or chopped nuts before the chocolate dries. (Photo 16)

Pro tip - Do not over mix the dough or the biscotti can get tough. Only mix until the ingredients are incorporated.

Baking Tips

Use an aluminum baking sheet for even heating and line the baking sheet with parchment paper to minimize sticking and cleanup time.
Make sure there is space between the cookies when you bake them, biscotti logs will spread a little during baking.
Use a sharp knife to cut the logs after the first bake. A sharp knife will make clean cuts without crushing the biscotti.
Let the biscotti cool completely before storing or they can be soggy instead of crispy.
Send these cookies as a holiday gift! In a cute box, include these espresso biscotti and our pistachio shortbread cookies, brown sugar pecan shortbread, and our Salted Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies.

Recipe FAQs

What is the best way to eat biscotti?

We usually like to dip it in coffee or tea then bite. But they are also tasty on their own.

How strong is the coffee flavor?

Our recipe adds enough coffee to add the signature flavor without being overpowering.

What kind of coffee should I pair with espresso biscotti?

This biscotti will be good with any coffee, but we love it with any espresso drink.

Dark chocolate espresso brown butter biscotti with flaky sea salt for dipping in coffee.

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