So….. what do you do when you forget to call your grandmother on her 80th birthday?
Well… obviously you yell at your little sister who remembered to call your grandmother on her 80th birthday, and didn’t remind you to call your grandmother on her 80th birthday. ย Some nerve.
See… forgetting to call your grandmother on her 80th birthday is just about as bad as kicking your dear and darling 80 year old grandmother in the shin. ย It’s not cool. ย There’s no going back. ย You’re a real jerk if you don’t call your grandmother on her 80th birthday.
Ok. ย Here’s the deal universe. ย I hope I live to be 80. ย Please. ย That would be great. ย I think…. I hope.
On May 25, 2061 Universe, I want you to break my phone. ย See to it that no one calls to wish me a happy birthday. ย I’ll remember why. ย I’ll remember that I deserve it. ย For real. ย Yeeesh!
Also… biscotti. ย I made some delicious biscotti. ย This is me, sharing.
Cinnamon toast was the first thing I taught myself to make in the kitchen. ย White bread. ย Inconceivable amounts of softened and salted butter, too much sugar and lots and lots of cinnamon. ย Starch? ย Sugar and spice!? ย It’s perfect. ย God bless it.
Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti are the crisp version of cinnamon sugar toast. ย Crunchy, loads of sweet cinnamon flavor. ย Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. ย And! ย These are nut free biscotti! ย That’s exciting for me… I don’t really like giant almonds in my cookie. ย So… success!
Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti
recipe found on epicurious.com
makes about 24 cookies
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
For Topping:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 beaten egg (for brushing biscotti before baking)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and arrange two baking racks in the upper portion of the oven. ย Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. ย Set aside.
Also whisk together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. ย Scrape down the down and beat in the egg followed by the egg yolk. ย Beat in the vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter all at once. ย With the mixer or just with a spatula, bring all of the ingredients together until a somewhat stiff dough is formed.
Divide the dough in two on the two making sheets. ย Shape each half of dough into a 9-inch long and 1 1/2-inch wide log. ย Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle very generously with cinnamon sugar. ย Bake the two sheets on two different racks in the oven for 20 minutes. ย Rotate the cookie sheets for even baking and bake for 20-25 more minutes until golden and firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven but keep the oven on. ย Let biscotti cool until able to handle. ย Using a serrated knife, cut logs into 1/2-inch wide diagonal slices. ย Place biscotti cut side down on baking sheet and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. ย Bake again until pale golden, about 10-15 minutes.
Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
116 Responses
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an really long comment
but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m
not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say superb blog!
I just finished this cinnamon biscottis and my house smells sooooooo gooooooooooood!!! These are delicious!! Here in Chile we are in the middle of autumn, so I’m taking advantage of the cold to bake something every time I can. Thanks for the recipe!! I love your blog
Just made a batch… they were so delicious and easy to make. I added chocolate chunks. Why not. A big thank you from the U.K.
Well I’m making this now, as part of my Christmas cookies, and not sure why, but mine is not crisping up. I ended up leaving the loaf in for almost twice as long as it said, and it was still a little gooey in the middle (more than I thought it should be) and I cut it up anyways, and now the pieces have been in easily twice as long as they should be and they aren’t crisping up.
Either something is wonky cos I’m technically in high altitude (near Denver CO) or I messed something up. They smell really tasty, but I guess I’ll have to give them a round 2 later on.
I made this today (my first time making biscotti ever) and it was fantastic. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks!
I just made this — most delicious biscotti! Can’t wait to dip in coffee in the morning!
Are you supposed to generously wash the logs with the egg? Because I brushed it on and it looked pretty wet/moist to me, but after I took the biscotti out of the oven and cut it once it was cool, the topping started crumbling off!
But it all smells really really good :)
Yum! You’ve done it again. These are amazing, but we can’t expect anything else from you!
Thanks for the fabulous recipe.
Hi Joy!
I just made a batch of these and absolutely love them! I hope it’s ok I posted them on my blog (obviously referring back to you), my friends have been nagging me to get the recipe :-) Absolutely delish!
All the best,
Anne
Hi there! I’m relatively new to the world of baking, and I’ve made some pretty stupid blunders before with this, but is the flour cake flour or the strong protein blend for making bread? I’ve made this mistake with scones before and I’m afraid of it happening again with the biscotti!!
just plain old all-purpose flour.!
thanks!! I just made the biscotti yesterday and they turned out great :)
I just baked these biscotti’s this morning for a tea party. I tried a little sampling and they are wonderful. I’m so excited to share these with my friends!
I just baked these and fell in love with them before they were done – they made my apartment smell delicious! I had to stop myself from eating the whole batch because they are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of strong tea on a cold day. Thank you for writing such a heart warming blog, it’s fun to read and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon :)
K
Tasty. Perfect likeness to cinnamon sugar toast. Could I use some molasses in the dough to give the flavor more depth or would that end up making it too wet? Could I compensate by adding 1-2 tbsp more flour?
molasses? that’s a great ideal. maybe sub the maple syrup in the recipe with molasses.
I tried something like this over xmas and they were awesome. There are so many variations I want to try!
Delicious biscotti—how three people managed to eat every last one in one day can say it all! I used Saigon cinnamon, so good. thanks!
Sooooooooooooooooo yummy I’ve tried them all loved them so much!
but I just cooked them about 25 minutes it was enough on 375 degrees
I was out of flour(gasp) when I saw this recipe! It was the first thing I made when I replenished. So yummy!
My first time making biscotti, while they weren’t as pretty as yours I think they came out great!
So…first I made the mocha hot fudge…and it was incredible. A few days later I’m at my friend’s house where she invites me to make this biscotti. I do it. Again, incredible. A few days later she informs me that her husband had the ingenious idea to dip his biscotti into leftover hot fudge (courtesy of me)…
Needless to say I have just spent my evening making more biscotti and fudge and have joined the two together. We’re all living very happily ever after as a result.
Thank you, Joy, for being and bringing preciously that. We’re quite grateful (and a bit overweight) :)
These look dreamy. Must dip into coffee immediately. PLEASE MAIL directly to my house!
I made these after dinner last night so we could have them with our coffee this morning. They are wonderful, especially for a cold morning in Alaska!
Oh goodness these look absolutely rediculously amazing!! I just made my traditional biscotti but I am definitely going to make these next time!!
with love and cupcakes,
CookTeen
Cookteen.blogspot.com
so i made this yesterday and LOVE it… yum yum.. even with a cup of hot tea! thanks for sharing it!
Ok Joy —
I totally want to make this biscotti. I have to whip up a little something for a thank you present for a friend. If I made these and packaged them up with some coffee.. what else do you think would go nicely in the package? Or is coffee and homemade biscotti enough?
This biscotti would go great at this time of year, especially with the cold weather (a whopping 8 degrees F this morning).
I’ll have to try this out soon.
p.s. you misspelled epicurious.com … your spelling goes to a site that the proxy here at work doesn’t like…
I absolutely love your blog and have nominated it for The Sunshine Award. :)
https://bakedbyjoanna.blogspot.com/2010/01/sunshine-award.html
my grandmother is 97. i forgot to call last year too. she still loves me (i think). maybe you can send me your biscotti so i can send some to her? ;)
This is a brilliant blog.
oh wow, these look incredible, i love the pictures. i have yet to try biscotti.
Maybe she once forgot someone’s birthday, so she’s extra forgiving. If she hasn’t, I’m sure she’ll understand.
Thanks for posting a good basic biscotti recipe. While I like nuts and fruit, I love the idea of just cinnamon and sugar. Nice gift for grandma or anyone.
My boys are allergic to nuts and are cinnamon sugar lovers. They are 14 and 15 and just starting to drink coffee. They are gonna love this!
thanks!
I can’t wait to try these biscotti. Happy 80th to your grandmom
two of my favorite tastes together. i HAVE to try these.
I have yet to make biscotti, but this scrumptious version just may compel me. :-)
my mother always makes snickerdoodles hard as rocks so she can dip them in coffee, i will be emailing her this recipe ASAP.
Some sort of telepathy going on here – I just made the sugar cinnamon biscottis yesterday! I like :)
I love you Joy the Baker. I am all over this recipe–I want it for BREAKFAST. Now.
I really don’t know why I don’t comment more often. I have no excuse. But Joy, I so love your blog. I think even if you didn’t have amazing recipes, I’d still love it, because your writing is just so addicting.
And if I were your grandmother, I’d forgive you. But only if you brought biscotti.
What a yummy cookie! I love biscotti and can only imagine how delish the crumbling cinnamon and sugar falling into my coffee would be. Mmm!
P.S. Joy, I do think your dear and darling grandma would’ve forgiven you, but I think your kid sister owes you and yummy meal.
Wow…Looks mighty yummy Joy!!
I love cinnamon toast with so much cinnamon your bite leaves teeth marks!
Looks great!
The first thing I used to experiment with in the kitchen was popcorn – my favorite was adding cinnamon and sugar :)
This biscotti looks great! The tops look so lovely and crispy!
Would you believe that I never had cinnamon toast until I got married? My husband introduced me to the wonderfulness and I haven’t looked back. And since I adore biscotti (and actually just finished off the last of the cranberry ginger white chocolate ones I made last week), these are totally going on my to-make list! They look wonderful! I’m even thinking they look good for breakfast…
Cinnamon toast was the first thing I learned how to make too! I think my mom taught me so I would quit asking her to make me a snack… Anyway I’ll have to try these for a more grown up version of my favorite snack. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m sure your grandma will forgive you; Grandma’s love no matter what :)
And these biscotti look and sound insanely good!! Maybe I will make them for my Grandma :)
My birthday is a day before yours!
These look good, cinnamon sugar is fantastic and throw that in with biscotti….
well it just looks tasty!
My grandmother is turning 82 this year! And she shows no signs of stopping. The woman is smart as all get out. She is constantly writing letters to members of congress all over the U.S. I love her! Also, I LOVE cinnamon sugar biscotti!! I’m so glad you posted this!
MMm. It’s like cinnamon toast you can eat at work!
Also: google calendar. It’s your friend.
I love biscotti, it’s the perfect treat to have with my afternoon coffee. I will be trying this soon!
Thankfully, Grandmothers are exceptionally skilled at forgiving grandchildren, especially ones that bake delicious cinnamon sugar biscotti.
I’ve made tons of biscotti, but I’ve never tried a cinnamon sugar one. I love me some cinnamon sugar toast – I can’t imagine not liking this one. Thanks for the great idea!
hmmm – these sound heavenly!!!
Quick question. Are those pictures out of order? I see the “log” of dough after the baked version. Had me curious for a moment.
Nonetheless, I WILL be making these this weekend especially because I too love toast with cinnamon and sugar and because there are no special ingredients required. I have everything in house!
Love the site. Keep it up! (Ooh, I was very shocked to find out we are the same age but was quite happy. Looks like I’ll be finding you when we’re 80!)
you must be black & blue by now!i hope not bloody!!
if your grandmother is anything like mine was…she will forgive you…a simple “i love you” is what she will treasure.
i *heart* cin sugar & have never baked biscotti…now i have a reason to…
btw: happy 80th…enjoyed in good health…are you still baking?
Yum! Never thought of a cinnamon sugar biscotti before, looks so great. I think most things can be improved with a dusting of cinnamon/sugar.
Joy: “Hello? Gram? I am so sorry I didn’t call you on your birthday, but I was so busy making you this delicious biscotti that I ran out of time!”
Gram: “Mmmmmmm Biscotti. Oh, what was that honey? All I heard was biscotti!”
These biscotti look delicious!!!!!
I had cinnamon toast this morning!!!
OMG these look soo good. Yep, you’ve made up for the missed gmom call on these!!!
Yum! My Aunt and cousin are fabulous at biscotti making! They are a little more connected to my Italian roots. I will have to give it a try.
great idea! i made some biscotti over christmas for the first time (i was at my inlaws’ and sorta bored, so i rummaged through their kitchen and found stuff). it was tasty though. will definitely have to make lots more and add this recipe to the list!
oh, and happy early 80th :)
Hey darlin,
I have been following you for the last couple of months and want to get in contact to catch up. I tried calling you a couple years back after we ran into each other and i must have gotten the wrong phone number cause it wasnt you. I am so amazed at your blog and your life, not at all surprised. Email me if you would like to meet or catch up on life.
Hee. I don’t even celebrate my birthday or tell anyone when it is because I don’t want to deal with the pain of people forgetting. It is one approach.
Tried your eggnog pancakes yesterday–not as good as the chai spice, but I cheated and didn’t use fresh grated nutmeg, so maybe that was the problem. Stil tasty!
the most wonderful and beautiful thing about grandmothers, they just love you SOOOO much they will forgive you. I know my granny would. Shes the best!!
if your grandma is like a lot of grandma’s i know…she may not remember you didn’t call ;)
the biscotti looks amazing! i’m definitely bookmarking this one.
Cinnamon toast rules! I think that was one of the first things I made myself too! I better go make these I love biscotti, but I never though about making them this way.
This looks amazing. I’m making immediately :)
Holy crap – I love biscotti. I love cinnamon sugar. Therefore, I love this. (not that I needed much convincing) Must.make.this.immediately.
Darling Joy,
Are you ever going to tell us the names of your plates? Just a quick turn over so we can all run to eBay? PUH-Leeze?
Thanks ever so very much-
Kristen
Im certain your grandmother with all her wise life lessons understands! Just tell her you were making this amazing biscotti!!! OH MY I cant wait to make!! I love cinnamon toast!
I’ve never been a fan of biscotti because it always has nuts in it. I think you may have just convinced me that biscotti can be delicious! Definitely trying these out. Thanks!
Ah yes, the joys of cinnamon sugar toast. That was the first thing I learned to make for myself as a wee little girl. And I STILL managed to burn the crap out of it!
YUM! I want to make mini these and then promptly be the third wheel with cinnamon and sugar.
Cinnamon Toast is the first thing I learned how to make also! Sometimes when I have an awwfuull sweet tooth I will make that… I always have bread, butter, sugar and cinnamon on hand!
These look fantastic, and if they remind me of cinnamon toast, even better!
OH my Joy!!! I will be…109 on your 80th.. so I don’t think I will be around to call you! BUT I will tell you happy TODAY.. and if you pack up some of those biscotti and a pretty tea cup and go and visit your Grandma.. she will be so thrilled with your gift of time AND goodies!
Bless you!
Haha, same birthday as me, too! It’s a funny thing because I have only know like 2 other people with my birthday and now I know two more :P I love you for putting a biscotti recipe! Thanks!
-Emily
These look ah-maz-zing! Can’t wait to try!
I cannot wait to try this! Thanks Joy!
I’m making these tomorrow! What do you think about replacing some or all of the flour with stone-ground Whole Wheat flour?
i love biscotti! And I love cinnamon toast. so really, I can’t go wrong. plus my father-in-law is allergic to nuts, and I always feel bad when I make biscotti. this will be perfect!
Grandmas are usually good about being a little more patient and understanding than the rest of us might be. :-) You’re genuinely sorry – that, in itself, is enough reason to forgive.
I think she will understand…in order to make it to 80 one must have learned to be very understanding ,right?
Those biscotti look fabulous and my nut hating son will adore them…this week I will give them a try!
Mmm…. cinnamon sugar toast was always a fav of mine growing up. And still now… But to have these on hand might be a good idea for when I don’t have sliced bread available… Like at my desk at work! :)
This looks yummy!! You can’t go wrong with cinnamon and sugar.
looks incredible! i cannot wait to make this :D
Hey Joy! We have the same birthday!! I’ve NEVER met anyone with the same day as me…. but I’m a bit older… I’ll be 101 in 2061!!!
Hey Joy, you know what I did? This will make you feel like a million dollar forgetting to call your grandmother ; ) or almost…
I went to visit my granny one day and while walking in was wondering why she had so many bunches of flowers and cards everywhere. I was also surprised that a good friend of her, who is living quite far away, was there on the very same day. We had a nice conversation, drank some tea and then I asked who sent her all those cards… Well, you can guess it by now, but I, being dumb as a stick, didn’t back then: It was her birthday. We had a good and healthy laugh at that but I am still not sure it she really took it that easy.
Ah well, at least I was there ; )
I’m so excited to try these! My 86 yr old grandma will love them and so will I! I’m especially happy that there aren’t any unique ingredients like so many biscotti recipes I’ve seen. Namely nuts. I’m with you on the nuts. :)
Love those biscottis!
Hello Joy the baker, I have brought back some goodies from Lebanon that I am giving away, if interested!
Joy, tell your grandmother you were slaving over a hot oven to make her these biscotti and you hands were so messy you couldn’t get to the phone…then send her a bunch of these babies with a beautiful card. You’ll be golden.
I’m not a fan of having huge almonds in my biscotti either :)
Yours look delicious!
Never made biscotti! I should be ashamed…
Funny, usually I do remind my sister to call on people’s birthdays, anyway accidents can happen.
Love your biscotti!
I could be your grandma! And you don’t have to call me on my birthday, just bake me some biscotti… Hugs from snowy Poland!
YUM! THIS LOOKS SOOO GOOD. :)
I’m sure your grandma would understand. And if the internet is still around on May 25, 2061 then I will make sure to greet you on the blog.
Hey, your birthday is on the same day as mine. Funny. Although I will be 84 on that particular birthday in 2061…
It’s morning here, and I just accidently dumped cumin instead of cinnamon into my yogurt. I’m SO wishing I had some (many) of these for breakfast instead!
Ring ring! I heard your phone may be broken on May 25, 2061, so I wanted to wish you a happy birthday while I could! Oh and the nice thing about grandmothers is that you could call her tomorrow just to say hi and all will be forgiven!