Lemon Biscotti are crisp, crunchy Italian-style cookies filled with fresh, bright lemon flavor. Enjoy them as a simple snack, serve them with fruit or ice cream, or dip them into hot tea, iced tea, coffee, or any favorite warm drink.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Lemon biscotti are easy to prepare and have a long shelf life, making them excellent for cookie jars, gifting, and care packages.
- These cookies are crunchy without being unpleasantly hard, so they are just as good for snacking as they are for dunking.
- The cheerful citrus flavor makes this lemon biscotti recipe a wonderful choice for spring, summer, tea parties, holidays, or any time you want a bright homemade cookie.
If you enjoy crisp cookies with a clean citrus flavor, this lemon biscotti recipe is a great one to keep on hand. Biscotti are baked twice, which gives them their signature dry, crunchy texture. That texture also helps them stay fresh longer than many soft cookies, especially when stored properly in an airtight container.
These crunchy lemon biscotti have a sunny flavor that pairs beautifully with tea, coffee, fresh berries, or a scoop of ice cream. The dough itself is lemony, so the icing is optional. However, the sweet-tart lemon glaze adds an extra burst of citrus and makes the cookies look especially pretty with white and yellow zigzag stripes.
The dough is sticky, but it is simple to handle with damp hands and a damp spatula. Once the dough is shaped into a log, it is baked, cooled briefly, sliced, and baked again until dry and golden around the edges. The result is a crisp, flavorful cookie that is perfect for making ahead.
Ingredients
This recipe uses simple baking ingredients, including butter, granulated sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, vanilla, lemon rind, and lemon juice or lemon extract. The glaze is made with powdered sugar, lemon flavoring, water, and optional yellow food coloring.
Instructions
This is an overview of the method. The full recipe instructions are included in the recipe card below.
Biscotti cookies
- Mix the dough ingredients until combined. The dough will be sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. With damp hands and a damp scraper or spatula, shape it into a long, even log. Smooth the top and sides.
- Bake the log for the first time, then let it cool on the pan before slicing.
- Cut the log into individual biscotti with a sharp serrated knife. Stand the slices on the baking sheet and bake again until dry, firm, and lightly golden.
Icing
- Stir together powdered sugar, lemon juice powder or lemon extract, and water until smooth.
- Place half of the icing in a small ziplock bag.
- Tint the remaining icing yellow with food coloring, then place it in another small ziplock bag.
- Arrange the cooled biscotti on a wire rack. Snip a tiny corner from one bag and drizzle the icing in a zigzag pattern. Repeat with the second color.
Storage
Store lemon biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 weeks. Make sure the icing is completely dry before storing so the cookies remain crisp and the glaze stays neat.
Tips
- The dough is sticky. Chilling can reduce stickiness slightly, but damp hands and a damp rubber spatula are usually the easiest tools for shaping the log.
- Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the baked log. If the crust crumbles while cutting, lightly dampen the top and sides to soften them before slicing.
- The second bake is important. Bake until the biscotti are dry and firm. If they cool and still seem soft, return them to the oven to dry further.
- Plain biscotti can be refreshed in the oven later if they lose some crunch during storage.
- Lemon extract can help the biscotti stay fresh and crunchy longer than lemon zest or lemon juice. Glaze made with lemon juice powder may develop spots after a few days, so use lemon extract in the icing if appearance matters for gifting.
- For shipping in hot weather, skip the icing. Send the biscotti plain or add large crystal decorating sugar before baking.
Variations
These lemon biscotti are delicious as written, but you can add ½ cup to ¾ cup of mix-ins to the dough before shaping. Choose flavors that complement the bright lemon base.
- White chocolate chips
- Chopped almonds or slivered almonds
- Dried fruit bits, such as cranberry, cherry, or blueberry
More biscotti recipes
Cinnamon Red Hot Biscotti gets its bold color and spicy cinnamon flavor from Red Hots candy.
Apple Cinnamon Biscotti has cozy fall flavor but tastes delicious all year.
Honey Cake Biscotti is a crunchy cookie with warm honey notes.
Pumpkin Cranberry Biscotti is a great cookie for dunking in coffee.
Cinnamon Maple Oat Biscotti is full of toasted flavor and satisfying crunch.
More recipes for a lemon theme
For a lemon-themed dessert spread or care package, pair these biscotti with other bright citrus cookies and bars.
Chewy, crunchy lemon bars are a good option for picnics and warm weather care packages.
Italian lemon cookies are soft and cake-like with a sugar-coated crunch.
Lemon poppy seed cookies offer plenty of crisp texture and lemon flavor.
Lemon and lime butter cookie rosettes are melt-in-your-mouth cookies with zesty citrus flavor.
Shrewsbury biscuits are classic lemon cookies from the UK that are especially nice with afternoon tea.
Lemon Biscotti
Ingredients
Biscotti
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind from 1 medium lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice powder or ½ – 1 teaspoon lemon extract to taste
- 2-3 teaspoons water
- Yellow food coloring
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, salt, lemon rind or lemon extract, vanilla extract, and baking powder.
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Beat in the lemon juice, if using, and the eggs. The mixture may look slightly curdled.
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Mix in the flour just until combined. The dough will be sticky.
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Scrape the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. With damp hands and a scraper or spatula, shape it into a 13″ x 3″ log, about ¾” thick. Smooth the top and sides with wet hands.
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Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 10 to 25 minutes.
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Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
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Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log crosswise into ½-inch slices. If the dough crumbles, lightly dampen the crust before slicing.
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Stand the biscotti on the baking sheet. Bake again for 30 to 35 minutes, until very dry and beginning to turn golden brown around the edges.
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Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and cool completely.
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For the icing, mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice powder or lemon extract, and water in a small bowl until smooth.
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Place half of the icing in a small ziplock bag.
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Tint the remaining icing yellow with a few drops of food coloring, then place it in a second small ziplock bag.
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Line the cooled biscotti on a wire rack with wax paper underneath to catch drips.
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Use one icing color at a time. Snip a small corner from the bag and drizzle the icing over the biscotti in a zigzag pattern. Repeat with the second color.
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Let the icing dry completely, at least 2 hours, before storing.
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Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 weeks.
Notes
- Use damp hands and a damp spatula to make the sticky dough easier to shape.
- If the first-baked log crumbles when sliced, lightly dampen the crust and try again with a sharp serrated knife.
- For the best biscotti texture, make sure the second bake dries the cookies fully.
- Use lemon extract in the biscotti and icing if you want the cookies to stay crisp and look fresh longer.
- For mailing, do not ice the biscotti if they will be exposed to hot weather. Wrap two or three biscotti together with cut sides facing in, then pack in an airtight container or ziplock bag.
Nutrition
First Published: April 29, 2018. Last Updated: February 24, 2024. Updated with additional information for a better reader experience.