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Home » Recipes » Biscotti

Lemon Biscotti

May 11, 2018 by Liz 59 Comments

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This easy, Italian Lemon Biscotti recipe is delicately sweet, has a light outer crunch and great flavor! Biscotti are so easy to make at home. This cookie is made with real lemons giving it a bright sweetness that cannot be replicated with extracts. Lemon Biscotti pin for Pinterest

*this post was updated on 4/5/20, the recipe is the same!*

Italian Biscotti are one of my favorite cookies to make! I literally make them all the time using all kinds of flavors, but lemon might be my favorite. This recipe requires just one bowl and one tray which means they are super quick to pull together.

Biscotti are a rustic, no fuss, everyday cookie

I love the homemade look of these cookies. You can make them big, make them small, they're always beautiful! Most importantly, it's completely acceptable to snack on these cookies from morning til night. Biscotti with your morning coffee, biscotti midday, biscotti with your evening tea...my house is stocked with biscotti all the time. Easy lemon biscotti recipe

The best lemon biscotti recipe

Since we're now well into the spring season, I thought lemon would pair nicely with this buttery cookie. I added a ton of fresh zest to the dough and in one version, I used the lemon juice to make a quick glaze for the top. In an effort to keep the lemon essences completely pure, I decided to not use an extract. The result was a soft, sweet lemon flavor in the cookie and a pop of tart glaze on top. Lemon Biscotti with glaze

For biscotti, nothing beats homemade

There are some cookies that I don't mind buying but biscotti are NOT one of them. I've found that the cookies at the store (and even at most bakeries...) are flavorless and are usually so rock-hard that they break your teeth.

I realize that traditional Italian biscotti are meant for dunking in coffee or tea, but I don't understand why it has to be baked to a completely dry, dusty texture. Whether it's technically supposed to be that way or not, I hate a hard, crunchy cookie.

Lemon Biscotti on a plate

The great thing about this recipe is that you can bake these on the softer side or more crisp. All you need to do is adjust the baking time for the second bake.

  • If you want softer cookies, bake no more than 10 minutes on each side.
  • If you want medium-crunch cookies, bake no more than 15 minutes on each side.
  • For crisp cookies, bake 20 minutes on each side.

Lemon Biscotti on a plate

This is an easy cookie

As I mentioned, biscotti are SO easy to make! Here are the essential steps:

  1. Mix the dough and form in big fat log.
  2. Begin to shape the dough and carefully stretch it longer and thinner. I usually go the whole length of the tray and push it down until it's about ½ inch thick. You can create two smaller logs for smaller biscotti if you want to.
  3. Bake it off until golden brown on the edges.
  4. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes; slice into diagonal pieces (about 1 inch in width each).
  5. Lay the pieces on the tray with the side facing up, bake off again.
  6. When they're done, drizzle with icing!

How to make biscotti

Looking for more biscotti recipes? Check out my other favorites!

Cinnamon Vanilla Biscotti

Semolina Biscotti

Almond Biscotti

 

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Easy lemon biscotti recipe

Lemon Biscotti

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 13 reviews

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This easy, Italian Lemon Biscotti recipe is delicately sweet, has a light outer crunch and soft center. Biscotti are so easy to make at home! This cookie is made with real lemons giving it a bright sweetness that cannot be replicated with extracts.

  • Total Time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 12 cookies

Ingredients

Units

For the Biscotti

  • 4 tablespoons butter (softened at room temp; salted or unsalted can be used)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (plus more for shaping the dough)
  • ⅛ tsp salt (if you're sensitive to salt, you may want to omit this if using salted butter)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

For the Glaze (optional)

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

For the Biscotti

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prep one cookie tray with parchment.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy using a hand mixer. Add the lemon zest and mix until fully incorporated.
  3. Add the eggs and mix for about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  4. Add the flour, salt and baking powder. Gently mix the dry ingredients on low speed until incorporated. Stop mixing once all of the flour is absorbed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  5. Once the mixture comes together, sprinkle a dusting of flour onto the cookie tray that is lined with parchment. Carefully dump out the bowl onto the tray and gently form the dough into a log. The dough will be sticky and soft, so add more flour to your surface and your hands as needed to form the shape.
  6. Once your log is ready (it should be about the length of the tray), press down so that the dough log is about ½ inch thick.
  7. Bake for about 30 minutes until puffed up, light golden brown and firm.
  8. Once the cookie log is done baking, remove from the oven and set aside. Drop the oven temp to 300°F.
  9. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the tray. Once the cookie log is done resting, use a serrated knife to slice the log into about 1 inch cookies, on a diagonal.
  10. Place the cookies on their flat sides and place back into the oven for 10 minutes* (or more time if desired, SEE NOTES).
  11. After the cookies are done baking on the one side, flip them over again and bake the other sides for 10 minutes (or more time if desired, SEE NOTES).
  12. After the last bake, remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the tray.

For the Glaze (optional)

  1. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar. Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the biscotti. Allow the glaze to dry.

Notes

Recipe by Owlbbaking.com

*The great thing about this recipe is that you can bake these on the softer side or more crisp. All you need to do is adjust the baking time for the second bake.

  • If you want softer cookies, bake no more than 10 minutes on each side.
  • If you want medium-crunch cookies, bake no more than 15 minutes on each side.
  • For crisp cookies, bake 20 minutes on each side.
  • Author: Liz at Owlbbaking.com
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Cookies
  • Cuisine: Italian

Did you make this recipe?

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Lemon Biscotti
© Owlbbaking, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from owner is strictly prohibited. Photography & video may not be used without consent (Click here for round-up feature consent).

More Biscotti

  • Pistachio Biscotti on marble with a cup of chopped pistachios
    Pistachio Biscotti
  • Biscoff Biscotti
  • Almond Biscotti hero
    Almond Biscotti
  • Semolina Biscotti
    Semolina Biscotti

Reader Interactions

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  1. Maria Ellis

    January 19, 2024 at 2:22 pm

    Can you use Turbinado cane sugar in place of granulated sugar?

    Reply
    • Liz

      February 03, 2024 at 11:11 am

      That should be OK for this recipe! I haven't tried it, but let me know if you do!

      Reply
  2. Janet

    September 28, 2023 at 2:15 pm

    Our family loves this recipe. I left the oven at 350 for a bit more crispness. I’ll be making this recipe for gifts … it’s that perfect. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Liz

      October 02, 2023 at 8:04 pm

      You are so sweet, thank you!!!! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Chandi

    February 11, 2023 at 11:46 pm

    This is the best recipe. I only had one issue, At 300 ( second baking) it doesn’t get the crunch as a Biscotti should have. Leave the temp @350. Cook 15-20. But watching it. Super yummy everyone. I have made it4 times, picked Meyer lemons from our trees & it’s awesome. A great basic you can add, pecans, ginger, chips whatever you can imagine. A great cookie for a nice basic.

    Reply
  4. Chandi

    January 23, 2023 at 2:20 pm

    I love this recipe it has great flavor. My only concerns are even after cooking 20 each side, it never got super crunchy.
    I didn’t turn the oven down as the recipe says on the second time I cooked it. Turned out great. I LOVE the flavors even more on the second day.

    Reply
  5. Angela

    January 08, 2023 at 7:30 am

    This sounds like a great recipe but when I went to print it out there was a huge ad right in the middle of the recipe. Why waste someone's ink? I don't get it........I really didn't want to waste my precious ink. Are you getting kick backs for the ads? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Liz

      February 11, 2023 at 9:32 am

      Hi Angela! Unfortunately I don't have that much control on the format of the printout - I use programs to build the website so I can't customize this myself. Something I do on recipe websites is, I highlight the text in the recipe card, right click, and just print the selection. It helps to save the ink!

      Reply
  6. Karen

    October 07, 2022 at 1:18 pm

    This is my go to biscotti recipe. Absolutely love the lemon flavor. Got a batch cooking in the oven right now!

    Reply
    • Liz

      October 15, 2022 at 8:40 am

      Thank you SO much for the kind words, Karen!! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Rita

    September 25, 2022 at 10:50 am

    Can I use oil or shortening for the butter. Some of my family not a fan of butter

    Reply
    • Liz

      October 02, 2022 at 12:30 pm

      Hey Rita! Shortening may work but it will produce a more crisp cookie and I'm not sure how the flavor would turn out. Let me know if you give it a try!

      Reply
      • Rita

        October 02, 2022 at 8:49 pm

        Thank you Liz. I will let you know how they turn out if I use the shortening.

        Reply
  8. MC

    January 02, 2022 at 5:37 pm

    Hi Liz, I made m second batch today and they were delicious. I tried 2 eggs instead of 3 as I was looking for something a little more dense today. I baked each side for about 22 minutes and I must say they tasted like my grandmother’s cookies! I need advice on the log however. Both days the logs spread wide and I ended up cutting the cookies down the middle as they were too long. Any suggestions? I can’t wait to go through your entire catalog. I am hooked! Thank you greatly!

    Reply
    • Liz

      January 11, 2022 at 11:29 am

      You're so sweet, thank you for the kind words!! Hmm, I'm not sure why the logs are spreading. It sounds like the dough might be too soft/wet? I would try working in a bit more flour when you're forming them. Hope that helps!!

      Reply
      • mc

        January 13, 2022 at 4:12 pm

        Thanks. I will try them with more flour and let you know.

        Reply
    • Maria

      April 16, 2022 at 5:33 pm

      I'm Sicilian and grew up on Biscotti. There were both long and short ones store bought or grandmother's.
      Flavors from plain, vanilla to lemon. Also varied from chocolate chips, various nuts. Soft or crunchy
      All good. Play with options
      Homemade awesome!
      Espresso with milk tops them off! Enjoy

      Reply
  9. mc

    January 01, 2022 at 3:27 pm

    These came out great! I only had an orange in the house so I made orange biscotti. I also added a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. A beautiful recipe, Liz. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Liz

      January 11, 2022 at 11:27 am

      That sounds AMAZING! I'm going to have to try using orange! So glad you loved the recipe! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Rosemary

    February 14, 2021 at 7:55 pm

    Amazing recipe so easy delicious and love u can decide what level
    Of hardness u want lemons r big in our house I’ll be making again and again ty ty ty

    Reply
    • Liz

      February 18, 2021 at 9:45 am

      I'm so glad you love the recipe!!

      Reply
  11. Jacqueline

    February 01, 2021 at 11:57 pm

    This was my first attempt at biscotti. What a Home Run! Thanks for explaining the bake times for the desired crispness. I have a friend who uses her Italian Grandmother’s 100+ year old recipe. She was impressed with the pictures I sent her during my baking process. Can’t wait to try the Biscoff recipe. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Liz

      February 03, 2021 at 10:27 am

      Wooo!! I'm so glad!! Wow, that's awesome! :)!

      Reply
  12. Nancy

    December 30, 2020 at 9:09 pm

    This was my first attempt at making biscotti and the recipe was so simple and easy to follow. Not to mention the ingredients are essentials in my pantry. My family really enjoyed these. I will be making again.

    Reply
    • Liz

      December 31, 2020 at 10:59 am

      Thank you so much for the kind words, Nancy!! 🙂

      Reply
  13. Judi

    December 20, 2020 at 9:22 pm

    I am really confused. I found that I needed to add almost 1 additional cup of flour because the batter was the consistency of a thick muffin batter. I think perhaps 2 eggs was what should have been used. In all the other biscotti recipes out there the proportion of flour and eggs is 1 egg for each cup of flour. Just an FYI
    I was a cooking and gourmet food teacher for over 30 years. When I added the extra flour and got them to the consistency of all the other recipes I have made they turned out great!

    Reply
    • Liz

      December 22, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      Hi Judi! Thanks for the feedback! This is indeed a loose batter vs. other biscotti recipes, I always found that it helps to keep the texture of the cookie lighter, even after the second bake, but I definitely appreciate the notes! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Mary

    December 18, 2020 at 10:24 pm

    I don't have access to lemons, could I substitute lemon extract? If so how much?

    Reply
    • Liz

      December 19, 2020 at 6:26 pm

      Hi Mary! No worries! I would use 2 teaspoons of lemon extract instead. 🙂 It can be added to the mixture at step 2.

      Reply
  15. Patriciann Chickara

    September 01, 2020 at 7:05 pm

    I just finished baking the Lemon Biscotti for the 1st time. It also the 1st time that I have made one of ur recipes.. I can truly say, I am totally hooked. This recipe is Amazing!! As an Italian as well, u are a girl after my own heart!! Thank u soo much for sharing ur recipes.. I already have my eye on a few more! I learned cooking n baking also frm my Italian Grandma n now I teach my own Grandchildren as well. They range frm 26 to 2yrs old!! I am Blessed!! once again Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Liz

      September 01, 2020 at 9:47 pm

      Thank you SO much for the kind and thoughtful words, Patriciann!! You are so sweet, I can't tell you how much that means to me! I bet your grandchildren will have so many wonderful memories cooking & baking with you!!

      Reply
  16. Kelley

    August 04, 2020 at 2:24 pm

    OMG these are good! Love the fresh authentic lemon flavor and the great biscotti texture. YUM.

    Reply
    • Liz

      August 05, 2020 at 9:39 am

      Thank you so much for the kind words, Kelley!! 🙂

      Reply
  17. Ally

    July 21, 2020 at 12:43 pm

    HI! These biscotti sound dee-lsih! What size cookie sheet do you use? I want the log to be the correct length! Thanks! Ally in NJ

    Reply
    • Liz

      July 21, 2020 at 5:18 pm

      Hey Ally! Great question! I should clarify this in the recipe notes. 🙂 I use a standard, quarter sheet pan, which is about 9x13 in size. I don't necessarily stretch the log of dough out to the entire length of the pan; it takes up most of the length though and it gives you plenty of room to work. If you only have a smaller sheet pan, you can always split the dough in half and make two little logs. 🙂 Happy Baking!

      Reply
    • Ally

      July 21, 2020 at 5:42 pm

      Thanks Liz! I plan on making them tomorrow! 🙂

      Reply
      • Liz

        July 21, 2020 at 6:15 pm

        Keep me posted on how they come out!!

        Reply
        • Ally

          July 22, 2020 at 7:39 am

          Sure will!

          Reply
  18. Kelly Pohl

    July 16, 2020 at 10:31 am

    I made these cookies yesterday and they are fantastic! So delicious. Thanks for the recipe...it's a keeper! Can you let me know if you've ever doubled or tripled the recipe? I'm wanting to make a large batch for a party and I'm hoping I can double or triple in one shot rather than having to make two or three separate batches. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Liz

      July 16, 2020 at 10:55 am

      Hi Kelly, Thank you so much for the comment!! I'm so glad you love the biscotti! Hmm that's a good question! I have not personally tried this and I know scaling recipes containing baking powder/baking soda can get tricky. You could try, but my recommendation would be to make the batches individually. It may also help to keep them separate to ensure the logs for the first bake are not too large. Another idea, you could make the dough logs longer and thinner to make lots of little ones too! That could help decrease the amount of batches you need to make. Either way, let me know what you end up going with! I'd be very interested to know if you end up doubling the recipe and how that works out! 🙂

      Reply
      • Kelly

        July 21, 2020 at 6:53 pm

        Hi again. I made the biscotti again this past weekend and I ended up doubling the recipe ... worked out well! I split the dough in two and used a scale to make sure I had two separate doughs the same size. I have a large enough baking sheet that I was able to put both ‘logs’ on the same sheet.
        P.S. I received a number of positive comments on the biscotti from the partygoers.! 🙂 absolutely delish!

        Reply
        • Liz

          July 21, 2020 at 9:39 pm

          Hey Kelly! Oh wow, that's awesome!! I'm so glad it worked out and that's a really smart approach! Thank you so much for the kind words and for reporting back! 🙂

          Reply
  19. Leigh

    June 16, 2020 at 9:23 pm

    Amazing cookies! A huge family hit. However, the blog notes at the top say cool for 10 minutes before slicing into 1 inch cookies, and then the recipe below says cool 5 minutes then slice into half inch cookies. Which is the preferred method?

    Reply
    • Liz

      June 16, 2020 at 10:28 pm

      Hey Leigh! Thank you so much for the comment! I'm so glad everyone loved the cookies! Yikes! Appreciate you pointing those typos out. Either works, 10 minutes is preferred, otherwise the cookie logs might still be too hot to handle. 1 inch cookies are a good size for these. I'm going to make that adjustment in the notes now. Thanks again! 🙂

      Reply
      • Leigh

        December 17, 2020 at 6:59 pm

        I keep making the recipe and it always comes out perfect! I use bob's redmill 1 to 1 gluten free flour, and it turns out amazing. I even gift the cookies, they are that good!

        Reply
        • Liz

          December 18, 2020 at 7:50 am

          I'm so glad, Leigh!! 🙂 Good to know the 1-1 GF flour swap works!!

          Reply
  20. Marcy

    April 14, 2020 at 3:24 pm

    Out of the oven and wow they are Devine!
    Thanks for recipe
    Marcy

    Reply
    • Liz

      April 15, 2020 at 9:36 am

      Hey Marcy! I'm so glad you like the recipe!! They should keep for a few days - I freeze them to enjoy for longer!

      Reply
  21. Marcy

    April 14, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    How long will these keep? Just waiting for them to come out of the oven

    Reply
  22. Sandra

    April 12, 2020 at 7:57 am

    These were so easy to make. As I write this, I have gobbled 3 slices already. I won't be waiting for tea. Your recipe was easy to understand. I have a lemon tree so I had to run outside several times to get more lemons. With this lockdown in South Africa, I have had to stretch my imagination and not do the usual cakes and biscuits. Definitely well worth the effort.

    Reply
    • Liz

      April 13, 2020 at 9:51 am

      Hi Sandra! Thank you SO much for the comment! That's so sweet of you, it made my day! 🙂 And also, having your own lemon tree sounds like a dream! I'm still under lockdown too and cherishing the last two lemons in my fridge!

      Reply
  23. Renee

    April 04, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    Made these but only put bake in oven for 15 min on one side at 300 degrees because my husband doesn't like them real hard. By doing this he loves them.

    Reply
    • Liz

      April 04, 2020 at 3:55 pm

      Love it! I like these cookies on the softer side too!

      Reply
  24. Emily

    April 02, 2020 at 9:35 am

    Made these last night. They came out perfectly! I added some sliced almonds to the batter.

    Reply
    • Liz

      April 02, 2020 at 10:19 am

      Thanks for the comment, Emily! Sliced almonds sounds like the PERFECT add! I love it!

      Reply
  25. Heidi

    April 01, 2020 at 12:21 pm

    I've been looking for a lemon biscotti recipe for a long time. So happy I came across this! These were much easier than I thought it was going to be! Thank you for sharing!! Not sure how I vote but - FIVE STARS from me

    Reply
    • Liz

      April 01, 2020 at 1:10 pm

      Oh my gosh, thank you so much for the comment Heidi! This made my day! I'm so glad you loved the recipe - this one is my GO-TO for biscotti! 🙂

      Reply
  26. Linda

    October 06, 2019 at 9:56 am

    OMG.....! These are Absolutely Sinfully Delicious ???? I made these as soon as I came across your picture of these Biscottis just had to run out and get the lemons ????. Cudos to You! Now go going to whip up your Double Chocolate Peppermint Biscotti ????

    Thank You ????

    Reply
    • Liz

      October 06, 2019 at 10:57 pm

      I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! Thanks so much for the kind words!

      Reply

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Nice to meet you! I'm Liz! Dessert lover, home baker and owl enthusiast. This blog is devoted to new and classic sweet-treat recipes that you'll love to make again and again! I share all my knowledge and experience so you can bake with full confidence. Learn more about me →


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