Lemon Biscotti (A Recipe From My Bakeshop Days)

The Lemon Series · Ep. 1

I came home from Italy with a camera roll full of photos, a firm belief that I can speak Italian now (I cannot), and exactly one personality trait: lemons. Sorrento is lemon everything — the groves, the tiles, the little painted plates — and I've been chasing that feeling in my kitchen ever since. So I'm doing a whole lemon series, pulling out all the lemon recipes from my former bakeshop, and first up is the one I make on repeat: lemon biscotti. These are crisp on the edges, soft inside, not-too-sweet, and exactly sturdy enough to dunk in your espresso or fave drink without falling apart (that's the whole point of baking them twice — more on that below). One bite and I'm right back on the Amalfi Coast.

Here's the part most recipes skip: the flavor lives in the zest, not the juice. The oils in a lemon's peel are where all that bright, fresh flavor hides — the juice is mostly water and acid, and it can make a stiff biscotti dough sticky. So the move is a two-parter:

1. Rub the zest into the sugar. Add the zest of two lemons right into your sugar and massage it with your fingertips for about 30 seconds, until the sugar turns pale yellow and smells like a lemon grove. That friction releases the oils into the sugar so the flavor spreads through every single bite.

   
   

2. Back it up with a little extract. Fresh zest is delicate and softens during the long bake, so a bit of lemon extract keeps the flavor singing all the way through. Zest + extract + a splash of vanilla = chef's kiss.

Lemon Biscotti

Preheat oven: 300 degrees

Bake: 40 minutes + another 2 minutes + another 2 minutes

Lemon extract	1	teaspoon
Vanilla extract	1	teaspoon
Lemon zest	2	lemons
All-purpose flour	11.69	ounces
Sugar	10.5	ounces
Baking powder	1.5	teaspoons
Salt	1	teaspoon
Eggs	2	large
Egg yolks	2	large
Butter	2.67	ounces

Zest two lemons down to the pith without zesting into the pith. Add zest to the sugar and massage with your fingers. Add “sugar zest” to flour, baking powder and salt. Mix. Make a “well” in the center of the flour mixture. Place eggs and egg yolks in the flour “well” and lightly mix into flour mixture.  Add melted butter, lemon extract and vanilla extract. Mix until dough starts to form a ball.  

On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into a 14” log (or cut dough in half and make two separate logs for mini biscotti). 

Bake in a preheated oven until firm and lightly browned, switching pan positions halfway through baking. Cut into desired width (1” is a nice size) and place slices on their side. Bake for 2 minutes. Turn slices over; bake for another 2 minutes until crisp and dry. 

When Sur la Table asked my fave summer tool, this was my answer: my Sur la Table sheet pan not exactly summery, but I reach for it every single season. This pan is honestly the hardest-working pan in my kitchen. Shop my sheet pan here: Sur la Table Sheet Pan

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them — at no extra cost to you. I only share tools I genuinely use and love.

Loved this one? It's Episode 1 of The Lemon Series — more Sorrento-inspired recipes coming.

smiles + SONshine,

-SeaChelleB

Crisp on the outside with a soft center and packed with fresh lemon zest. Sturdy enough for a good long dunk — these are my little edible souvenir from Sorrento.