This cookie recipe is near and dear to my heart and a classic old-fashioned orange marmalade biscotti with a hint of anisette in them.
These cookies taste great plain or dipped in dark chocolate.
A very old vintage recipe, we usually make for the Christmas Cookie Tray.
The cookies are easy to make and perfect with tea, coffee, or just with a big glass of ice-cold milk..
It was my favorite cookie grandma use to make back in the 1940s.
When I moved away to Florida in 1994, I missed her baking and cooking so much and have wonderful treasured memories.
Of course, I had to learn how to make these myself, and I make a batch every year at Christmas time.
These cookies freeze well, so even though I cut this recipe in half, you can make a full large batch (as this makes) and freeze them.
The Italian biscotti classic flavor is with an Anisette and the Biscotti remains a favorite through the years, the orange addition is a nice change.
The cookies she makes are usually soft and can be left plain or toasted, but we love ours toasted and a great dunking cookie for coffee (if you're a dunker that is!)
If you want a soft cookie with lots of citrus flavors this is it and if you want them hard then bake them twice even longer.
We love biscotti and make several kinds like cranberry almond, lemon polenta, pistachio, and pumpkin biscotti.
The biscotti is a traditional classic cookie found in all Italian bakeries and famous all over the world.
Scroll down to the end for a printable copy of this recipe.
What Are Biscotti?
Biscotti meaning twice baked, are cookies that are supposed to be hard and have a longer shelf life than usual.
The cookies are meant to be hard although you can leave them softer by not toasting them.
There are several versions of the cookies, mostly with chopped nuts like almonds, pistachios or pine nuts.
Any flavoring extracts can be used and the most popular is anisette.
For those who prefer a different flavoring, you can use almond, vanilla, and even lemon instead.
The basic recipe always has simple pantry ingredients in the batter.
They are great with espresso and perfect for afternoon cookie breaks with tea.
True Classic Italian Cookies
Biscotti was first made and discovered around the 14th century in Tuscany in the city of Prato.
The original cookies were made from almonds which are very abundant in that region.
Because the almonds took out any moisture the cookies lasted a long time and resistant to mold.
They are a true classic Italian cookie.
It wasn't until years later here in America, they were dipped in chocolate and all kinds of varieties were discovered.
Why Do Biscotti Crumble
The cookies leave many crumbs because of the moisture content.
They can be a little tricky to cut after they bake.
Check out my tips to make an easier transition.
Ingredients You Will Need to Make Orange Marmalade Biscotti
(Scroll down to the recipe card for the measurements)
- shortening
- sugar
- eggs
- anise extract
- orange marmalade
- baking soda
- baking powder
- flour
- egg yolk beaten for tops to brush on
Tool You Will Need
- Parchment paper
- Cookie sheets
- Bowls
- Spatula
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Serrated edged knife
Tips:
- Use a back and forth motion to cut biscotti
- Too much flour will result in it low moisture and the cookies will be crumbly
- Before baking, you can smooth the dough with moistened hands that have been rinsed with water for molding shape
- For best results use a serrated knife to cut them waiting 20 minutes of cooling or an electric knife.
More Recipes We Love
pumpkin biscotti
Christmas Italian Colors Slice and Bake Cookies
Best Holiday Cookies in Review
Chocolate Filled Surprise Nutella Cookies
Mom's Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies and Christmas Reindeers
Chocolate Peanut Butter Florida Melting Snowman Cookies
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Orange Marmalade Biscotti
Yield: 50
prep time: cook time: total time:
These are citrus-flavored biscotti that is popular around the holiday season. The flavors are orange and anisette cookies and a traditional cookie my family loves.
Biscotti are a favorite cookie and they can be left soft or toasted.
Biscotti are a favorite cookie and they can be left soft or toasted.
ingredients:
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup of sugar
- 4 eggs beaten
- 2 teaspoons of anise extract
- 1 cup orange marmalade
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 cups flour
- 1 egg yolk beaten for tops to brush on
instructions:
How to Bake Orange Marmalade Biscotti
- Combine shortening and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs, anise, and marmalade.
- Blend in flour and leavening agents. If the dough is too sticky add more flour if needed.
- Flour hands shape into loaves don't make them too big, these should be 5 inches long and 3 inches wide.
- Brush with one egg yolk beaten.
- Bake at 400 till browned.
- These actually are soft cookies unless you want to toast them.
- Cool them for 20 minutes, then slice them by sawing them with a serrated-edged knife in a back-and-forth motion so they don't crumble.
- Place them back on a cookie sheet and toast them at 350 degrees until browned.
- After they are cut, put them back in the oven and toast them turning once on a 350-degree oven until brown on both sides.
- The full recipe makes many cookies, I usually cut the recipe in half since it's just two of us.
- You can also freeze loaves unused until ready to serve.
Calories
79
79
Fat (grams)
16
16
Sat. Fat (grams)
8
8
Carbs (grams)
21
21
Net carbs
16
16
Sugar (grams)
20
20
Don't forget to try my other two very favorite biscotti recipes!
Cranberry Almond Biscotti
Pistachio Biscotti
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Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2010. It was edited and re-published in 2019.
nice to see your lovely friends!the cake sounds very flavoured!
ReplyDeleteI so love this - the anisette for an authentic biscotti flavor and then the orange marmalade for that crisp sweetness. This will definitely have a place of honor this holiday season. The picture? Sweeter than the biscotti!
ReplyDeleteThese sound excellent with the anise extract, yum!
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing like a special recipe from a dear friend or family member - makes it taste that much better! I love the idea of orange and anisette together.
ReplyDeleteI make my plum pudding with marmalade and have a lovely fresh jar of the good stuff from England... would love to make these lovely cookies!
ReplyDeleteLove the photos! So sweet :o)
ReplyDeleteThese cookies are perfection!
This is very warm story. I wish I have friends like yours. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
ReplyDeletegreat post! My Dad's Mom used to make these all the time and we loved them so!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing :)
What a lovely post and some gorgeous cookies as well.
ReplyDeleteAww, that's sweet. What great memories, it's nice you can recreate them through food. Isn't that the best way? xoxo
ReplyDeleteClaudia - some beautiful memories surrounding these cookies. At first glance, they look like biscottis. I just know they're tasty treats with the anise!
ReplyDeleteLovely recipe and lovely memories!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Barbara
Hello dear! Thank you for visiting and commenting! I love getting feedback on the posts. I apologize for the difficulty with posting comments.
ReplyDeleteThese cookies by the way sound delicious and look absolutely lovely and festive. Brings back many happy memories for me!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Cheers~
I love anisette cookies...they remind me of my nonna. She loves them. What a great recipe to cherish from your friend.
ReplyDeletethis gotta be the perfect cookie for biscotti, love the flavors in there, just what it should be without out too much fuss.... beautiful friends
ReplyDeleteGreat cookie recipe Claudia! You look so beautiful in that photo with your dear friends. The love is showing.
ReplyDeletePriceless photos! And for the cookie recipe, it looks lovely and delicious!
ReplyDeleteThey looks yummy and crunchy ! welldone.. :)
ReplyDeleteI love recipes with a heartfelt warming story. They sound like lovely people. The cookies do look and sound like they really hit the spot on a cold NY morning. Thanks for sharing Louise's recipe and a lovely story with us.
ReplyDeleteClaudia...your friends sound as lovely as this cookie recipe.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine how honoured Louise must feel now that you portrayed her in such an endearing way ;o)
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
I just made this recipe of Italian Anisette Orange Marmalade cookies. They're cooling off as I type. Print friendly option could exclude all the pics, but should include the title of the recipe, and tell you how many loaves it will make. I split the dough in half, made two long loaves instead, but it took longer to bake than expected since the toothpick test after 25 minutes proved still quite doughy inside still, so I gave it 10 more minutes at 400 degrees. The number of loaves quantity I saw (after the fact) was included in a pic, but should be in the actual recipe. I think brushing with egg yoke made it darker than if the egg wash was eliminated. I kinda fashioned the cookie baking time to Mary Ann Espitito's, of 25 minutes and still needed more time. You did not include a length time to bake. My Jenn Aire is pretty accurate. Anyway, I'm sure it will be delicious. Anxious to make it again...I love biscotti cookies.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing recipe thanks for posting !
ReplyDeleteI made them for my family they loved them !
Perfect for holiday gifting plus I'd have to keep some for me!!
ReplyDelete