New Yorkers love to talk about three things: the price of their rent, the length of their commute, and the price of your rent or the length of your commute.
I used to take three trains from Brooklyn to my job on the Upper East Side. In New York conversation, that is practically worthy of a side note at a party. One train gets an approving nod, two elicits a shared groan, and three makes people suddenly sympathetic — until they remember to ask how much I paid in rent.
I could have cut those three trains down to one by walking half an hour to a direct line. If it wasn’t raining, snowing, or if my laziness didn’t win, I usually chose the walk. One day I discovered an excellent Italian bakery along that route, and my walking habit suddenly made perfect sense: a walk equals a treat. Their selection of biscotti drew me in, and I began buying just one to take with me.
The first time I bought a single biscotti, the woman behind the counter laughed. She was used to selling them by the pound, so one slice was unusual — and cost me just a quarter or so, depending on how thick the baker sliced them.
Enjoying a biscotti properly requires dunking it in coffee, which is tricky while commuting. You can’t easily fit a biscotti through the narrow opening of a lidded coffee cup, and attempting to dunk from an unlidded cup on a crowded subway at 7:45 a.m. is a bold move. The A-train doesn’t feel much like a tranquil Italian café.
I could write sonnets about the humble biscotti and its love for coffee: the crisp-yet-tender texture at the brink of a dunk, the way it softens and surrenders to warm liquid, and the quiet joy that brings to a morning. It’s a simple pleasure with a lot of promise.
This was my first real attempt at making homemade biscotti, despite living close to many excellent bakeries. Perhaps I had helped make them before and forgotten; my memory isn’t always reliable. But when I finally tried my own batch, I learned a few things about balance and texture.
Biscotti earned a poor reputation in the 1990s when coffee shops sold every variety as a mass-produced, overly hard cookie loaded with add-ins. No one wants to gnaw through a biscuit of dried cranberries and whole pecans. But a well-made biscotti can be spicy, flavorful, crunchy yet tender, and perfect for dunking.
If you’re unsure about biscotti, try this version. These cookies are flavored with cinnamon and maple, sweetened with brown sugar and maple syrup, and include oats for texture. They stay pleasantly tender even after being twice-baked and have just enough crunch to pair beautifully with coffee or tea.
Make a batch and watch these breakfast biscotti brighten many winter mornings.
Cinnamon Maple Oat Biscotti
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (50 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup (53 grams) packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon (3 grams) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon (17 grams) coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) anise extract
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Measure the maple syrup into a liquid measuring cup, then add the coconut oil and extracts. Separate the egg: reserve the white in a small bowl and add the yolk to the maple mixture, whisking to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. The dough will be crumbly. Mix in the reserved egg white and stir until the dough comes together.
With lightly floured hands (the dough may be slightly sticky), shape the dough on the prepared sheet into a 12-inch long by 4-inch wide log. Re-flour hands as needed.
Bake for 20 minutes, until the log is lightly golden and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool until you can handle it easily. Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut the log into 1/3-inch diagonal slices. Place the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and bake 8–10 minutes more, until crisp at the edges.
Let the biscotti cool completely before serving with your preferred dunking beverage. Store in an airtight container for several weeks.