Black Pepper Biscotti

Biscotti don’t have to be sweet, and these prove it. A bold hit of black pepper runs through the dough, its warmth and gentle heat playing against sweet chopped figs, a pairing borrowed straight from the cheese board. The result lands somewhere between cookie and cracker, which makes these biscotti as at home next to wine and cheese as with morning coffee.

The technique is classic twice-baked biscotti. The dough is shaped into logs and baked once until firm, then cooled, sliced on the diagonal, and baked again standing upright so both cut sides dry into that signature hard, crisp snap. That second bake is what lets biscotti keep for weeks in a tin.

This dough is notably lean, with just a little butter and extra egg whites doing the binding, so the crunch is crisp rather than rich. Don’t skip flattening the logs before the first bake; it gives you wide, even slices. And cut while the logs are still slightly warm, using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, so the figs don’t drag and tear the slices.

Pro Tips

• Cut the logs while still slightly warm with a serrated knife. Fully cooled biscotti shatter, and a sawing motion keeps the figs from tearing.
• Stand the slices upright for the second bake so both cut sides crisp evenly.
• Press the logs flat before the first bake for wide, even, dunkable slices.
• Bake until fully dry and crisp. Any softness left in means they’ll go stale faster.

Variations

• Add toasted walnuts, hazelnuts, or pine nuts with the figs.
• Pair the pepper with a little orange zest or anise for more complexity.
• Swap figs for dates or dried apricots.