This Chocolate Zucchini Biscotti is loaded with healthy zucchini, dried cherries, oats, and almonds. It's a unique way to use up zucchini and pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee!
Zucchini biscotti is popular during zucchini season at the end of summer. This was inspired by my Blender Chocolate Zucchini bread and my Chocolate Marble Biscotti on this site. It's ideal for a 'breakfast dessert', for bringing along to a breakfast potluck, or a hostess gift.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Uses up zucchini. This recipe uses up 2 whole cups of grated zucchini 1 medium zucchini)
- Healthier. It's not easy to find healthy sweet zucchini recipes. This one is loaded with wholesome ingredients like eggs, cinnamon, non-fat Greek yogurt, oats, dried fruit, and nuts!
- Yield. This recipe makes a lot of biscotti! You get 30 servings.
- Hidden veggies. Because the zucchini is blended, you would never even know it's in there!
- Stores well. This biscotti can be kept at room temperature for a week and frozen for up to 3 months.
- Snack or breakfast dessert. This biscotti goes great dipped in a cup of coffee for a snack or makes a great breakfast dessert!
If you are looking to use up fresh or frozen shredded zucchini, then give my Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies a try. And this Shredded Zucchini and Feta Sauté is another one you will love. It's a great way to use up shredded zucchini in a delicious, savory side dish!
🥘Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients for this biscotti recipe:
- Unsweetened cocoa - makes it chocolatey without adding extra fat or calories!
- Quick oats-are an easy way to increase the whole grain and fiber content of baked goods, add texture some chewiness and a nutty flavor.
- Brown sugar. I prefer light brown sugar, but I have used dark brown sugar as well. If you prefer a bolder molasses flavor, then use the dark brown sugar.
- Eggs. Eggs not only serve as the binder in this recipe, they add structure, flavor, and color.
- Grated zucchini. Grated zucchini adds nutrients (vitamins and minerals), while adding minimal fat and calories. It also adds moisture and volume.
- Vanilla Extract. I LOVE using pure vanilla extract in my baking, but if I can't access it, I use the vanilla extract from Costco- in my opinion, it's the next best thing.
- Baking Soda and Baking powder. The combination ensures that the acid in the recipe will be neutralized, while there's enough leavening to lift the batter.
- Cinnamon. Adds a bit of spicy flavor.
- Dried Cherries. Add a welcome tartness and texture.
- Slivered almonds. Add a nutty flavor and nice crunch to the biscotti.
- Oil. I use oil instead of butter in this biscotti, as it results in a crispier and lighter finish
- Grated zucchini. I use grated zucchini because I have it on hand and it's easier to get a proper measurement, but you could chop a medium zucchini it into pieces and put it in the blender instead.
- Greek yogurt Greek yogurt replaces some of the fat in the recipe so you use less oil.
- Almond Extract. Elevates the almond flavor.
- Egg wash. Gives a nice sheen to the top of the biscotti and makes it crisp.
See recipe card for quantities.
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Oil - you could use vegetable oil, olive oil, or avocado oil for this recipe
- Almonds - you could use sliced almonds instead of slivered
- Dried Cherries - you could substitute dried cranberries or another dried fruit such as dried apricots
- Zucchini - you can use frozen grated zucchini instead of fresh (see recipe NOTES at the bottom of the recipe card)
- Add-ins - chocolate chips would be a tasty add-in but they increase the calories, sugar, and fat in this recipe.
🔪How to make Zucchini Biscotti
Some people are intimidated by baking biscotti, but it's actually not that difficult. The only difference between this cookie and other cookies is that it just requires a second bake. And if you follow my "Tips for Success' under these instructions, you'll have perfectly baked, delicious biscotti in no time!
HEADS UP: There is a 2 hour chilling time for this recipe!
PREP: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C. Shred or chop zucchini. Chop dried cherries (see HINT at bottom of instructions)
Step 1: In a bender, add zucchini, canola oil, greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and almond extract together.
Step 2: Blend until pureed for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Step 3: Mix the flour (start with 3 cups) oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, dried cherries, almonds, and cinnamon powder in a large mixing bowl.
*Start with 3 cups flour (if using fresh zucchini ) If using frozen with liquid squeezed out, you'll need less (start with 2 cups)
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Make a semi-solid dough. It should be the texture of cookie dough.
Keep adding flour in small amounts (¼ cup) until it becomes cookie dough texture and consistency (see recipe NOTE)
Step 5: Cover and chill for 2 hours (I move the dough to a medium bowl so it takes up less room in the fridge).
Step 6: Grease your hands with a little oil or just dust them with dry flour.
Make a rectangle out of the dough about 12 inches long, 3 inches wide, and ¾ inch thick, on the greased baking tray.
Step 7: Make egg wash by mixing egg and water and brush on to dough.
Step 8: Bake for 25 minutes. Move to wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
Step 9: Using a serrated knife, slice the baked loaf into ¾ inch pieces (you can cut them on an angle or straight down) *Use a gentle sawing motion to prevent breaks and cracks
Step 10: 2nd bake: Turn down the oven to 300 degrees F/148 degrees C and place biscotti on cookie sheet.
Bake for 11-13 minutes till they become slightly brown.
Next, turn/flip them and bake again for 11-13 minutes on the other side until lightly browned and crispy.
Move to a wire rack to cool.
HINT: Soak dried cherries (or any dried fruit you use) for 2 minutes in boiling water. It makes them easier to chop and they are plump and moist and perfect for baking! *Larger fruit (e.g. dried apricots or dates) will need to soak a little longer (up to 10 minutes)
Tips for Success
- Don't overmix. Mix the ingredients just until they are combined.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Ideally, your eggs should be at room temperature.
- Use a serrated knife (bread knife) when cutting because you can gently saw through the loaf.
- Shaping loaves. Use floured or oiled hands to shape loaves and make them smaller (12x3x1) than you want them to be, as they will expand during baking.
- Chill the dough for at least an hour, ideally 2 hours, after mixing and before shaping.
- Let loaves cool for only 15 minutes between bakes. If you let it sit longer, it may be difficult to cut. But you don't want to cut it when it's too hot either.
- Cool biscotti on wire rack. This stops the baking process and allows air to flow from all sides, ensuring crispness.
🍽Equipment
You will need the usual suspects (mixing bowls, large mixing spoon, spatula) as well as baking sheets, a pastry brush, a cutting board, a cooling rack, and a serrated knife. It's important to use a serrated/bread knife when you are slicing biscotti because you can gently saw through the loaf without it breaking off or cracking. You can use a food processor or a box grater to shred the zucchini. *See recipe card for recommended equipment photos and links
🌡️Storing Zucchini Biscotti
Store this biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature. Lining the container with a paper towel will help soak up any excess moisture. This Homemade Biscotti will stay good for up to 1 week at room temperature and 3 months in the freezer (in a Ziploc freezer bag or airtight container).
If I plan to keep it longer than a few days, I usually freeze it right away, as it will stay fresher tasting longer! Defrost it at room temperature for best results.
👪 Serving Size
This recipe makes 30 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
This recipe is 4 WW points per piece of biscotti. If you want to replace the sugar with monk fruit, only use ⅓ cup of monk fruit and add an extra ⅓ cup flour, reducing it to 3 points. You can also cut the pieces a little smaller so you get more and end up with fewer points per piece.
❔FAQ
It's important to chill biscotti dough before shaping because it can be sticky and hard to shape. I chill mine for 2 hours, but you can get away with an hour.
It's not necessary to peel zucchini before using it in baking. The peel is loaded with nutrients, and in this recipe it's pureed in the blender, so you'd never know it's in there anyway.
The colder your cookie dough is before it reaches the heat of the oven, the less it will spread during baking, resulting in a loftier loaf. And you only want minimal spread with biscotti loaves. 2 hours is ideal, but if you're pressed for time, you could get away with 1 hour. You can also leave it overnight. I have done this when I've run out of time. You may have to leave it on the counter for 15 minutes before shaping, so it's workable dough.
You will know because it will be lightly browned (though it's hard to tell with the dark color of this biscotti) and it feels firm and dry to the touch.
You can try baking it longer - in 2-minute increments, then flip it over if it doesn't feel dry enough on both sides. Remember it will harden a little more, once it is moved onto the cooling rack. You can always put it back in the oven after that (it's not too late)!
If your dough still feels too sticky after chilling, add a little more flour in small amounts (⅛ cup at a time) until it feels like cookie dough (see below). If it's too dry, add a little water (1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency)
Like any cookie dough, the ideal consistency should be soft and pliable, but this biscotti dough will also be a little sticky. If it's dry and crumbly, or too sticky, where it's sticking to your hands and coating them, see the question directly above for solutions.
🥗 What to serve with Zucchini Biscotti
I love to serve biscotti as a breakfast dessert after these breakfast/brunch meals:
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If you are looking for unique zucchini recipes, you'll love this Chocolate Zucchinni Biscotti!
📋Chocolate Zuchini Biscotti Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded zucchini about 1 medium zucchini
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp. Plain Greek yogurt (non-fat ) 0%
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract/flavouring
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour 4- 4 ½ cups -This will vary- see recipe NOTES under Instructions
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ½ cup quick oats
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup dried cherries
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tblsp water
Instructions
HEADS UP: There is a 2 hour chilling time!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C. and spray 2 cookie sheets with non-stick cooking sheets.
- Shred zucchini. Alternatively you could chop it up, but it's easier to measure it grated and zucchini is quick and easy to grate. If you are using frozen grated zucchini, please see recipe NOTES at the bottom.
- In a bender, add the eggs, grated zucchini, canola oil, Geek yogurt, vanilla extract, almond extract.2 cups shredded zucchini, 2 large eggs, 3 tbsp. Plain Greek yogurt (non-fat ) 0%, 2 tablespoon canola oil, 1 teaspoon almond extract/flavouring, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it becomes a purée.
- HINT: Soak the cherries in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain through a sieve.¾ cup dried cherries
- This will make them soft enough to easily chop.
- Mix the flour, unsweetened cocoa, quick oats, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, dried cherries, almonds, and cinnamon powder in a large bowl.4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa, ½ cup slivered almonds, ½ cup quick oats, ⅔ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Make a semi solid dough. It should be the texture of cookie dough. Add a little more flour if needed.
- Chill 2 hours in the fridge.
- Grease your hands with a little oil or just dust them with dry flour.
- Shape dough into 2 rectangles (about 3 inches wide, 12 inches long and ¾ inch thickness and place on 2 greased baking sheets.
- Make egg wash by mixing egg and water and brush onto dough with a pastry brush. *You will only need about half of it.1 egg, 1 tblsp water
- Bake for 25 minutes in preheated oven
- Remove and let it cool completely for 15 minutes After 5 minutes, move loaf from baking sheet to cooling rack
- Slice the baked loaf crosswise or straight (depending on your preference) into ¾ inch pieces using a serrated knife.
- Place them on a clean, greased baking sheet.Bake at 300 degrees F/148 degrees C for 11-13 minutes.Turn them over and bake on the other side for an additional 11-13 minutes.
- Once out of the oven, immediately move them to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
More Zucchini Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these sweet and savory zucchini recipes:
Ellie Brandel
This chocolate zucchini biscotti was SO good! It was easy to make, and easy to follow instructions.
I really enjoyed the flavor. I HIGHLY reccomend this recipe to other biscotti lovers/
Terri Gilson
Hi Ellie,
I'm so glad you loved this biscotti and found it easy to make!
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Terri