Guest post from Chris of Simple Family Finance
Get ready. Today, you’re in for a good old fashioned food fight! Don’t pretend like you don’t love those. Three similar items are going to face-off to determine who the winner is. We all know that price comparisons are vital to a frugal food budget, so the winner will be determined by value.
This time, we’re going to take a closer look at Biscotti. Designed to dunk, biscotti is a coffee drinker’s best friend. Milk and tea drinkers, don’t fret. Biscotti is an excellent choice with either beverage. Grape soda drinkers, leave it alone. That’s gross.
Biscotti’s natural habitat is the large glass jar at your local coffee shop’s counter, but it has been known to frequent the cookie aisle at various supermarkets as well. Many species exist, such as lemon, vanilla, and chocolate dipped, but a subtle anise flavor remains my favorite.
Enough introductions. Bring on the battle.
How much biscotti can you have for $1.50?
Wow! It isn’t even close.
The first picture shows a coffee-shop style biscotti. It was individually wrapped near the check-out counter of our local coffee shop. The actual price of this particular biscotti was $1.59, but I labeled it as only $1.50 since prices will vary based on your area and $1.50 seems like a nice round number. You’ll notice it has a little bit of chocolate on it to lure you in.
Don’t fall for it.
First of all, in my wife’s humble opinion (a chocolate fanatic), the homemade biscotti tasted better despite the lack of chocolate. Second, it’s not like you can’t dip your own biscotti in a some chocolate to satisfy your craving.
The second picture represents the store-bought variety. In this case, the Walmart that I checked had a package of Nonni’s Biscotti for $2.98. The package had 8 individually wrapped biscotti inside. Therefore, you can afford 4 of them for $1.50. Congratulations.
The final photo shows you how many homemade biscotti can be made for $1.50. Notice the difference? With the recipe detailed below, $1.50 will buy you 32 truly delicious biscotti!
In fact, the picture doesn’t really do justice to the number of cookies. There are plenty more behind that tall stack in front. It’s not as easy as it seems to stack those buggers.
And the runaway winner is…Homemade Biscotti!
If you like to drink and dunk, please try the recipe below. It’s simple, delicious, and will save you a wheel barrel full of money.
Vanilla Biscotti
Price Per Serving: $0.09 (2 Cookies)
Recipe Yield: 16 Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- dash salt
- 1 Tablespoon butter
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375° and grease one loaf pan.
- Beat the eggs and sugar together until well blended.
- Add the vanilla and mix together, followed by the flour and salt.
- Spread the dough into the bottom of the loaf pan and bake about 30 minutes.
- Remove the loaf from the pan, let it cool, and cut into 16 pieces using a serrated knife.
- Grease a baking sheet with the butter and spread out the biscotti. The butter will help it brown just a bit.
- Bake for 5 minutes on each side at 375°. Let cool.
- Do a happy dance and enjoy your new creation with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk!
Another delicious option: swap the vanilla with 1 – 2 teaspoons of Anise Seed for a slightly different flavor. The anise is subtle, so go with 2 teaspoons if you want a more distinct flavor.
This article is part of a series called Photo Food Fights at Simple Family Finance. You can find this recipe and over 150 other deliciously frugal recipes in Chris’s book, Eating Well For Only $2 A Day! You can find the book, as well as countless other articles, tips, and recipes at Simple Family Finance. Subscribe to the free email updates and receive a coupon code for 20% off the already low price of the book!
Jim says
Nice article.. They sound delicious.
We make Biscotti at Christmas time.
They are delicious with Red Wine, Port or Warm Rum & Cider
Becky says
Looks delicious! The biscotti at my coffee shop is $2.79–crazy!
Anna says
I am going to use your recipe for Math this fall with my Kindergartener. Counting, measuring, time telling, fractions; all from one recipe!
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
That’s such a good idea Anna! I never thought about that.
Julia says
I saw this recipe in yesterday’s e-newsletter and I knew I had to try it. I swapped out the vanilla for almond emulsion (about 2 tsps) and brought them into the office. They were a hit!
I love making edible gifts and I think I just found my new go-to recipe. Super simple and very yummy.
Sarah says
Often we forget to count running the oven, washing the dishes and running the dishwasher in the cost if we add these the 32 will go down by how many?
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
The oven definitely costs money to run. Every oven is different, but our oven would probably cost us about 3 of those biscotti. And since the oven is completely devoted to the biscotti, I could see that as a cost that should be counted.
The water is a whole different thing though. Whether you use a dishwasher or wash your dishes by hand, there is a cost, however, it is VERY minimal. If you are using a dishwasher, that means you were going to run your dishwasher and use that water and electricity anyway for the other dishes. You wouldn’t run your dishwasher for one or two items. You could try to figure the percentage that the pan takes up, but it would be so small, it wouldn’t be worth it. My wife and I wash our dishes by hand, so we’re only dealing with water (and a tiny bit of soap), but the same rule applies. We’re going to fill up the sink with water and suds and then wash a bunch of dishes. The cost is very small for that particular pan(s).
Also, if you were to count the water cost you would have to include a portion of the gas that it takes to go to the store as well, since the same principle would apply, and that would be much more than the water.
So, if I was to take 3 cookies away, there would be 29 left and it would still be a great deal.
Not to mention, the taste has to be considered as well 🙂
Amy says
Can this be frozen? Anyone try it? Does it alter the taste?
Anna says
I haven’t frozen this biscotti recipe, but have certainly frozen others. It works well. Just like cookies.
Candice B says
Oh I am so excited! I’ve started filling my freezer with so many of the wonderful things you post here and this has to be the most exciting one yet (well aside from the marshmallows). I host coffee all the time and this will be such a life-saver on my budget!
Camille says
Homemade definitely taste better too, as well as being more frugal. Here’s another flavor combination to try. http://wp.me/p12oGM-hA
Shayna says
Wonderful article! I’m not good at baking, but this certainly seems simple enough for me to give it a try! Just had a question…if I want to do some of them chocolate coated, then what kind of chocolate should I use and how to melt it. Thanks 🙂
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
Thanks Shayna! If you’d like to dip the biscotti in chocolate, you can use any kind of chocolate really, but my suggestion is semi-sweet chocolate chips. The best way to melt chocolate is using a double boiler, but I don’t have one so I use this super simple method. (Instead of trying to describe it, here’s a youtube video showing you how – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2UGOZMd9qM
Then you’ll dip a portion of the biscotti in the chocolate once it’s cooled slightly, but is still a little warm, and set the biscotti on wire racks chocolate side up to cool (or you could use just about anything else to place them on too – wax paper, or just a plate, etc)
Jennie says
I have a recipe for apricot and chocolate biscotti here: http://www.sleepypendoodle.com/2010/03/02/chocolate-apricot-biscotti/
Definitely not the traditional version, but so good!
Anna says
Love it!
Judith says
What size loaf pan do you bake them in? 9×5?
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
Good question Judith. Our loaf pan is 9×5.
Vickyo says
Just made them…… THEY ARE DELICIOUS!!!!! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!! I’ll be making alot of thse in the future – trying all the different flavorings suggested. Wow!!
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
Glad you liked them Vickyo!!
You might want to check out the cookbook my wife and I wrote – there’s lots more where that came from 🙂
It’s on my website if you’re interested.
Mel says
I make my own biscotti pretty often but I like to add orange zest, craisins & pecans so it’s not as inexpensive as plain vanilla but so much better than the coffee shop kind that have been sitting there who knows how long!
Debbie says
Wonderful visual! Now if only someone would do it with hamburgers! I often have to hear my 15 year old lamenting how his friends “always get to go out to lunch”! It gets old. = (
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
I have 🙂 It might not solve the problem of going out to lunch, but I guarantee he’ll like the cheeseburger soup recipe that I provide in my Cheeseburer soup vs. Quarter Pounder with Cheese comparison. Take a look by clicking the link in the bio line after the article. There are a couple of other comparisons on the website for you too.
Thanks for the comment Debbie!
Debbie says
Thanks Chris!
Sarah says
Take the 15 year old out to lunch to the deli at the grocery store. (LOL) Walk up to deli order a few slices of ham or turkey a slice or two of cheese and go over to the bakery and order a croissant.
L says
Went to your site and you are a great writer, thanks for the post and getting me hooked on another blog! Your articles are great and a good compliment to this site. Thanks for posting!
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
Just what you need, right? Another blog 🙂 Thanks L.
Jessica-MomForHim says
I love how you set up the story of the comparison–nice writing style!
sophie says
I’ve baked biscotti by the dozen and always like to check out other recipes to add to the mix. Just wanting to verify this recipe does not use any baking powder or soda?
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
You’re correct Sophie – no baking powder or soda.
The Prudent Homemaker says
I love the photo comparison!
I am speaking in a few weeks on eating for .40 a day. I typically bring a round loaf of French Bread, that costs me $0.25 to make (as opposed to buying the same sized comparable loaf from the store for $4), for everyone to sample.
I’ve been thinking of what else to bring, since I’m speaking at 7pm, and I’ve been thinking about bringing a dessert. This post with the comparisions is wonderful! Bravo!
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
Thanks for the kind words!
Kim' Fitness Journey says
I’m thinking I could pack these full of nuts and dried fruits for a more healthy twist and send them with my kids for desserts in their lunches. A quick drizzle of dark chocolate would make them even more tempting!
Nancy says
Do u know if I can use spelt flour instead of white flour? I would love any suggestions.
Thank you.
Nancy
Kim' Fitness Journey says
Nancy I was just thinking the same thing. I was wondering if there were any alternative flours that work that would up the nutrition.
Megan says
I make mine with half whole wheat flour, but I’ve not tried any other flours.
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
Half wheat and half white is quite good, but we haven’t tried any other options yet. However, I have to imagine that it would work since biscotti is more dense than, say, a loaf of bread would be. In other words, the change in flour shouldn’t affect the consistency too much.
Andrea says
I’ve used white whole wheat flour in my recipes I have…but really, the point of biscotti isn’t for them to be healthy. They’re a treat. 🙂
(Although, if you use whole wheat flour, you should only use half of it in proportion to the white. Any more than that and they’re be dense and toothbreakers.
Anna says
Thanks for the tip on WW flour. I’ve always substituted 1/1, and maybe that is why I’ve been so disappointed with the results.
Heather says
Agree! I use a lot of whole wheat flour in regular baking, but not in desserts! I find that if a dessert tastes too healthy, afterwards I’m left just wanting a “real” dessert, and then I’m eating too much dessert.
Maria says
Speaking to the issue of using WW flour, if you grind your own (or have a friend who can do it for you) you’ll find that you can use it in a ratio that’s much closer to 1/1. Grinding a soft white or read wheat, I can substitute it 1/1 and a hard white or read comes out to a little over 3/4 cup wheat to 1 cup white. That’s set to a medium-fine coarseness on my grinder. Just an FYI, but fresh-ground handles and bakes so differently from what you buy already bagged at the grocery, and I thought you might like to know!
PS- This recipe sounds great! Perfect for the fall days coming…..
Emily says
fun comparison! 🙂 More of these would be great.
Danette says
Lots of choices
Great for gifts – with all that savings you could splurge and add anything from Chopped up Heath bars to amaretto and roasted almonds. I slice mine slightly on an angle – the presentation is so pretty. Lemon and pistachio is delicious, too.
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
Those sound delicious Danette!
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
Thanks Emily! I do these type of comparisons every so often at http://www.SimpleFamilyFinance.com. Here’s a link to the rest of the Photo Food Fights that we’ve done so far. http://simplefamilyfinance.com/Topics/photo-food-fights/
Or you can simply click on the link in the bio line after the article.
Enjoy!
Angie says
Exactly what I was thinking: would like to see articles like this more often. I’ll check out your site, Chris : )
karen says
Lemon biscotti with Earl Grey tea–heaven!
Stephanie says
Not only is it easy to make, but it also keeps in the freezer, just like any cookie. In case you decide to make a large batch at once rather than a bit at a time.
This fall I plan on having a breakfast get together with some friends, though they don’t know it yet. The plan is to have muffins, biscotti and maybe some scones, as well as coffee and tea. This is easy to do when you realize that muffins/biscotti/scones are able to be made then frozen. You just take them out when you need them. Additionally, like the article above says, you can make them for cents per serving.
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
Great point Stephanie. I know for my wife and I…the freezer is our friend.
Andrea says
As someone of Sicilian heritage, it was absolutely foreign to me the first time I saw a coupon for Nonni’s biscotti – my Ma and I were clipping coupons, and I jokingly said, “hey look! People don’t make their own! You can buy it at the store!”
All brevity aside, making biscotti at home is SO much easier than storebought. Tastes better, and the flavoring opportunities are endless – traditional biscotti are anise flavored, but Sicilians and Italians also like citrus flavors, chocolate…the list goes on!
And the best part? it’s a really kid friendly recipe – mine are only 5 and 2.5, but they love helping pat the loaves in shape and watching the cut biscotti become crunchy. 🙂
Bake on!
Amanda says
I liked it as a little kid because it reminded me of teething biscuits, only much tastier. We had an Italian neighbor who was an incredible cook and baker.
Chris@SimpleFamilyFinance says
Great story Andrea 🙂 You’re absolutely right – this is one goody that there’s no reason to buy from a shelf. It really couldn’t be much easier.