September 29th is National Biscotti Day, one of our favorite crunchy cookies. They trace back to ancient Rome, where they were more about convenience food for travelers than a pleasurable treat with a cup of coffee.

To celebrate the holiday, we have a cherry cheesecake dip recipe for biscotti: a two-for-one snack or dessert.

The recipe follows, but first:

> The history of biscotti.

> The history of cookies.

> The different types of cookies: a photo glossary.

> The 10 basic styles of cookies.

> The year’s 44 cookie holidays.

> The history of cheesecake.

> The year’s 16 cheesecake holidays.

> Below: more biscotti recipes.
 
 
RECIPE: CHERRY CHEESECAKE DIP FOR BISCOTTI

If you can’t find biscotti, substitute graham crackers (we’re especially fond of the Trader Joe’s grahams) or ladyfingers.

Prep time is 20 minutes plus 1 hour or more chilling time.
 
Ingredients For 6-8 Servings

 
Plus:

 
Preparation

1. BEAT the cream cheese in a bowl until creamy. Add the sour cream and beat until combined.

2. ADD the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until well combined. Add in the lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat until combined. If you’d like a thinner dip, beat in 1/4 cup heavy cream. Add 1/4 cups until desired consistency is reached.

3. SPREAD the cheesecake dip in a 9-inch glass pie plate or shallow bowl, and top with the sour cherry spread. Swirl with the blade of a knife as desired to create a design.

4. CHILL for an hour or more to let the flavors meld. Serve withe biscotti or other cookies for dipping. If you don’t like the idea of “double dipping,” break the biscotti in half or buy mini biscotti (photo #5).

5. CHILL for at least 1 hour before serving.
 
 
MORE BISCOTTI RECIPES

 
 
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*Biscotto is the singular form of biscotti. However, in Italy the word can refer to any type of crunchy cookie—round, square, or otherwise (as the British use the word “biscuit” for any cookie). In Tuscany, almond biscotti are called cantucci. The name is taken from an old Italian word, cantuccio, which referred to a piece of bread with a lot of crust, most typically the end slices of a loaf (i.e., hard, like biscotti). So cantucci serves as the specific term for the twice-baked almond cookies, to distinguish them from all other types of cookies. They are also called biscotti di Prato, after the city in Tuscany the original recipe was developed in 1858 by the pastry chef Antonio Mattei in 1858.

Different regions of Italy have their own names and often their own variations of the twice-baked cookies. For example, in the regiona of Lazio and Umbria they are known as tozzetti, which refers to any flavor of biscotti.

†Double dipping refers to the practice of taking a bite from a chip (or other food item—crackers, crudités, etc.) and then dipping that same partially-eaten chip back into a communal dip or sauce for a second time. This is generally considered poor etiquette and unsanitary at a gathering of many people. However, among a small group of friends and family members, the same concerns may not hold.

Proper etiquette alternatives include (1) being sure to take enough dip during the first dip, (2) breaking the first chip in half and dipping each half separately, (3) using a utensil to add more dip to the chip, or (4) simply using a fresh chip, with or without finishing the first chip.

[1] Cherry cheesecake dip with two flavors of biscotti: almond and chocolate. If you can’t get hold of biscotti, substitute graham crackers (Nano Banana photo).

[2] Sour cherry spread is a finer product than most cans of cherry pie filling. This one from DeLallo. In addition to a bread spread, you can also use it as a condiment on cheese plates, charcuterie boards, and with roasted poultry (photos #2, #3, and #4 © DeLallo).

[3] Vanilla almond biscotti are a good start for the dip (find these here). Did you know that you can use crushed biscotti as a crust for cheesecake?

[4] Chocolate biscotti are also delicious with cheesecake (find these here). Adding a biscotto* to a plain scoop of ice cream turns it into a special dessert.

[5] Mini biscotti are an easier option to avoid double dipping† .

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