Tea and coffee are indispensable elements of people's daily lives across the globe, but they are best enjoyed with something sweet on the side. Let's talk about the flavors that accompany tea or coffee in different cultures in many parts of the world.

Sweet snacks that we can consume sometimes instead of breakfast, or sometimes for elevenses or on the side of tea or coffee accompanying long conversations, are quite popular for a reason. Add them alongside a glass of milk, the kids love them too!

I have three great recipes for you. First up is an Italian flavor biscotti, the second is the soft and fragrant lemon cake, and the last is an irresistible chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Is it a biscuit or a cookie?

Cakes and cookies have similar ingredients and different textures, with chocolate, fruit, pistachios... thousands of varieties that line those attractive showcases at bakeries!

Now, I will share with you an Italian recipe that is similar to both but offers a different and unique texture and taste: biscotti.

Biscotti, which literally means a kind of biscuit baked twice in Latin, is a flavor that has been going on for years with its history dating back to the Roman Empire.

Although it was forgotten from time to time, Biscotti found new fame under the name "cantucci" – also known as biscotti di Prato because it originated in the Tuscan city of Prato after the Renaissance.

Since Italy is a country surrounded by water on three sides, the most common occupation was seafaring. So, Italian sailors needed food that could withstand long sea voyages, and biscotti was the perfect candidate.

Biscotti is a long-lasting cookie because it is baked twice. While its consistency is like a cake in the first baking, the second baking is actually a drying process, and it is nutritious and satisfying because it has rich ingredients.

It was soon a favored provision of sailors, including Christopher Columbus, who traveled at sea for months at a time with the crunchy cargo.

In time biscotti, which is a combination of the words biscuit and cookie, has made its name known to the whole world.

I recommend you to try this sweet snack, which is often consumed by Italians, with this great recipe.

Ingredients