Best Almond Biscotti Bake Off

Looking for the best almond biscotti recipe? I tested 9 different popular almond biscotti recipes and asked 22 tasters to rate them in search of the best!

I’ve conducted bake offs for more than 25 different types of cookies and it’s finally biscotti’s time to shine! After much indecision on what flavor of biscotti to test, I ultimately landed on the ubiquitous almond biscotti.

First, a definition of biscotti. Biscotti are a twice-baked Italian cookie that are meant to be dry and crisp. This distinctly crisp texture is designed for a long shelf life as well as for dunking in coffee, tea, or even a dessert wine. Traditionally, almond biscotti recipes don’t use any added fat outside of the fat content in eggs and almonds. However, I suspected there was a trend (especially in the U.S. towards more modern or Americanized biscotti recipes with added fat for a more tender texture.

So in this bake off, I decided to include a couple more traditional recipes alongside a number of other popular recipes. In this post, we’ll look at the effects of different proportions of flour and sugar, type of almond used and more.

Methodology

• All 9 biscotti recipes were baked the same day as tasting.
• Tasters were given a choice to taste the biscotti with a beverage or without.
• 22 total tasters rated samples of all 9 biscotti.
• Each taster rated each biscotti on a scale from 0-10 for flavor, texture and overall as a whole (see Results section below for the overall ratings).
• Ingredients were measured by weight according to King Arthur (unless the recipe specified weights).

Ingredients

• Gold Medal bleached all-purpose flour
• King Arthur unbleached cake flour
• Kirkland unsalted butter
• Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• Trader Joe’s almond paste
• Trader Joe’s sliced and raw almonds

Results

With a mix of biscotti styles in this bake off, the most notable trend was that the biscotti recipes without added fat landed at the bottom (Serious Eats and Italian Kitchen Confessions). As I hypothesized, my tasters definitely trended towards preferring the more tender biscotti with added fat.

And of those, it was fascinating to see the sole oil-based biscotti, She Loves Biscotti, land with a wide margin at the top of the chart as the crowd favorite. Sally’s Baking Addiction is also a fantastically textured biscotti, but I think its hint of spice led to lower flavor ratings.

I had high hopes for the biscotti made with almond paste. They did rank decently (Tutti Dolci and Odense in third and fourth place, respectively), but the almond paste didn’t lend quite the flavor impact I expected.

As always, I highly recommend reading through the entire blog post to see which one sounds like your ideal. In this case, my personal favorite did align with the crowd favorite, but you never know when a different recipe might strike your fancy! You can find my full recommendations at the bottom of this post.

Factors

The different factors across the recipes in this bake off mainly focus on the proportion of different ingredients and less on the technique compared to other bake offs. Below, we’ll look at the effects of different proportions of ingredients like fat, eggs and flour.

No added fat for the crispest biscotti

I briefly touched on this above, but a lower percentage of fat will lead to a drier, crisper cookie. This texture is really meant to be paired with a dipping beverage of some kind, so the biscotti without added fat were not set up for success in this bake off (where at least some tasters sampled the biscotti without a beverage pairing). Hence, our two fat-less biscotti landed in last place.

However, the chart also shows that more fat doesn’t necessarily equal a more crowd-pleasing flavor or texture (Odense with 24% fat still landed in the middle of the pack). A recipe with a higher percentage of fat is likely to yield a more tender cookie that’s more delicious to eat on its own, but factors like egg and sugar content also come into play.

More flour leads to a denser texture

In the case of Italian Kitchen Confessions, we have a low ratio of fat and a relatively high ratio of flour (52%) which led to dry and dense biscotti. On the other hand, our winning biscotti has a 13% fat ratio with a flour ratio of just 35%. It makes sense that the tasters preferred this more tender and rich biscotti.

In fact, looking at the chart above, you can see a rough trend of biscotti with higher flour ratios at the bottom and the scores start to increase as the flour percentage decreases. Similarly to the biscotti recipes with more fat, tasters generally preferred biscotti recipes with a lower percentage of flour.

A higher proportion of eggs in addition to fat leads to desirable biscotti

In general, recipes with a higher proportion of egg tended to score more highly. Eggs are the main source of moisture and binding in most biscotti recipes–they provide liquid, structure and a little richness.

In what seems like a contradictory result, the two recipes with the highest ratios of egg ended up at the top while the second two highest ratios or egg ended up at the bottom. I think the latter goes to show that biscotti with no added fat need a higher ratio of egg to have sufficient liquid to form the dough. But without added fat, these biscotti will still lack tenderness.

Chopped almonds are generally preferable

Across the 9 recipes I tested, 2 recipes used sliced almonds, 1 recipe used whole raw almonds and the rest used chopped almonds (some toasted, some not).

As you might imagine, the toasted almonds imparted a better flavor than the raw almonds, which barely get exposed to heat in the oven when enrobed in dough. Personally, I preferred the texture of the chopped almonds because it gives you little pockets of almond without the bigger, more intrusive texture of nearly-whole almonds.

I thought I would prefer the sliced almonds which seemed like the most subtle way to incorporate almonds into the dough. However, the sliced almonds either tended to get packed together (in the case of Odense) in clumps which can overwhelm the dough. And if not packed in clumps, some tended to blend in with the dough and create less of a textural and flavor contrast to the chopped almonds.

In conclusion, my personal preference was for chopped, toasted almonds, but you should experiment to see what you like! These recipes can obviously all be used as a base recipe for any mix in you’d like to add–pistachios, craisins, white chocolate, etc.

Bake time and temperature

While I was curious to see if there might be any trends around the bake time or temperature, most recipes were baked for around the same amount of time and the bake temperature only varied between 325 and 350. The main difference in timing was cooling–some call for resting the biscotti for 10 minutes after the first bake vs. others call for cooling the log completely. In the end, I don’t think this really matters–10-15 minutes seems sufficient for most recipes to let the log cool enough to slice without crumbling.

In general, the insight I gleaned is probably obvious–if you want a harder biscotti, bake it for longer during the second bake to really dry out each individual piece. If you like them softer or a little chewy in the center, a shorter bake time is perfect.

Analysis of the Best Almond Biscotti

Italian Kitchen Confessions: A very crunchy, slightly plain biscotti studded with whole, raw almonds

This was one of two biscotti recipes without any added fat and I was extremely curious to see how the (almost) fat-free biscotti would perform. The recipe notes that while butter lends a softer texture, omitting it gives you a drier, crispier and crunchier cookie. These also had a relatively low ratio of sugar, a bit of lemon zest and vanilla extract. This was the only recipe to call for folding whole, raw almonds into the dough which I feared would be a nightmare to slice through. (As it turns out, slicing wasn’t the problem.)

As promised, these biscotti were extremely dry and crunchy. The higher flour ratio makes these quite dense without fat or much sugar to soften the crunch. These do soften nicely when dipped into a beverage, but when eaten plain, I found them a bit hard on the teeth. The cookie itself had kind of a plain, doughy, very mildly sweet flavor with a hint of citrus. I did like the flavor of the almonds when I hit one, but I preferred the roasted almonds in other biscotti to these raw almonds that didn’t get much color or flavor in the oven. I also didn’t love the bulky texture of the larger almond chunks dispersed through the dough.

This personally wouldn’t be one that I would reach for again, but I wouldn’t complain if it was served to me alongside a hot beverage. If you like a very crunchy biscotti that’s not too sweet with lots of almond chunks, this is for you!

Taster comments:

• Loved the almond taste.
• Whole almonds were a bit much and hard to eat. I detected citrus which i don’t think is necessary and didn’t love
• Ow! This was the hardest sample by far, and while the whole almonds bring nice flavor, they get dried out in the baking process and are very tough to the bite. The genuine almond flavor is a highlight but cannot overcome the almost inedible texture
• Too hard, must eat with a beverage to soften, felt like eating dry you would chip a tooth, wanted the almond to be smaller
• Has whole almonds throughout which makes it very hard to bite, I feel like I’m eating a Kind bar with how it is 90% whole nuts
• Genuinely almost inedible. Too hard and only tasted like white sugar and flour.

Serious Eats: a rough and crunchy biscotti with toasted chunks of almonds

This was our second fatless biscotti recipe (i.e. no added fat outside of the fat in the eggs and almonds). Stella Parks notes that the fatless quality keeps the biscotti “sturdy and dry, giving them an epic shelf life” and the ability to soak up liquid without crumbling. I thought this recipe would be an interesting comparison as ratio-wise, Serious Eats has almost 10% more sugar and 10% less flour compared to Italian Kitchen Confessions. It also uses 5x the amount of vanilla extract as IKC (per the same amount of flour) along with toasted and chopped almonds. This recipe does call for anise seeds, but I omitted them because I suspected that would be a very divisive ingredient and overpower the tasters’ palates.

Unsurprisingly, this biscotti shared the same very dry crunch as Italian Kitchen Confessions. Where IKC had a dry and denser bite due to its higher flour content, Serious Eats had a slightly airier-feeling bite and of course, a sweeter flavor. One taster likened it to an amaretti cookie, which I think is a good comparison–this is just denser than most. I thought these had a bit too much vanilla but otherwise tasted quite plain–which perhaps was meant to be balanced with the anise seeds (sorry Stella!).

Between this and IKC, I would rather eat this one–but it’s still a bit firmer and plainer than my ideal.

Taster comments:

• We received the end piece so it was a little crispier than i think the rest of the pieces would be but it reminded me of an amaretti cookie. Light and crisp, enjoyed it a lot
• Instantly hit with the almond flavor, tasted like a more conventional cookie, texture more like a cookie too
• Good flavor, texture is a bit tough – too crunchy.
• There’s a sort of roasted quality to the flavor of this one that I really enjoy, feels a bit like Chinese almond cookies (which I love). This one was another one of the ones that felt a little like [the texture] lacked cohesion.
• Too hard but flavor was passable. Just very average
• Too hard, too bland, and with a bad aftertaste, this sample is not one to bake again. The almond flavor is ok, but again, this tastes more like a dried out cereal bar than a cookie and is very tough to bite into.
• Did not like this one, tasted like a meringue almost or is GF, very hard to bite

La Cucina Italiana: a crunchy, delicately flavored biscotti that feels rather neutral

This family biscotti recipe uses all the usual suspects (flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs) along with melted butter and a mix of vanilla and almond extract. It calls for coarsely chopped almonds (it didn’t specify to toast them, which I didn’t do for the bake off but would recommend if you try these) and finely chopped almonds for an optional topping.

Despite the added butter, I found these quite crunchy. My note: “getting closer to the tooth shattering crunch that I expect from biscotti.” However, there was a slightly more tender quality to this one compared to Italian Kitchen Confessions and Serious Eats–and it still stood up well to dipping in tea. The flavor was fairly neutral: lightly sweet, with just a faint hint of vanilla. I couldn’t really detect the almond extract, but of course biting into the almond pieces did provide a subtle almond flavor.

Some tasters (including me) didn’t enjoy the chopped almond topping–it lends a cragginess that I don’t need for a cookie that’s already kind of sharp. But that’s easy to omit! If you want a crunchy biscotti with a faint richness and fairly delicate vanilla flavor, this is a good pick.

Taster comments:

• Light and crunchy texture, this was delicious and my favorite one.
• Delicate, delicious, well balanced
• Very strong flavor (in a good way) although I can taste the flavoring more than the others. Is there more almond extract in this one? Visually very pretty with the big chunks of almond
• Sandy texture and eats dry, solid almond flavor
• A little too crisp but rich and complex flavor
• A bit dry and bland, not bad but unremarkable compared to the others.
• This tastes like a stale granola bar. The almonds come through strongly, but they don’t match up well with the flavor of the cookie. Unappealingly craggy.
• Teethwrecker pt 2, but a really nice almond flavor

Bigger Bolder Baking: a sugar cookie-flavored biscuit with a milder crunch

This recipe was my high-fat contender–with ~17.5% butter, this had the highest fat ratio of the bunch. It’s also a softer dough than most–this was one of three dough recipes that required a chill before shaping and baking. This called for almond extract only (no vanilla) and includes chopped almonds in the dough.

As you might guess, the butter flavor comes through prominently in these biscotti. While definitively crunchy, these had a softer, more approachable crunch compared to our fatless biscotti–they kind of crumble, rather than snap, apart. I almost felt like the buttery sugar cookie flavor overpowered the almond flavor, but if you like a sugar cookie vibe, that could be a good thing! These are definitely not for a traditionalist, but if you don’t like the hard crunch of typical biscotti, these feels like a good starter/generally crowd-pleasing recipe. Sweet, buttery and lightly crunchy!

Taster comments:

• LOVE the flavor. It’s like a sugar cookie but with almond! Amazing aftertaste. Still isn’t THAT crunchy. The problem is it also looked like a sugar cookie.
• Didn’t like the light colored appearance. much sweeter than the first two. reminds me of a sugar cookie. enjoyed it but didn’t have as strong an almond flavor.
• The almond extract felt especially strong in this one to me (I love almond extract, so that’s not a complaint). But the actual texture is…interesting. This is easily the most anemic of the samples in terms of appearance — more white-ish yellow than deep golden brown, thin and petite rather than being a hunk of dried-out bread. The texture kind of reflect that in that it felt more like a cookie than a biscuit (I’m aware there’s a lot of controversy over these two terms elsewhere in the world lol).
• I like the buttery almond taste. The paleness is a little off putting.
• The texture of this sample is crunchy but boring, and the flavor recalls an average sugar cookie rather than biscotti. There is zero almond flavor, despite visible pieces of almond in the sample, a strange eating experience.
• Light and crumbly texture, I prefer a crunchier texture.
• Tastes like raw flour and butter, overly butter cookie-esque, barely holds its shape

Alexandra Cooks: slightly chewy-centered, crunchy-edged biscotti with a decent sweetness

In comparing all 9 recipes, Alexandra Cooks has the lowest overall egg ratio (11% vs. an average of 17%). These also have a slightly higher sugar ratio and somewhat lower butter ratio of the biscotti that contained butter. This was one of the only recipes that also included brown sugar and a rare recipe that calls for sliced almonds. It’s a good make-ahead recipe as you can chill the dough as long as 3 days (I chilled mine overnight). Alexandra notes that she “kind of like[s her] biscotti to be a little soft and chewy on the inside, not rock hard” and to lengthen the second bake if you prefer them harder.

And sure enough, baked as directed, we ended up with biscotti that had a slight give and chewiness in the center. In contrast, I thought the edges were ideally crunchy with a firm but not tooth-shattering bite. Even though these didn’t have a very prominent almond flavor, I loved the sweetness level and found these surprisingly addicting. I didn’t mind the slight chew in the center, but I generally prefer biscotti that’s crisp all the way through. I wonder if you bake the dough without chilling if that would help it dry out the centers without having to extend the second bake. In any case, this was one of my favorites flavor-wise!

Taster comments:

• The most aesthetically pleasing piece and the actual taste experience lives up to the appearance hype!! This one felt like it had a stronger vanillic quality to its flavor, but the kicker is that the texture has a really pleasant and consistent chew to it. The only thing is that the initial bite is *hard*, and I get that that’s just how biscotti are, but it’s kind of jarring. Even so, probably my favorite? It’s either this or [Sally’s Baking Addiction]
• Has the best flavor thus far of the samples, would eat again if paired with coffee or tea
• 9’s all around. Love the crunchy bottom and that it’s slightly chewy but not soft. Still has the biscotti crunch. Only deduction is I wish it had a little more of the almond aftertaste.
• Great appearance. Loved the texture, crisp but not hard to bite, chewy but not in a soft way? Still stood up to tea dip. great flavor, good sweetness, loved it
• Flavor to me was more sugar cookie than traditional almond biscotti, no clear almond flavor
• The most crunchy so far. Almost a little hard to break into. Just average flavor.

Odense: almond-packed biscotti with a softer crunch and a subtle but present almond flavor

This was one of two biscotti recipes that used almond paste in the dough. Almond paste is one of my favorite ingredients, so I was excited to see how this would affect the flavor and texture. For this recipe, you grate almond paste and work it into the other ingredients (butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) using a fork or pastry cutter. Instead of whole eggs, this calls for egg whites for binding and moisture, along with sliced almonds and vanilla extract for flavor.

Rolled out as directed, this recipe yielded cutely squat biscotti with a nice golden color around the edges. I was prepared for an almond explosion when I bit in, but my hopes were a bit too high–the flavor from the almond paste is still relatively subtle, though distinctly present in the aftertaste. It does grow over time and felt a few notches stronger overall than most of the others, but it’s less present than I hoped. I hypothesized that I would prefer sliced almonds over the whole or chopped almonds in biscotti, but I actually found the sliced almonds a little too overwhelming here. They pack in so densely that sometimes it felt like I was just eating a chunk of almond (which some may like!). These had crisp edges and a softer middle similar to Alexandra Cooks, which I suspect is partly due to the high ratio of sugar and fat from the almond paste.

These also feel like a good beginner’s biscotti if you want a bit more tenderness, richness, and a softer bite than traditional biscotti.

Taster comments:

• Really nice almond flavour that stays in your mouth, I like the sliced almonds throughout the cookie
• This sample is appealingly crunchy but with enough give to not hurt your teeth and some unexpected textural contrast from the sliced almonds. The flavor is a nice balance of sweetness and a distinct, authentic almond flavor.
• It flavorful but not too sweet or had too much almond flavoring. It was not dry, had good crunch.
• Crumbly and still moist texture, needed more crunch
• I liked how chewy it was if it wasn’t a biscotti, but I want my biscotti to be crunchier. Loved the aftertaste of almond though.
• Personally, I think this is really overkill on the almonds. It kind of kills the cohesion of the texture. However, it should probably be noted that I’m not much for nut textures in general, which is why I tend to mostly like things like peanut butter, pistachio cream, etc. So, unsurprisingly, I’m not a big fan of this one, which, at least for my piece, looks like it’s like 80% almond slices.

Tutti Dolci: almond-forward biscotti with a softer, crumblier texture

This was the second of two recipes that used grated almond paste in the dough. However, Tutti Dolci uses melted butter rather than Odense’s cold butter. It lives up to its triple almond biscotti name with sliced almonds and almond extract in addition to the almond paste–plus some Amaretto to enhance the flavor. These are finished with a sprinkling of sugar and sliced almonds before baking.

Happily, this combination of almond finally yielded an almond flavor that felt really prominent. I think the almond extract is a better combination with the almond paste (vs. the vanilla extract in Odense) and the Amaretto adds to the overall almond-y perfume of these. Most tasters (including myself) loved the sprinkling of sugar on top of the biscotti–a small touch that really enhanced the flavor and texture.

Most also found that this had perhaps the softest biscotti texture of the bunch. It crumbles rather than having a strong crunch and felt like it would melt into coffee. A few tasters likened this to shortbread or a butter cookie and while I don’t think the crumb is quite that fine or tender, it is relatively delicate and sandy. Perhaps these are best described as crunchy almond biscotti-shaped cookies. Delicious for an almond lover!

Taster comments:

• Best almond flavor and texture. Tastes like an almond croissant (slightly more sweet and buttery than the other ones), nicely salted
• Sort of like [Bigger Bolder Baking] but even softer with more almond. Didn’t love this one, prefer the crunchier samples. However I did REALLY enjoy the sugar coating.
• Wanted more chunks of almond, tasted like a dupe of Trader Joe’s biscotti
• Sweeter and kind of shortbread-ish in that it has more of a sandy crumble in the mouth. I feel like I taste the almond extract the least in this one; it really is extremely shortbread adjacent for me.
• The taste and texture of this sample are more shortbread or butter cookie than biscotti, especially with the dusting of sugar on top. It’s totally snackable, but there is negligible almond flavor, sadly.
• Unremarkable. Flat flavor profile and the texture was too close to shortbread. I guess I expect a larger crisp.
• Way too soft. Lots of almond extract flavor. A little artificial tasting. Not enough almonds. I like the sugar coating though

Sally’s Baking Addiction: perfectly crisp biscotti with a hint of spice

Sally’s recipe is the only one I found that calls for both butter and oil. This was also a rare recipe that uses brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, and it was the only recipe to add spice (1/2 tsp cinnamon). I considered omitting the cinnamon (in line with omitting the anise from Serious Eats) but in the end decided to include it because it seemed like a relatively minor deviation from the rest, and because cinnamon isn’t as divisive as anise. Sally uses toasted, chopped almonds (some of which get dipped on the chocolate coating, which I omitted for consistency) and an egg wash on the dough.

These turned out the deepest brown of the bunch thanks to the brown sugar and cinnamon–and the color matched the deeper flavor. Although the cinnamon was a bit jarring in comparison to the other plainer almond biscotti, it was subtle enough that I still think it works with the almond (and I imagine it would work well with the chocolate coating). The egg wash gave the tops of the biscotti an unusual glazed look that was fun–some tasters noted that it also seemed to impart an eggier flavor, but I didn’t notice this.

Texturally, these were one of my favorites. I’d rate the crunch a 7.5/10–ideally crisp but not tooth-breaking but still with a more satisfying bite than some of the softer biscotti. The toasted nut pieces felt well-distributed throughout the biscotti and overall felt quite ideal. If you’re looking for a strictly almond biscotti, I’d definitely omit the cinnamon to let the almond flavor shine more. Overall, a flavorful, crowd-pleasing recipe!

Taster comments:

• Good almond flavor. Good caramelization. Good level of spice – I can really taste the cinnamon
• This is near ideal biscotti texture, firm but with a slight give and a clear textural contrast between the crust and the interior, with added interest from the almond pieces. The flavor brings to mind pumpkin spice and tastes distinctly autumnal, lining up with the gorgeous color and sheen from the egg wash. This would taste excellent with a coffee.
• Nice warming spice flavor, perfect texture where it’s not too hard but is still crisp, what I imagine when I think of a textbook biscotti
• Great texture. Do not like the addition of other spices. Tasted like ginger bread or pumpkin bread. Liked the egg wash. Could be a fun festive holiday biscotti but i would want to know that it is almond and spices.
• Whoa, ginger?? LOVED the crunch. Really like the egg wash, gives it a traditional bakery taste. Did not love the extra spices, biscotti to me is soooo almond and I’m not getting that that much.
• Egg was too strong, straightforward flavor otherwise. Lacking almond. Texture felt good, in between [She Loves Biscotti] and [Odense].
• This one almost tastes like sweet honey granola. I still would have preferred more crunch than crumbly.

She Loves Biscotti: a crisp and crumbly, almost sandy-textured biscotti with a lightly nutty flavor

I had to go out of my way to find a biscotti recipe made with oil instead of butter–American-style biscotti are more commonly made with butter. But after seeing and tasting the results, I’m sad that I didn’t throw in at least one other oil-based recipe to compare against this one! This was the only recipe with 100% added fat from olive oil. It also uses a mix of brown and granulated sugar and almond extract, chopped toasted almonds and lemon zest for flavor.

From the photo, you can see the finer crumb of this biscotti which shatters into a crumbly, melting texture when you bite it. This reminded me of the milder crunch of Sally’s Baking Addiction–there’s a crisp give with an airy texture that’s pleasant and not at all harsh like some of the others. I think the lack of butter really lets the almond flavor shine through in a clearer way. Even though I’m not a big proponent of citrus with almond, I liked the faint hint of lemon that also comes through.

This one felt balanced in texture and flavor and honestly is a delight to eat on its own, no dipping required. Plus it’s SO easy to make. An easy new classic!

Taster comments:

• My ideal almond biscotti, texture is well balanced, strong flavor is my preference. Best in lineup.
• Great all around, what I think of for a classic almond biscotti, overall great flavor and bite and visually appealing.
• Texture like a crunchy cookie, but not overly dry, stayed together well when bitten in to it. Good flavor.
• I think this one nails the texture I expect of a good biscotto best — firm but not hard in a way that challenges your jaw strength, a fine crumb that melts into a pleasant, slightly-sandy mouthfeel. The flavor itself isn’t really remarkable to me, but the texture was on point.
• So buttery! Almost tasted like shortbread. Almond hits in the aftertaste. Wish the texture was a bit less dense, it was very hard.
• Too crumbly instead of crunchy. Also too dry. The flavor was inoffensive. I want more!
• This sample had a crunchy texture initially that almost immediately gave way to dustiness while chewing, a strange, unappealing experience. The flavor has a strong hint of almond extract, which is not bad but overpowering.

Recommendations

• Erika’s picks: She Loves Biscotti, Sally’s Baking Addiction
• Most traditional: Italian Kitchen Confessions
• Best almond flavor: Tutti Dolci, She Loves Biscotti, Odense
• Firmest, crunchiest texture: Italian Kitchen Confessions, Serious Eats, La Cucina Italiana
• For the best crisp but not hard texture: She Loves Biscotti, Sally’s Baking Addiction
• Best crisp-edged, soft-centered biscotti: Alexandra Cooks, Odense