Almond Biscotti
Do you love biscotti but have never made them? Maybe you should consider adding to your New Year’s resolutions and think about making a batch. Why pay $1.25 or more at the coffee shop for a single biscotti (which usually tastes stale to me) when you can make a big batch up for substantially less? The frosting on the cake (or chocolate glaze on the biscotti!) is that your biscotti will be fresh and absolutely delicious!
To get you started, try these basic Italian biscotti—they are very simple to make. You will end up with a crispy, crunchy biscotti with a light almond flavor which is perfect for dunking in coffee or tea. If you like, you can dip the top in melted dark or white chocolate.
I believe if you store them in an air-tight container, they’ll last for a few weeks. Mine never last that long, so I can’t say for sure!
One year ago: Bread Sculpture Dough, Mama Musto’s Lentil Soup
Almond Biscotti
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- Pinch salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 2 cups toasted* almonds (You can keep almonds whole or roughly chop them after toasting.)
*Spread almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 350o for approximately 10 minutes until fragrant.
Directions
In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla and almond extract; stir into dry ingredients. Add almonds. Divide dough in thirds or quarters.
On a well-floured surface, shape into logs. Rub some flour on your hands, so that the dough won’t stick to them. Transfer logs to a parchment paper-lined or lightly sprayed baking sheet, and bake in a preheated 300o oven for 40 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Cool on a rack for at least 5 minutes. Cut logs on the diagonal into 3/4″ slices. Return slices to baking sheet, leaving space around each slice, and continue baking for 15 minutes or until desired crispness (I bake for 23!). Cool completely on rack.
I like my biscotti particularly crunchy, so I bake them well past the recommended time. You may need to experiment with the baking time in your own oven to get the biscotti to your preferred level of crunchiness.
Source: Adapted from a recipe in The Best 50 Biscotti Recipes