almond biscotti
Biscotti are magical. They last FOREVER. The origin of the word biscotto means ‘twice’ and ‘cooked’. This is great for us because their shelf life is long meaning we can always have cookies around! This recipe is a very no frills version, with classic flavors of almond, lemon and vanilla, but feel free to stray from the path (see notes below). While there is some inactive time required, these cookies are very simple to make, only using two bowls, a whisk and a spatula. Anyone can make these.
Notes: You can modify these to fit your wants and needs. The first batch I made had ground hazelnuts, orange zest and bittersweet chocolate. This time around I wanted to make them a little more traditional (whatever that means) and opted for slivered almonds, lemon zest, a dash or two of ground ginger, and a little almond extract. It’s so easy to swap things in and out, so go wild!
almond biscotti
yield: 18 cookies
1 cup (120 g) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1/4 cup (85 g) brown sugar
zest of 1/2 a lemon or orange (optional)
4 Tb. (55 g) melted and cooled butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract (optional)
2/3 cup (75 g) sliced or slivered almonds (or a combo of nuts and chocolate)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the two sugars, zest, butter, egg and extracts until combined. Mix the wet into the dry mix with a spatula or wooden spoon, until any flour streaks are almost gone, then add in your nuts and/or chocolate. Mix until nuts are thoroughly combined and there are no streaks of flour.
Dump your dough onto the baking sheet and form a 12x2” log with clean hands. It should look like a rectangle. Bake your log for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven to cool. Cool the log for 25-30 minutes, until you can lift it easily off of the baking sheet onto a cutting board. Slice your cooled log into 1/2” slices. You can snack on the ends. Stand the cookies right side up back on your baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes. They may still feel soft when you take them out, but will crisp up as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Biscotti keep for several weeks.
