Classic Italian Almond Biscotti

Submitted by blucoat

"This is a fool-proof, basic recipe for traditional biscotti from Susan Rosso's mother. Rather than baking the cookies twice, place the sliced cookies inside a warm oven for 30 to 60 minutes. This renders the biscotti satisfyingly firm rather than jaw-breakingly hard. (Susan Rosso has a great site called Food Blogga.)"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 50mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 36 cookies
• Serves: 36

ingredients

• 3 cups whole almonds, skins removed if desired
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 jumbo eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 orange, zest of, large
• 1 large lightly beaten egg, for egg wash

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Place almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in the 350-degree oven for 10 minutes, or until light golden and aromatic. Remove and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, hand mix toasted almonds, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder and flour.
4. In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Add the vanilla and orange zest and whisk until well-blended. Add to the flour mixture.
5. Work the batter together with lightly floured hands. The mixture will be sticky, but persevere. Keep squeezing the batter with your hands until a dough starts to form. Once the dough is firm, form it into a ball. Divide the ball into four equal pieces.
6. Place one piece of dough on a lightly floured surface. Using your hands, roll it into a log that is approximately 8 inches long, 2 inches wide and 3/4 of an inch high. Repeat with remaining three pieces of dough. Place two logs on each baking sheet. Brush loaves all over with egg wash.
7. Bake for 40 minutes, rotating pans midway through. The tops of the loaves will be shiny and deep golden. Cool on a rack for about 20 minutes.
8. Place a loaf on a cutting board, and using a large serrated knife, slice cookies 3/4 of an inch thick on the diagonal. If the cookie crumbles, let it cool for a few more minutes. Don't let it rest too long, however, or it could become too hard to slice.
9. Place slices on their sides back on the baking sheets. Place in the still-warm oven with the temperature off and the door closed for 30 to 60 minutes. The longer they stay in the oven, the harder they will become. Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in an air-tight container, preferably a metal tin, which helps keep them crisp. Stored properly, biscotti will last up to a month.

Reviews

[nancyj09]

I decided to try use this recipe for my first attempt at Biscotti. My husband's family brought us fresh almonds from Turkey and I wanted to make something that would include them. You weren't kidding when you said the dough would be sticky at first! I really struggled with that part, but didn't give up, added more flour to my hands, and finally was able to form the dough into a ball. The only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is because when baking them, they were almost done after the first 20 minutes. I didn't want them to burn so I took them out after only 25 minutes and they were just right. They would have been black if I'd left them in for 40 minutes. Otherwise, they turned out beautifully and very yummy. Thanks for sharing your recipe so clearly and making my first experience making biscotti, successful!