Saturday, April 12, 2014

Almond Biscotti



You would have to be nuts, not to like these almond biscotti.  (Did you catch that?)  I've made literally dozens of different kinds of biscotti but I always go back to my first love - the traditional almond biscotti.  I've made them with whole almonds, slivered almonds, sliced almonds and almond flour and I love them all.


What's better than a cookie that is a perfectly acceptable BREAKFAST treat?  Seriously, a cookie for breakfast? - sign me up.  I eat them for breakfast, for my mid morning snack, a lunch time treat, a dessert and a late night snack.  There really is no BAD time of day to eat a biscotti.  (They are seriously dangerous to have around the house.)


This classic biscotti recipe came from  www.fatgirltrappedinaskinnybody.com which I think is just a hilarious name for a blog.  Anyone that creative has got to be a great biscotti baker - don't you think?


Classic Almond Biscotti
Yield: makes about 48 biscotti (depending on the size)
Ingredients
  • 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp almond extract
  • 1 cup almond slices, toasted
Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
 






Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. 






 





In a large bowl mix the sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract. 






Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until it’s well combined. 


Mix in almonds. 
 

Divide the dough in half. Get some flour on your hands and shape each dough portion into a 13 inch-long x 3 inch-wide, x 1 1/2 inch thick log. Transfer both logs to the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. 


Bake the logs until they’re golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the logs completely on the sheet on a wire rack, about 30 minutes. Keep your oven on. 


 








Transfer the cooled logs to a cutting board. Use a serrated knife and cut logs into 1/2-inch-wide slices. 


Arrange the slices cut side down on the same baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn the biscotti over and continue baking about 10-12 more minutes, just until they’re starting to get some color. 


Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and cool. They’ll harden even more as they cool.
Store on the counter for up to 1 week. Or store them in the freezer in a plastic baggy for months.

I think I'm going to have to go downstairs and pull one of these out of the freezer now.  (Did I mention that they freeze really well, too?)  I can't stand to look at these pictures anymore without actually being able to crunch one.  It's a good thing I made plenty.

Ciao!





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