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!