I was walking down the aisles at Costco a few weeks ago and I wasn't even paying attention to the samples, when one of the ladies said to me, "this goes really good with hot drinks"
I looked over at her and down at the label and it was biscotti. I have ALWAYS wondered what biscotti tasted like and I finally had a chance to find out. I grabbed a sample and ate it as I continued walking down the aisle. I absolutely loved it!
I couldn't stop thinking about how good it was the entire night. That just so happened to be the same trip when I picked up a copy of this cookbook. I was flipping through it and said . . . please, please have a recipe for biscotti.
It did! And it was so easy to make!
I have already made it twice in the past few weeks and I will probably make another batch this weekend. I am seriously hooked. I absolutely love this version and I can't wait to try out more versions. I didn't even dip it in anything, I loved it plain, but I do think it would be delicious dipped in milk, coffee or hot chocolate.
I have since searched for different biscotti recipes and I have found some with butter and some without butter. What is better? Well, according to Cook's, the addition of a small amount of butter produces a richer, more cookie-like texture. They wanted a crunchy, but not tooth-cracking-biscuit full of flavor and they found that the type and quantity of fat dramatically affected the taste, texture and the shelf life of the biscotti. They also found that biscotti recipes made with whole eggs and no additional yolks got even better with time and remained very crisp.
What they found must be true, because this stuff is amazing. It is crunchy, but still has a cookie-like texture.
What they found must be true, because this stuff is amazing. It is crunchy, but still has a cookie-like texture.
I am forever in debt to the Costco Lady who introduced me to biscotti! Ha Ha!
1. Make the dough and form it into a rectangle
2. Bake until it just begins to crack on top, about 35 minutes
3. Let cool for 10 minutes and then cut into slices
4. Lay cut side up and bake another 15 minutes
Orange-Almond Biscotti
2 c. (10 oz.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbl. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. (7 oz.) sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 c. whole almonds with skins,
toasted, cooled and coarsely chopped
2 Tbl. grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt together in small bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar together at medium high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, then add almonds, orange zest, vanilla and almond extract until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. Stir in flour mixture until just combined.
2. Halve dough and turn each portion onto prepared baking sheet. Using floured hands (I just sprayed my hands with cooking spray), quickly stretch each portion of dough into rough, 13x2-inch loaf, placing them about 3 inches apart (I just made one large loaf). Pat each loaf to smooth it. Bake until loaves are golden and just beginning to crack on top, about 35 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.
3. Let loaves cool for 10 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Cut each loaf diagonally into 3/8-inch slices with serrated knife. Lay slices cut side up about 1/2-inch apart on baking sheet and return them to the oven. Bake until crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes, turning over each cookie halfway through baking. Immediately transfer biscotti from baking sheet to wire rack and let cool completely.
*To toast almonds: Place in preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until very lightly toasted, stirring occasionally. They can burn very easily, so watch closely.
Jenn's Notes: The first time I only made a half a batch and I was wishing I had made a whole batch. So, trust me when I say - make the entire batch or even two batches! Cook's says this will last, stored in an air-tight container for up to a month, but both of my batches were gone within a few days! Yum. Orange and almond are a perfect combination and do not skip the fresh orange zest - it adds so much flavor!
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