Scarlett WAlmond Biscotti
February 20th 2008 10:45
Almond Biscotti
About Biscotti
Biscotti (plural of Italian biscotto, roughly meaning “twice baked”) are also crisp Italian cookies often containing nuts or flavoured with anis. Traditionally, biscotti are made by baking cookie dough in two long slabs, cutting these into slices, and reheating them to dry them out. A basic recipe is a mix two parts flour with one part sugar with enough eggs to create a stiff batter. To the mixture baking powder and flavourings such as anise, chocolate, or nuts are added. The slabs are baked once for about twenty-five minutes. They are then cut up into individual cookies and baked again for a shorter period. The longer this second baking is, the harder the cookies will be. Originally the cookies were twice-baked so they could be stored for long periods of time; because of this storage potential, they historically have been used widely by explorers and soldiers.
INGREDIENTS
Makes around 40
100 gm / 3½ oz almonds
250 gm / 9 oz plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
240 gm / 8½ oz caster sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1. Heat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
2. Toast almonds in a hot, dry pan until they smell sweet and nutty, then cool and roughly chop.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla extract, whole eggs and egg yolk in a food processor and blend until the mixture leaves the sides and forms a ball.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured bench and sprinkle with the almonds.
5. Knead for a minute or two to mix them through.
6. Divide dough in 2 and pat out into log shapes about 25 cm long and 5 cm wide (10 inch by 2 inch).
7. Lightly butter a baking tray and arrange logs with room for spreading to the side.
8. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until they are lightly coloured and firm to the touch.
9. Remove tray and allow biscotti to cool for 10 – 15 minutes, while you reduce the oven temperature to 275ºF / 140ºC.
10. Cut the logs on the diagonal, into 1 cm / ½ inch slices or slightly thicker if you like.
11. Arrange on a tray and return to the oven for about 20 – 30 minutes until quite dry, without allow to cool on tray until cold, when they will be crisp and dry.
12. Store in an airtight container.
**From “Favourite Food by Jill Dupleix” ** and ““Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
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