Tuesday, March 3, 2009

tuscan almond biscotti


Anyone who knows me well, knows this is my signature dessert dish - I can't tell you how many requests I get for this recipe! This biscotti is hard (as biscotti should be) but slightly soft/chewy in the center. For the average baker I think biscotti might seem like a task too difficult to tackle (or so I thought before I began making biscotti), but the truth is it is incredibly easy! The prep is minimal and with a little elbow grease working the dough, you'll have a delicious treat before you know it! (note I have a gas oven and have had to adjust the cooking time and temperature - the original recipe suggests the temperature of 375, but this caused the biscotti to burn on the first round of baking).

Tuscan Almond Biscotti:
1 3/4 C flour
1 C sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 C whole almonds, toasted
2 large eggs
1/2 t. almond extract
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Place almonds in a food processor; pulse 10 times. Stir nuts into flour mixture.Combine eggs and extract, stirring well with a whisk. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until blended (dough will be crumbly).

Generously flour hands and begin to knead dough until the dough is moist all the way through (note the dough will be incredibly sticky and will stick to your hands).
Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 6-inch-long roll. Place the rolls 6 inches apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and pat to 1-inch thickness. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.

Cut each roll crosswise into 12 (1/2-inch) slices. Stand slices upright on baking sheet. Bake 14 minutes (the cookies will be slightly soft in the center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet, and cool completely on a wire rack. The biscotti keep in airtight tins for up to a week.


Yield:2 dozen (serving size: 1 biscotto)

Nutritional Information:
Calories:102 (30% from fat)
Fat:3.4g (sat 0.4g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.8g)Protein:2.7gCarbohydrate:15.7g
Fiber:0.9g
Cholesterol:18mg
Iron:0.8mg
Sodium:51mg
Calcium:28mg
(recipe courtesy of cooking light)

4 comments:

Nicole @ Sprinkle with Salt said...

These look great! I can't wait to try this recipe.

Brad said...

I just invented smashing the biscotti up and putting it on vanilla ice cream. It ruled.

Lynne said...

I just made the biscotti this morning... and am eating one now! Delicious! Maybe I'll try your idea later, Brad. :-)

Terrence M said...

This was great to read, thank you.