Almond Biscotti

Ever go to a coffee shop, look at the goodies behind the counter glass and catch your eye on a biscotti? You order it, with your coffee of course, dunk it and take a bite of that perfectly-crunchy-yet-soft-from-the-dunk piece and think how the heck did I forget how good these are?

When I ask my friends if they have ever made a biscotti, their answer is always, “no, are you kidding me… I’m no expert baker.” Hard to make, thats what they say.

You know what I say: That’s nonsense.

The only hard part about making a biscotti is figuring out what flavor you want to make, how many goodies can you cram in them and, well, as it says in the name: baking them twice.  “Biscotti” comes from the medieval Latin term: Twice Baked.

In my opinion, a good biscotti is one that is crunchy enough that you have to put some effort in biting it, but not so hard you feel you could chip a tooth.  It should gently soften in a cup of Joe and have a good amount of flavors and texture.

A great thing about these delectable cookies is they have a long shelf life (which is why they were so popular way back in the day) and can be stored frozen for a number of weeks (although I doubt they will last that long).

All in all, this cookie is the dunking queen and is practically fool-proof in making.

Check out my recipe below and see how easy it is!

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line one large (or two small) baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl add oil, vanilla, almond extract, and 3 eggs. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt until well incorporated.  Add cold butter into the flour mixture and break butter apart with your fingers into the flour until mixture is crumbly. Alternatively, you can cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter.  Add 1 cup of toasted almond slivers and mix until evenly coated.

Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix until just incorporated.

Roll dough onto flour surface and knead dough about 10 times.  Dough should be sticky but not aggressively. If you find the dough is too sticky, slowly incorporate flour a little at a time until  just enough to shape the dough.

Divide dough in half and make each into a log shape about 8 inches long on lined baking sheet.  Flatten each loaf to about 1/2 inch thick.

In a small cup, mix the last egg and gently brush the top and sides of the loafs with egg wash.

Bake for 30 minutes or until loafs are lightly golden all the way around.

Remove Loafs and allow to cool for about 15 minutes then remove from pan and cut into approx. 1 inch slices.  Turn slices on their side and place back onto baking sheet. Bake for another 9 -10 minutes then turn slices over and bake for an additional 9-10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to completely cool.

At this point, they are ready to enjoy!

Optional Toppings

Dip, dunk or drizzle biscotti into melted chocolate and sprinkle kosher salt, almonds or both onto chocolate.  Place carefully on sheet lined with parchment paper and continue with remaining cookies. Once finished, place into fridge to set.

Notes

• Traditional biscotti cookies are almond but you can switch it up with any kind of nut and even add some dried berries!
• Butter is optional (a traditional biscotti has none). If you cannot have dairy, opt out of butter and try using an extra egg. It will be crunchier and have a longer shelf life! #winwin