Recipes for the best biscotti might not be an exciting topic for you, especially if you were raised on store bought biscotti - the kind that are as hard as rocks!
I assure you, fragrant homemade biscotti are nothing like their commercial counterparts. Although sturdy enough to dunk in your morning tea or coffee - homemade biscotti are fragrant, full flavored, and pleasantly textured.
These Almond Biscotti are perfect - crunchy but not hard as rocks. They are the perfect accompaniment to your morning espresso or afternoon tea and go well with ice cream, fruit salad, or pudding.
They make a tasty not too sweet treat that will leave you feeling satisfied morning, noon, or night.
This recipe for Almond Biscotti is easiest to make if you have a KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Alternatively, you can use a manual whisk and wooden spoon and give yourself a little workout!
You can play around with and customize this Almond Biscotti recipe too, adding dried fruit, spices, or citrus zest. Open your baking cupboard and see what creative flavor variations you come up with.
Almond Biscotti Recipe
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3/4 cup sliced almonds
Position one of your oven racks in the center of your oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking liner.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cornmeal together until well blended.
In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or, if mixing by hand, in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed until very smooth, about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs and continue to beat, scraping down the bowl as needed, for another 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light and creamy.
Beat in the almond extract.
With the mixer on low speed or while stirring with the spoon,add the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
You should have a soft, sticky dough that will clump on the paddle.
Stir in the almonds and mix just to blend.
Scrape half the dough on to one half of your prepared baking sheet. Lightly dust your hands with flour and shape the dough into a 1 1/2 inch by 12 inch log.
Shape the remaining dough into a log on the other side of the baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet on the center rack of your oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the top of the logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch.
Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and allow the logs to cool about 30 minutes. (leave the oven set at 350 degrees or preheat again before continuing).
Transfer the logs to a cutting board.
Using a serrated knife, cut the logs on a slight diagonal into 3/4-inch slices. Use a gentle sawing motion to cut through the top crust.
Place slices on the baking sheet standing them up on their 'bottoms'.
Bake the biscotti another 15 minutes, or until they are golden and firm.
Place baking sheet on a wire rack and allow the biscotti to cool completely on the sheet.
This recipe yields about 30 Almond Biscotti
Almond Biscotti Recipe Variations
Almond Cherry Biscotti: Add about 1/3 cup dried chopped cherries when you add the nuts.
Almond Raisin Biscotti: Add about 1/3 cup raisins when you add the nuts.
Apricot Almond Biscotti: Add about 1/3 cup dried chopped apricots when you add the nuts.
Spiced Biscotti: Whisk some spice into the flour mixture (1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom).
Anise Biscotti: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons anise seed, ground in a food processor or blender with the sugar.
Nutty Biscotti: Substitute chopped nuts of your choice for the almonds (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamias, or a combination).
Citrus Biscotti: Add the 1-2 teaspoons of orange or lemon zest when beating the butter and sugar.
"I have been researching and trying a number of recipes to make a healthy cookie similar to one that our Gym coffee shop sells for $3.50! This particular recipe was adapted so instead of bars I made thick round cookies and cooked them just underdone so they were soft and chewy. They were a hit with all the girls. Thanks for the great recipe."
. Alternatively, you can use a manual whisk and wooden spoon and give yourself a little workout!
