Orange-Almond Biscotti

Biscotti is Italian for “biscuits” or “cookies”, though when I was young, I remember remarking that they look nothing like cookies. Cookies are supposed to be round and flat and, well, not so hard to bit into. The real root of this word is a Latin one meaning “twice-baked” and biscotti are precisely that: they’re baked once and allowed to cool, then sliced and baked again. 

The first time I made them, I was curious about what a single-baked biscotti would taste like. So I saved one of the ends from the second baking round and bit into it: it was soft and smelled of orange. I wondered how anyone thought to bake them twice when the results of the first bake were so delicious. Biscotti do keep longer when twice baked and are extra nice to dunk into tea or coffee perhaps, which may be why I can always convince myself that biscotti are a morning treat.

 (adapted from Cook’s Illustrated online recipe)

 2 cups unbleached flour

 1 teaspoon baking powder

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 4 tablespoons butter

 1 cup sugar

 2 eggs

 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

 3/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds (roasted until fragrant, with skins removed)

 zest from 1 large orange, chopped finely

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and move rack to middle. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

 2. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together; set aside.

 3. In a large mixing bowl, blend butter and sugar, then add eggs and extracts, then the zest and almonds.

 4. Stir in dry ingredients and fold until a ball of dough forms. It’s okay if your ball is a bit flour-y — mine certainly was.

 5. On the cookie sheet, split dough in have and shape each piece so it’s two to three inches wide (length will vary). Pack together well.

 6. Bake for 35 minutes, then remove and allow biscotti to cool for 10 minutes.

 7. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.

 8. Cut loaves into pieces about 1/2 inch think. Place back on cookie sheet with one side up and bake at 325 degrees for 8 minutes. Flip pieces over and bake for another 7 minutes. Consider dipping in chocolate or just enjoy them for their simple deliciousness.

http://www.pizzellesbakery.com/blog/2011/01/recipe-orange-almond-biscotti/