Almond Biscotti
Day 7: My mom and I have a tradition. Each year on Christmas morning, as we wait for everyone else to wake up to open presents, we sit at the kitchen table, boil a pot of water, and have tea and biscotti for breakfast. Every time I make biscotti, it makes me think of Christmas morning and the indulgent feeling of having cookies for breakfast.
This is my current favorite biscotti recipe. They have a wonderful orange and almond flavor, perfect for Christmas. And just the right texture – the satisfying crunch that you expect, perfect for dipping in tea or coffee, yet not so crunchy that you feel like you could break a tooth.
Drizzle them with chocolate and you have the perfect snack (or breakfast) to go with a hot beverage on a cold winter day. Mike does not like biscotti at all, unfortunately. He refused to try these, and therefore does not have a rating. But trust me – they’re good.
P.S. You can see all of my Christmas treat recipes from over the years at this Christmas Cookies tag. Enjoy! And, as always, let me know if you try any and how you liked them.
Almond Biscotti
Ingredients:
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 large egg white
Directions:
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Mix sugar, melted butter, 3 eggs, vanilla extract, orange juice concentrate and zest in large bowl. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir with wooden spoon until well blended. Mix in almonds.
- Divide dough in half. Using floured hands, shape each dough half into 13 1/2-inch-long, 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer both logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Whisk egg white in small bowl until foamy; brush over top and sides of each log.
- Bake logs until golden brown (logs will spread), about 30 minutes. Cool logs completely on sheet on rack, about 25 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
- Transfer logs to cutting board; discard parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, cut logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on same baking sheet.
- Bake 12 minutes. Turn biscotti over; bake until just beginning to color, about 8 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. Drizzle with semi-sweet or white chocolate for a special touch.
adapted from Smitten Kitchen