Biscotti
has two distinguishing features; its long, thin, curved shape and its
crisp and crunchy texture. I don't think there is a better cookie for
dipping in your coffee, which is probably why you see canisters of them
lining the counters of coffee shops and bakeries.
Most biscotti contain nuts, with almonds being the most popular.
Sweet almonds are ivory-colored with a pointed, oval shape and smooth
texture. They
are the nutmeat found inside the pit of the dry fruit on almond trees. Almonds
come in sweet and bitter forms. The sweet almonds are what most people are
familiar with and used by bakers. The sweet almond, used here, has a mild,
delicate flavor. We use blanched almonds which you can buy or if you want
to blanch the almonds yourself; place in boiling water for about 1 minute.
Drain and place in ice water to stop further cooking of the almonds. Peel
the skin off with your fingers. Bake them in a 350 degree F (180 degree C)
oven for about 5-10 minutes, or until almonds are dry, but have no color.
Now, we could pair almonds
with anise as this is the more traditional route in biscotti, but we are not going to
do that. Instead we are going to pair the almonds with chunks of smooth
dark chocolate. Of course, you can use your favorite chocolate chips but I
like to cut up my favorite dark chocolate bar instead. The biscotti's crisp
and crunchy texture
comes from baking the cookie twice, which is different from most North
American cookies. This second baking draws out the
biscotti's moisture and how long they are baked determines how crisp and
crunchy they will be. Biscotti are made by first forming the
dough into a log and baking until firm. The log is cooled slightly
and then cut into thin slices. The slices are baked until crisp
which has the added bonus of giving them a long shelf life.
Chocolate
Almond Biscotti: Preheat oven
to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Toast almonds for 8-10 minutes or until
lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely. Set
aside.
Line a baking
sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In
bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat
the sugar and eggs on high speed until thick, pale, and fluffy (about 5
minutes). (When you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back
into the bowl in slow ribbons.) At this point beat in the vanilla extract. In
a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add
to the egg mixture and beat until combined. Fold in the chopped almonds
and chocolate.
Transfer
the dough to your parchment lined baking sheet and form into a log, about 12
inches (30 cm) long and 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) wide. You may have to dampen
your hands to form the log as the dough is quite sticky. Bake for
25 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack
for about 10 minutes.
Transfer log to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut
log into slices 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick on the diagonal. Place the
biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake 10 - 15 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another
10 - 15
minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an
airtight container.
Makes about 16 biscotti.
Adapted from David
Lebovitz's Room for Dessert.
Recipe:
3/4 cup (110 grams) blanched whole
almonds, toasted and chopped coarsely
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