Biscotti
Sliced biscotti after first baking
This cookie has to be one of the easiest to make but does take some patience as you triple bake them to get them nice and crunchy - great for dipping in coffee or tea! This is a recipe my Aunt Joyce passed down to me and I call them my "Anything Goes" cookies as whatever concoction you can come up with in flavors tastes great! I have mixed orange extract with chocolate chips, cranberries and even slivered almonds. Or how about Rum Raising? That is one of Jon's favorites. Cinnamon Sugar is a new favorite as well as the original Biscotti flavor of Anisette.
Ingredients
Biscotti ingredients
What I am going to do is give you the basic recipe and will then give you some examples for substitutions that I have tried with great success... but lets be serious even the mistakes taste great so there can never be any wrong combination. The picture of ingredients isn't all for the basic recipe I just put the ingredients I happen to use in these batches in the picture to give you an idea.
Ingredients - Basic Biscotti
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Sugar
3 Eggs
3 1/4 Cups Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Anisette (Anise) Extract *
1/2 to 1 Cup Slivered Almonds**
* Extract can be changed to Vanilla, Rum, Orange, Mint...? Or use Orange zest, lemon zest, ground cinnamon or even ground ginger for a spicy alternative! The list can go on
** Almonds can be substituted with Chocolate chips, walnuts, White Chocolate chips, raisins, other dried fruit like cranberries or apricot, or a mix of two or three extra ingredients. Really the combinations are endless. As I have mentioned above I have played with quite a few combinations. In the 4 batches I made this week the flavors I ended up with were Orange chocolate chip, Rum Raisin, Orange with slivered Almonds and Cinnamon Sugar. If you need other ideas definitely check the food recipe sites as there are literally thousands of ideas out in cyber world.
Ingredients - Basic Biscotti
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Sugar
3 Eggs
3 1/4 Cups Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Anisette (Anise) Extract *
1/2 to 1 Cup Slivered Almonds**
* Extract can be changed to Vanilla, Rum, Orange, Mint...? Or use Orange zest, lemon zest, ground cinnamon or even ground ginger for a spicy alternative! The list can go on
** Almonds can be substituted with Chocolate chips, walnuts, White Chocolate chips, raisins, other dried fruit like cranberries or apricot, or a mix of two or three extra ingredients. Really the combinations are endless. As I have mentioned above I have played with quite a few combinations. In the 4 batches I made this week the flavors I ended up with were Orange chocolate chip, Rum Raisin, Orange with slivered Almonds and Cinnamon Sugar. If you need other ideas definitely check the food recipe sites as there are literally thousands of ideas out in cyber world.
Step 1 - Making the dough
Sift all dry ingredients together
Very simple and basic ingredients and really nothing fancy to do except I recommend that you sift all your dry ingredients together (not the nuts or chips as they are added in last after the dough is already made) You are doing this step so that you have no baking powder clumps and everything mixes well giving a bit of air to the flour. Once you have sifted the dry ingredients into a bowl, combine the oil and sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Then add eggs and extract or zest depending on what you are using, mixing until blended. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and continue mixing until everything is mixed well. If you are using nuts or chips, add them in at the very end and mix just until the ingredient is incorporated into the dough.
Step 2 - Forming the logs
Forming the dough log
When the dough is mixed well, you will need to divide it in half. Picking up half of the dough mixture, form a log about the size of the cookie sheet you end up using and lay the log down shaping the ends to flatten them. Pat down the log to about 1/2 inch thick. See the picture below that shows you what mine look like prior to baking. These are the Orange zest flavor with slivered Almond. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and allow the baked logs to sit on cookie sheet for 10 minutes.
Step 3 - Baking Take 2
Round 1 baking done - slice and bake again
When the biscotti comes out of the oven the first time, allow it to sit on the pan for 10 minutes before removing the log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice the biscotti into 1/2 inch slices and arrange on the cookie sheet cut side down. Once you have cut the two logs into slices, return the cookies to the oven for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 4 - Baking Take 3
Bake a 3rd time after flipping over
Once the cookies have baked the second time, remove the pan from the oven and flip the cookies all over to the other cut side. This allows both sides to bake evenly and golden brown. Some recipes I have found only bake the cookies twice...you can try it if you want I just haven't because this is how I learned to make the biscotti and I love how they turn out all golden brown and crunchy. Bake for another 6 to 8 minutes then remove the cookies to cooling racks to cool. Store in airtight container and these will last a really long time. So there you have it, simple and delicious these will definitely be a family favorite - or make a couple different kinds to bring to a pot luck or new years party. For an added treat, I sometimes dip half the cookie into melted chocolate.... oh so good! Happy baking!