How to Bake Biscotti

Member

By Michael Sayre
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (24 Ratings)

Biscotti and Espresso.

In Italy, biscotti (pronounced bee-SCOAT-tee) is somewhat of a national treasure. And recently, with the ever-growing popularity of coffee shops in virtually every corner of the U.S., this wonderful Italian import has caught on with Americans in a big way! We all know that homemade is ALWAYS better than mass-produced, and with this fantastic recipe, you can make authentic biscotti in your own kitchen. This recipe is for the classic Anisette Biscotti with Almonds. In the final step, I will give you some great ideas to change things up a bit and explore several variations. Enjoy!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
2 egg yolks plus one egg white, reserved
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons anisette or amaretto liqueur
1 tablespoon anise seed
6 cups coarsely chopped whole almonds
1 tablespoon granulated sugar for glaze

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease two heavy cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper.
Step 2

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
Step 3

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until light, about 2 minutes; the mixture will look somewhat curdled. Beat in the vanilla, anisette or amaretto, and anise seed. Beat in the dry ingredients, then the chopped nuts.
Step 4

Divide the biscotti dough into four portions. On a lightly floured board, shape each portion into a flat log, just about the length of a cookie sheet. Place two rolls on each cookie sheet.
Step 5

In a small bowl, beat the egg white with a fork until frothy. With a pastry brush, glaze each log with some egg white and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden brown, firm to the touch and just beginning to crack slightly.
Step 6

Allow the logs to cool on the cookie sheet until cool to the touch, about 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 200°. With a serrated knife, slice the biscotti, slightly on the bias, into 1/2-inch slices. Lay the slices on the cookie sheets in single layer; Return the biscotti to the oven and cook for 20 more minutes, or until the biscotti are toasted and crisp.
Step 7

As indicated above, this is the "classic" biscotti recipe. To make a completely different cookie, omit the anisette or amaretto liqueur, the anise seed and the almonds from the basic recipe. Then try my variations:

Ginger, Orange & Pecan Biscotti: Add 2 tablespoons of orange extract, and 1 tablespoon each of orange zest and fresh, finely grated ginger in Step 3. Substitute 6 cups of chopped pecans for the chopped almonds in Step 3.

Dark Chocolate-Cranberry Biscotti: Add 4 cups of chopped dark chocolate, and 2 cups of dried cranberries at the end of Step 3.

Hawaii 5-0 Chocolate Biscotti: Add 3 cups of chopped dark chocolate, 2 cups of chopped macadamia nuts, and 1 cup of shredded coconut at the end of Step 3. Add 3 tablespoons of pineapple juice to the egg whites in Step 5.

Vanilla Ice Biscotti: Add 2 tablespoons of ground vanilla bean, 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract and a 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh mint during Step 3. Use 4 cups, instead of 6 cups of coarsely chopped almonds at the end of Step 3.

Mediterranean Biscotti: During Step 3, beat the following into the dough mixture; the seeds of 2 fresh pomegranates and 2 cups of chopped figs. Add 3 cups of chopped walnuts at the end of Step 3.

The bottom line is this; biscotti is limited only by the imagination of the baker. Develop your own signature biscotti recipe, utilizing the basic recipe found in this article, and experimentation with any combination of the following ingredients:

Cashews, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, butterscotch, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried strawberries, dried raspberries, dried cherries, toffee, dried currants, goji berries, honey, lemon, chopped brownies, chopped peanut butter cups, canned pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, Bailey's Irish Cream, Kahlúa, cinnamon, cloves, espresso beans, etc.

Well there you have it, my friends - endless biscotti possibilities! Good luck, Godspeed, and happy baking!!!