Buon giorno a tutti! In this 30th episode, Nonna Mia, la nonna di tutti (everyone's grandma), solves her craving for something sweet, with her almond biscotti. These crunchy treats get their crispiness from being twice-baked, in fact, biscotti simply translated is 'bis' - twice and 'cotti' = baked. However, in Italy, this cookie is referred to as Cantucci (Toscani), as opposed to the term biscotti, which generally means cookies - in plural.
The Recipe:
The fun thing with biscotti, is that there are loads of different ingredients you can add to suit your preferences. Some people dip them in chocolate or add chocolate into the dough itself. Others add dried fruit or vary the type of nuts. Anise is another commonly used and delicious flavour. Your options are endless, so feel free to be creative. This version is a classic almond biscotti.
First, Nonna roasts up 2 cups of almonds at about 325 for approximately 12-15 min. She then chops up half and leaves the rest whole. Nonna uses almonds with the skin on, though some prefer blanched almonds - both are great, use whatever you prefer.
In a bowl, Nonna mixes up the dry ingredients:
- 4 cups of flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
She used a whisk to blend it together and then sets it aside.
Wet Ingredients:
Then in another bowl, Nonna adds
- 3/4 cup of olive oil
- 1.5 cups of sugar
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 4 T Amaretto Liqueur
- 1 T vanilla extract
Nonna creams the oil and sugar first and adds in the eggs, one at a time. Of course, you can use a mixer, but Nonna prefers the exercise of doing it by hand. She then adds in the Amaretto and vanilla.
Slowly she incorporates the flour mixture, adding last the roasted almonds.
She portions the dough into 4 and with a floured surface and some flour sprinkled on top, she fashions each portion into a log, placing two on each parchment covered cookie sheet.
She then bakes the logs for 25 minutes at 350. Once cooled about 15 minutes, Nonna uses a serrated knife and slices them into about 1/2 inch thick, diagonal slices. She then returns them to the oven, at 325F for 10 min each side. If you prefer your biscotti extra crispy, you might cook them longer - it really is up to you.
These twice-baked cookies are best enjoyed dipped into espresso or a cappuccino. Or if you prefer the traditional way, pour yourself a glass of Vin Santo - a sweet dessert wine. Enjoy!
Buon appetito!
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