It's the most wonderful time of the year! Having finally wrapped up many holiday work commitments (so many exciting things happening that I can't wait to share - more on that in a later post), we are now busy whipping up holiday treats and edible gifts for friends and neighbors. This is truly my favorite kind of "work"! These biscotti have been flying off the sheet pans this year, tied up with string in cute little bags and handed out by the dozen. Biscotti actually means, "twice baked" so we're breaking a key rule with this recipe as I only bake it once allowing for a slightly softer crumb. The almond extract is absolutely necessary for the end result. Great alone or with a cup of coffee, we've been gifting them alongside flavored coffees from my gourmet coffee line. I hope you will enjoy them as much as we have - so simple to make and utterly delicious, they are addictive! Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Basic Biscotti
2 stick of unsalted butter
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 oz. toasted almonds (1 oz. in the batter, 1 oz. to be sprinkled on top)
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
small amount of milk for brushing
Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, and almond extract until well combined. Sift together flour, baking powder and stir into egg mixture until well combined. Stir in 1 oz. of the toasted almonds. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll into a log. Divide into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion into another log and pat down slightly. Place each on a greased sheet pan and brush with milk, then sprinkle with remaining toasted almonds. Bake at 350 until lightly golden brown on top. Cool completely and then cut on the bias. Happy Baking!
