Cooking with Love
with Gianna Conte (Jan)
Traditional Crunchy Italian Biscotti
No fooling around Biscotti
There are Biscotti and then there are Biscotti. The Italians used what they had.
All these new varieties are just dressed up with chocolate, sprinkles, white icing.
In Tuscany, biscotti were eaten with a cup of espresso or Vin Santo or any other degestive after dinner.
These biscotti are an original version. Enjoy!
I made pretty large ones and got 21. If you make the logs narrower, you should get 42 (double). Here's what you'll need:
Let's make biscotti
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
3 TBS Frangelico (filbert liqueur, or any liqueur like Amaretto or Brandy)
2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, scrambled
2 3/4 cups white flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped nuts (any kind you like or have on hand)
I used filberts, toasted
1/2 cup dried cherries, raisins, or cranberries (optional)
Directions:
In large bowl, place melted butter, sugar, extracts, Brandy or liqueur. Mix well with wooden spoon.
Toast Filbert's in fry pan until golden DON'T BURN THE NUTS!
When the nuts are cool, coarsely chop.
Add the eggs, flour and baking powder and salt. Fold in the chopped nuts. Make sure everything is blended. Dough will be very sticky.
Refrigerate dough in fridge, covered for 1/2 hour.
On ungreased large cookie sheet, with WET HANDS, divide the chilled dough and place both logs onto prepared cookie sheet. Flatten the logs equally. At this point, you can sprinkle sugar on raw dough.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and carefully place on cooling rack. Let them cool for about 15 minutes.
Take serated knife and cut 3/4 inch slices to the almost cooked logs. Carefully place slices of biscotti on clean cookie sheet.
Place in preheated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes, flip each one and let them bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool.
Enjoy!
Don't burn the nuts
