Almond Biscotti
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These almond biscotti are everything you want biscotti to be: buttery, lightly sweet, crunchy, and delicious any time of day!
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Inspired by the almond biscotti served at the celebrated Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, these Italian-style cookies are made by forming a fragrant, almond-studded dough into loaves, partially baking it, slicing it and then baking it again. They are everything you want biscotti to be: buttery, lightly sweet, crunchy but not tooth-shattering — and as good with your morning coffee as they are with dessert wine, afternoon tea, and sweets. Try serving them with my raspberry and cream parfaits, banana ice cream, strawberry and orange salad, or no-churn Vietnamese coffee ice cream.
What you’ll need to make almond biscotti
The recipe calls for a few unusual ingredients that make the biscotti exceptional: cornmeal, which adds wonderful texture, and anise seeds, which add a hint of licorice flavor that complements the almond flavor nicely. You can omit the anise seeds if you like, but I think they bring the cookies to life, and I don’t even like licorice.
How to make biscotti
Begin by combining the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, anise seeds and salt in a medium bowl.
Whisk until well combined and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Add the chopped almonds and dry ingredients to the batter.
And mix on low speed until just combined.
Dust your hands with flour and form the dough into two even disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Divide each disk in half, and form the dough into logs about 2-inches wide and ¾-inch tall on parchment-lined baking sheets.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the dough is firm and golden around the edges.
Let the logs cool for about 15 minutes, then slice diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces.
Place the biscotti cut side down back on the lined baking sheet and cook for about 10-14 minutes more, flipping once in between.
Let the biscotti cool completely on the baking sheet before serving.
You may also like
- Double Chocolate Biscotti
- Walnut & Cinnamon Biscotti
- Grandma Annie’s Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread
- Italian Cornmeal Cookies
Almond Biscotti
These almond biscotti are everything you want biscotti to be: buttery, lightly sweet, crunchy, and delicious any time of day!
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with knife
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds, crushed with the back of a spoon into a powder
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1⅓ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1¾ cups slivered almonds, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set the oven racks in the upper and middle thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and crushed anise seeds.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as necessary. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the flour mixture and almonds and mix on low speed until just combined. Dust your hands lightly with flour and divide the dough into evenly into two disks; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide each disk into two equal pieces. Dust your hands with flour and form each portion into logs about 2-inches wide and ¾-inch tall directly on the lined baking sheets (if the dough is sticky, dust your hands with more flour as necessary). Leave about 4 inches of space between the logs to allow the dough to spread. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until the loaves are firm to the touch and golden around the bottom edges. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
- Once cool, transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife and a sawing motion, cut the logs diagonally into generous ½-inch slices. (They will look a little undercooked in the middle.) Arrange the cookies, cut side down, back on one of the lined baking sheets. It will be a tight squeeze; it's not necessary to leave any space between the cookies. Return to the oven on the middle rack and cook for 5-7 minutes, until lightly golden on the underside. Remove the pan from the oven, carefully flip the biscotti over and cook for 5 minutes more, until lightly golden all over. Let cool on the baking sheet completely before serving. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a month.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months: Shape the dough into logs, wrap each securely in plastic wrap, and place them in a sealable bag. When ready to bake, remove the logs from the freezer, thaw the dough until pliable, and then proceed with recipe. To freeze after baking: After the cookies are completely cooled, double-wrap them securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (48 servings)
- Serving size: 1 biscotti
- Calories: 93
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Sugar: 6g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Cholesterol: 14mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hey Jen, I just purchased your Weekday/Weekend cookbook, and am thinking of trying your Coconut Biscotti recipe. My absolute favourite recipe of yours is your Almond Biscotti recipe; I love the taste and texture. I’m wondering how the Coconut ones compare to the Almond ones….similar texture? I know that coconut oil bakes up differently than butter. Thoughts?
Hi Ella, thanks for your support of the cookbook! Glad you like the almond biscotti. The coconut biscotti are just a bit lighter in texture. Hope you enjoy if you try them!