Biscotti Anyone?

If you are not an almond lover, just wait till you try this biscotti recipe, you are sure to fall head over heels for this cookie. It’s much better than those day old biscotti’s you buy at the bakery that’s been sitting on a shelf, with barely any almonds in it.

Easily while still hot, I could indulge by eating a few of these before they leave the baking sheet …& a few meaning: it starts out with just one, then two, then three and before I realize what’s going on, I’ve eaten "a few" J

These are my rainy day go to; I whip up a batch; make myself some coffee, sit out and just watch the rain.

Its low in fat and I get to add Amaretto to the batter, which gives it such a wonderful aroma, you’ll want to eat it from the bowl,  mmm yum!

Ingredients:
Yield: 2 dozen

1/2 stick of melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur

2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cups of whole almonds

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or slipmat and set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar together.
• Add the eggs, almond extract, amaretto liqueur, baking powder, salt, and flour.
• Mix everything well until it forms a smooth, sticky batter. Gently fold in the almonds.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.
• Make two long, 3-inch wide, flat rows of dough on the sheet pan, spaced two inches apart.
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cookie rows turns golden brown.
• Remove the sheet pan from the oven.
• Let the cookie rows cool for about 10 minutes then slice into 1 inch pieces with a sharp knife.
• Turn the cookies over so they lay on the side.
• Return the cookies back into the oven to dry out any moisture still in the cookies.
• You can use the residual heat from the first baking, or turn the oven on to a low temperature.

Let’s get this party started:

Amaretto: A fragrant almond flavor liquor made from almond and apricot pits, (aka) the heart of my biscotti

I use whole almonds so there’s plenty in every bite (of course is you are not an almond lover you can substitute for dried cranberries, pistachios, chocolate chips etc..)

Mixing and Forming the Batter

Mixing the batter until it’s smooth and creamy.

It’s going to seem as though there are too many almonds in the batter, but not to worry. The dough will rise a bit in the oven.

Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or a slip mat and using a spatula, carefully spoon out the batter at least two inches apart, creating two rows. Since they will expand horizontally, tall and narrow rows are good.

                            Already looking good after 15 minutes of baking

All done baking

Logs are fragile, so after they’ve cooled use a sharp knife to cut into 1 inch strips
(& already 2 are missing from the batch :)

You can use the residual heat from the first baking, or turn the oven on to a low temperature

Lay biscotti pieces on the side and return them to the oven to toast 5-8 minutes.

grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy :)