I don't know what Mother Nature has against the East Coast, or really a whole lot of the United States as of late, but today is a downright miserable day. Maybe She is lamenting my return to academia as well - after all, Her antics have resulted in my 8am class being canceled, which is nothing to complain about - but outside is still this mish-mosh of ice, snow, and rain. I am not looking forward to the trek to my class in just a little bit. I would much rather be sitting inside with a book, some comfy pants, a cup of tea and these almond biscotti. In that context, I enjoy these days.
You see, these almond biscotti are kind of perfect. Crunchy around the outside, with a burst of almond and orange on the inside. The house smells wonderful when you bake them, and you can't help but smile when you try one. At least, I couldn't. I did have to make some adjustments to the original recipe, notably exchanging orange liqueur for orange juice, but I don't think that would make an extraordinary difference. The batter was unbelievably sweet, to the point that I considered writing in a decrease in sugar for the next time I made them, but the actual, baked biscottis are wonderful. I encourage you to make these, especially if you happen to be stuck inside, as I wish I were, in this awful weather.
You see, these almond biscotti are kind of perfect. Crunchy around the outside, with a burst of almond and orange on the inside. The house smells wonderful when you bake them, and you can't help but smile when you try one. At least, I couldn't. I did have to make some adjustments to the original recipe, notably exchanging orange liqueur for orange juice, but I don't think that would make an extraordinary difference. The batter was unbelievably sweet, to the point that I considered writing in a decrease in sugar for the next time I made them, but the actual, baked biscottis are wonderful. I encourage you to make these, especially if you happen to be stuck inside, as I wish I were, in this awful weather.
Almond Biscotti, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 3 dozen (mine, when halved, only came out to 1 dozen, though)
Yield: 3 dozen (mine, when halved, only came out to 1 dozen, though)
The Ingredients
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt (omitted, salted butter)
1 1/2 cups sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (I used orange juice)
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped or sliced almonds
1 large egg white, for washing (forgotten, so omitted)
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt (omitted, salted butter)
1 1/2 cups sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (I used orange juice)
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped or sliced almonds
1 large egg white, for washing (forgotten, so omitted)
The Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center of the oven, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt, if using, and set aside. In a larger bowl, combine the butter, eggs, extract, liqueur, and zest. Finally, mix the flour into the egg and butter bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Mix in the almonds.
Divide the dough in half (when halving the recipe, I just left it as one mound of dough), and shape each half into a log measuring approximately 13 1/2" by 2 1/2". Place both logs on the same, prepared baking sheet, with space between them (although my one log took up the majority of one sheet, so you might need two). Before baking, take the egg white, whisk it until foamy, and then brush it over the logs. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden. Without removing the logs from the sheet, allow them to cool completely, for about 25 minutes. Maintain the oven temperature, or at the very least, make sure it's back up at 350 degrees by the time you're ready to bake again.
Once cool, transfer each log to a working surface and remove the parchment paper. Diagonally cut the logs into 1/2-inch slices, using a serrated knife. Place the biscotti cut-side down on the bare baking sheet, and return to the oven for 12 minutes. Rotate the biscotti to the other side, and bake another 8 or so minutes, looking for the biscotti to just turn color. Transfer to a rack and cool, again, completely.
Can be stored in an airtight container, or enjoyed immediately with a warm beverage of your choice.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt, if using, and set aside. In a larger bowl, combine the butter, eggs, extract, liqueur, and zest. Finally, mix the flour into the egg and butter bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Mix in the almonds.
Divide the dough in half (when halving the recipe, I just left it as one mound of dough), and shape each half into a log measuring approximately 13 1/2" by 2 1/2". Place both logs on the same, prepared baking sheet, with space between them (although my one log took up the majority of one sheet, so you might need two). Before baking, take the egg white, whisk it until foamy, and then brush it over the logs. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden. Without removing the logs from the sheet, allow them to cool completely, for about 25 minutes. Maintain the oven temperature, or at the very least, make sure it's back up at 350 degrees by the time you're ready to bake again.
Once cool, transfer each log to a working surface and remove the parchment paper. Diagonally cut the logs into 1/2-inch slices, using a serrated knife. Place the biscotti cut-side down on the bare baking sheet, and return to the oven for 12 minutes. Rotate the biscotti to the other side, and bake another 8 or so minutes, looking for the biscotti to just turn color. Transfer to a rack and cool, again, completely.
Can be stored in an airtight container, or enjoyed immediately with a warm beverage of your choice.
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