Lemon-almond biscotti

Biscotti, those crunchy twice-baked Italian cookies, are one of my favorite things to keep around in a cookie jar to munch on.   

I love the crunchy texture and given they're usually studded with nuts - and I love most kinds of nuts - I think they make a tasty treat to go along with a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon or after dinner.  Since they hold well for a long time (they're dry to begin with), biscotti are a great make ahead.

The fellas don't love them as much as I do so I don't make them that often. That said, I've made a few varieties - from pistachio to hazelnut and chocolate - and I'd say the pistachio and almond ones are my favorite versions to fall back on.  But there's one thing I haven't tried...and that's making biscotti that contain butter.  

Until now, I've follow recipes that make biscotti without butter (I believe that is the traditional way), and I really like it.  If I'm to be totally honest, I admit it makes me feel a little virtuous eating a cookie that contains no butter or oil but I also genuinely love the hard crunch of a classic biscotti made without butter.  That's not the case for everyone.  My husband, for one, is a little fearful of losing a tooth on one of my biscotti.  It's funny but I see how some may want just a little yield in their crunchy biscotti.  

So this recipe deploys a little bit of butter - 4 tablespoons for my batch that will turn out approximately 20 biscotti.  It's very reasonable, and you know what?  I really liked it!  The biscotti is still dry and crunchy but the butter makes for a milder crunch.  The biscotti breaks away easily beneath your teeth and well, they're just easy to eat. Because they're not quite so hard, it doesn't necessarily call out for a cup of coffee to go with it but it sure is nice side-by-side.  Now that I've tried it, I can say I like my biscotti made both with and without butter.  I'll be happy to rotate between the two varieties!


This lemon-almond biscotti recipe comes from Laura in the Kitchen, a book I'm cooking out of right now.  Laura Vitale has a show in the Cooking Channel and it's been one of my recent favorites; her Italian food makes my mouth water!  

I scaled down the recipe (you know how I do!) and while biscotti hold well (even the kind with butter), my half-recipe will turn out nearly 20 biscotti.  I like to rub citrus zest right into the sugar to get as much flavor out of it as possible. 

I added a little bit of almond extract, along with vanilla, even though the recipe didn't call for it.  When I see almonds, I automatically think almond extract!  After the toasted almonds get tossed into the mix, you end up with a sticky dough that's ready to be shaped into logs.  My scaled down recipe can be shaped into two logs (original recipes makes 3) and conveniently baked on a single baking sheet.

One thing I do always do when it's time to shape the dough into logs is to divide it with my spatula and plop it straight onto a silicon-lined baking sheet.  Most recipes will tell you to set the dough on top of a floured surface to shape but for the life of me, I cannot manage to then remove the logs from the surface onto the baking sheet without making a big mess! 

So I set the dough into something of a log shape on to the baking sheet, spaced about 3-4 inches apart and then shape/smooth out the dough into about 8-inch long logs with my wet hands.  This way, you don't have to move the logs again and I find that wetting my fingers with some water works really well for smoothing out the dough. Bake the logs for about half an hour.

Then if you know the drill with biscotti, you know it's twice-baked so after letting the logs cool a bit, slice them slightly on the diagonal and place the cookies back into the oven.  Bake for 7 minutes, flip the cookies over, and then bake for another 7 minutes.

Finally, you are rewarded with your batch of lemon-almond biscotti.  They're crunchy, toasty, nutty, with a nice hint of lemon.  Enjoy them with a cup of coffee at your earliest convenience!

I want to wish everyone a great Mother's Day weekend!  It's been a very wet week here and I hope the sun comes out for us.  Either way, enjoy Sunday!  : ) 

Recipe:

Lemon-Almond Biscotti
Adapted from Laura in the Kitchen: Favorite Italian-American Recipes Made Easy by Laura Vitale

- Makes approximately 20 biscotti - 

1/2 cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  

Place butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Zest the lemon directly into the bowl.  Using your fingertips, gently rub the lemon zest into the sugar a bit until moistened.  Beat the mixture until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, and mix to combine.  On low speed, add flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.  Fold in the toasted almonds using a sturdy rubber spatula.

Divide the dough in half using your spatula.  Drop each half on to the prepared baking sheet, spaced 3-4 inches apart to allow for spreading.  Moisten your fingers with some water and use your wet hands to shape each piece into about an 8-inch long log. Gently flatten the logs with your hands until they are about 2 inches wide.  

Bake until logs are light golden brown and firm to the touch near the center, about 30-35 minutes.  Leave oven on but remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.  Then, transfer the logs to a cutting board.  Using a serrated knife, cut at an angle into about 3/4-inch thick slices.

Arrange biscotti with a cut side up on the lined baking sheet.  Bake for 7 minutes.  Flip the biscotti, rotate baking sheet front to back, and bake for another 7 minutes longer, or until they are golden all over.

Let cool for about 5 minutes on the sheet, then transfer biscotti to a wire rack to cool completely.  The biscotti can be stored in an airtight container for a week or so.