Toasted Almond Biscotti
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup whole blanched almonds
- 2¾cups flour, plus flour for work surface
- Pinch of salt
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- ¾teaspoon baking powder
- 4large eggs
- 1cup sugar
- 1teaspoon almond extract
Nutritional analysis per serving (48 servings)
67 calories; 2 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 29 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet, place in the oven and toast for about 15 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder together and set aside.
- Step 3
Beat the eggs lightly, just until they are blended in a mixing bowl with a whisk or in an electric mixer. Remove two tablespoons of the egg mixture to a small dish and set aside. Beat the sugar and almond extract into the remaining eggs until blended. Stir in the flour mixture to form a soft dough.
- Step 4
When the almonds are toasted, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a bowl. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 5
Divide dough in half and place one portion on well-floured work surface. With floured hands, pat into a six-inch square. Scatter half of almonds on dough and press them into surface. Roll dough into cylinder about 2 inches in diameter and 12 to 15 inches long. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Brush the tops of both cylinders with the reserved egg.
- Step 6
Place in the oven and bake about 15 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch. Transfer to a cutting board and cut on an angle into slices one-half-inch thick. Return the slices to the baking sheet, standing them up, and return them to the oven. Bake another 20 minutes, until they are crisp and dry. Allow to cool completely before storing or serving.
Private Notes
Comments
I doubled the recipe, swapped in 1 1/2 cups almond flour +1 cup SR flour. Very tender, incorporates the fruits &nuts nicely, if you fold once north to south, and once east to west. I made 3 loaves; pecans /candied orange peel, glace cherries/ walnuts, & almonds/ Italian candied citron.Vanilla bean paste rather than almond extract. Came out beautifully fragrant, tender, & crisp not tough, using the baking instructions above. 6 assorted ones tied w/ ribbon makes a nice small gift.
Cook time is too short. Centers not done after first bake.
Jacques Pepin recipe (I have not made this yet) is first bake 25 min at 350 (10 mins longer). His second bake is 30 to 40 mins (10 to 20 mins longer)
Mixed results.
Pluses: Best way of toasting almonds. Dough doesn't crumble to pieces when cut into slices (unlike all my other biscotti recipes), maybe because of the lower oven temperature? I baked at 300 for 30 minutes and then at 325 for 12 minutes each. A little less would have been fine for me. Lovely, airy texture.
Minus: They tasted bland. The almond flavor didn't come through and they were barely sweet as if dough needed more of both.
I will experiment some more.
As biscotti recipes go, this one is decent, but not as authentic as some out there. It doesn't specify what flour to use (problem #1), I used 00 baking caputo from Italy. The dough was a bit dry, which I know many Italians do like because many like it break-your-teeth crunchy! At my age, not so much! Also, the use of both baking powder and baking soda... maybe not. When mixing these two things the balance has to be there otherwise you can get a slight bitter flavor (problem #2).
I baked the sliced cookies for an extra 10 minutes, this improved their flavor. Maybe the initial cooking time should be 25-30 minutes, then slice and bake for 20 minutes. That would be good.
Very bland with almost no almond flavor. These needed closer to 25 minutes for the first bake, very doughy and not golden at 15 minutes. I'll be dipping in chocolate to give these a flavor.