Italian Almond Biscotti

[glutz]

A tasty crunchy Almond Bisoctti as a family friend used to make.

Anybody with recipe suggestions.
Thanks

[ April 16, 2001: Message edited by: glutz ]

[KyleW]

I have a good cantuccini recipe at home. I will post it tonight.
Kyle

[KyleW]

Here is Nick Malgieri's Cantuccini recipe. Of the 48,000,000 varieties of biscotti, these traditional ones are my favorite.

Cantuccini

Makes about 8 dozen

2 Cups all purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
2 Teaspoons baking powder
½ Teaspoon cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon salt
1½ Cups unblanched almonds
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
3 Large eggs

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and stir with a rubber spatula to mix. Stir in the almonds.

Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl, then stir into the flour mixture. The dough may seem dry at this point but it will come together as it is kneaded.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead, folding in over onto itself until it is smooth, 1-2 minutes. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 12” long log. Gently press down on the logs until they are about 2” wide and 1” high. Transfer to the parchment-lined pan.

First baking – Bake the logs for about 30 minutes, or until they are slightly risen and firm to the touch. Slide the logs, parchment paper and all, off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack. The logs must be completely cooled before you can continue with the recipe, about 30 minutes. You can bake the biscotti up to this point several days ahead. Wrap the logs well in plastic and continue when it is convenient.

Second Baking – When the logs have cooled, preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Working with a sharp, serrated knife, cut the cooled logs diagonally into ¼ inch thick slices. Place the sliced cookies, cut side down, on the pans and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the biscotti are crisp and golden. The finished biscotti will keep up to a month in an airtight container.

From Baking with Julia
Contributing Baker Nick Malgieri

[ April 20, 2001: Message edited by: KyleW ]

A biscotti with fat in it will tend to be 'tender', even when twice baked. To get the best crunch I've found that by replacing the egg yolks in a biscotti recipe with the equivalent amount of egg whites the results in a biscotti that will be wonderfully more crunchy not to mention lower in fat. Take those bad boy egg yolks and put them in your cheesecakes! Stay away from recipes that call for fat if you want crunch. When I say crunch, I mean crunch!!! as in good dunkers and ability to crack fillings

[KyleW]

Can 3 egg yolks contain that much fat?
The way I see it, at 5 grams of fat per large egg, times 3 eggs, we're looking at 15 grams of fat. 15 grams of fat divided by 96 biscotti = .16 grams of fat/biscotti. Does anyone know if egg yolk contains saturated or unsaturated fat?

In any event, these get nice and crunchy
Kyle

[Svadhisthana]

www.foodtv.com has some good recipes for biscotti. I made the chocolate version from that site with my 3 year old.

[kokopuffs]

The oblivia of trivia:

Well, if each biscotti contains .15 gram of fat, and each gram of fat is equal to 9 calories, then .15 gram of fat offers approx 1.35 calories, enough to propel the typical human being about 68 feet.

I wouldn't be surprised if the fat is saturated.

[ June 15, 2001: Message edited by: kokopuffs ]

[KyleW]

From the "consider the source" department...

According to the American Egg Board -
"A large egg contains 4.5 grams of fat, most of which are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats"

According to GoodHousekeeping -
"Eggs One large egg is a significant source of a number of vitamins and minerals, and contains only 75 calories and 5 grams of fat. Moreover, most of this fat is the healthy, unsaturated variety. (Eggs are high in cholesterol, but the chief villain in raising blood-cholesterol levels is not the cholesterol in our diets, but in saturated fats.) Also, egg yolks are rich in the pigment zeaxanthin, which seems to help protect eyes from macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in people older than 65"

Also according to GH -
"The most effective way to lower blood cholesterol is to eat less saturated fat. An egg contains a mere 1.5 grams."

Kyle
Moving 68 feet at a time...


[ June 15, 2001: Message edited by: KyleW ]

[thebighat]

Hey,hey Bakequery!!!!!

[angrychef]

I have tried biscotti recipes with fat(butter)and without, and taste testers(the office people in our company) agree that the one with butter is the best. I tend to agree with them. Crunchy yet not too hard that I'll yank out your teeth. I have also trieed the Baking with Julia recipe and it is pretty good. My standard flavor is walnut and black pepper biscotti.

[Kimmie]

These are porous, hard with a crunchy texture.

Almond Biscotti

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs ~sorry Bakequery~
2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur,
or 2 tablespoons rum with
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon anise extract (optional)
1 cup whole almonds,
toasted and chopped

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or a fork. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs, amaretto, vanilla, and anise extract, if using, in a large bowl until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture and then the almonds. The dough will be thick and sticky. Scrape the dough into a long log shape lengtwise on the cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper or greased and floured. Flour your hands and shape the dough into a long flat loaf about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide.

Bake until firm and dry, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Transfer the loaf carefully to a cutting board. Using a long serrated knife, cut the loaf on the diagonal into slices 1/2 inch wide. Lay the slices, cut side down, on the cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes; turn each cookie over and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, or until the cookies are golden brown. Place the cookie sheet on a rack to cool. Cool cookies completely before stacking or storing. May be stored, airtight, for several weeks. (Makes about 20 biscotti)

Variations:
Hazelnut Biscotti: Use frangelico liqueur instead of amaretto and toasted and skinned hazelnuts instead of almonds.

Chocolate Chip Biscotti: Omit liqueur and anise extract. Substitute 1/2 cup brown sugar for 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar. Substitute 2/3 cup chopped walnuts and 2/3 cup chocolate chips for the almonds.

Orange and Almond Biscotti: Omit liqueur and anise extract. Substitute 1/4 teaspoon orange extract, grated zest of a medium orange, and 2 tablespoons orange juice.