February 18, 2012

Orange - Almond Biscotti

I was walking down the aisles at Costco a few weeks ago and I wasn't even paying attention to the samples, when one of the ladies said to me, "this goes really good with hot drinks"

I looked over at her and down at the label and it was biscotti.  I have ALWAYS wondered what biscotti tasted like and I finally had a chance to find out.  I grabbed a sample and ate it as I continued walking down the aisle.  I absolutely loved it!  

I couldn't stop thinking about how good it was the entire night.  That just so happened to be the same trip when I picked up a copy of this cookbook.  I was flipping through it and said  . . . please, please have a recipe for biscotti.  

It did! And it was so easy to make!

I have already made it twice in the past few weeks and I will probably make another batch this weekend.  I am seriously hooked.  I absolutely love this version and I can't wait to try out more versions.  I didn't even dip it in anything, I loved it plain, but I do think it would be delicious dipped in milk, coffee or hot chocolate. 

I have since searched for different biscotti recipes and I have found some with butter and some without butter.  What is better?  Well, according to Cook's, the addition of a small amount of butter produces a richer, more cookie-like texture.  They wanted a crunchy, but not tooth-cracking-biscuit full of flavor and they found that the type and quantity of fat dramatically affected the taste, texture and the shelf life of the biscotti.  They also found that biscotti recipes made with whole eggs and no additional yolks got even better with time and remained very crisp.  

What they found must be true, because this stuff is amazing.  It is crunchy, but still has a cookie-like texture.  

I am forever in debt to the Costco Lady who introduced me to biscotti! Ha Ha!
 
1.  Make the dough and form it into a rectangle 

2.  Bake until it just begins to crack on top, about 35 minutes

3.  Let cool for 10 minutes and then cut into slices

4.  Lay cut side up and bake another 15 minutes

Orange-Almond Biscotti
2 c. (10 oz.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbl. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. (7 oz.) sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 c. whole almonds with skins,                             
    toasted, cooled and coarsely chopped
2 Tbl. grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt together in small bowl.  Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar together at medium high speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, then add almonds, orange zest, vanilla and almond extract until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.  Stir in flour mixture until just combined.  

2.  Halve dough and turn each portion onto prepared baking sheet.  Using floured hands (I just sprayed my hands with cooking spray), quickly stretch each portion of dough into rough, 13x2-inch loaf, placing them about 3 inches apart (I just made one large loaf).  Pat each loaf to smooth it.  Bake until loaves are golden and just beginning to crack on top, about 35 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. 

3.  Let loaves cool for 10 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Cut each loaf diagonally into 3/8-inch slices with serrated knife.  Lay slices cut side up about 1/2-inch apart on baking sheet and return them to the oven.  Bake until crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes, turning over each cookie halfway through baking.  Immediately transfer biscotti from baking sheet to wire rack and let cool completely.  

*To toast almonds: Place in preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until very lightly toasted, stirring occasionally.  They can burn very easily, so watch closely.  

Jenn's Notes: The first time I only made a half a batch and I was wishing I had made a whole batch.  So, trust me when I say - make the entire batch or even two batches!  Cook's says this will last, stored in an air-tight container for up to a month, but both of my batches were gone within a few days! Yum.  Orange and almond are a perfect combination and do not skip the fresh orange zest - it adds so much flavor!

20 comments:

  1. I can't believe you lived this long without tasting biscotti! It is a real treat and not too hard to make either! I have a recipe for white chocolate-macadamia nut biscotti that I make at Christmas time and give as gifts to my children's teachers. I've had full blooded Italians tell me they have never tasted biscotti better than mine! It's the recipe, not my baking I am sure!

    Enjoy your new found treat!

    MGM

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  2. Delishhhh.. and easy to make!! thanks for sharing..

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  3. MMM...I love Biscotti. Sometimes I go a Biscotti binge. They are so fast, and so easy I make a few batches of different flavors so we have a choice..yum...I will have to add these to my list...Thanks for posting it.

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  4. We call the ladies at Costco "tasty ladies". We love their samples. I grew up in NY and have loved biscotti all my life. This recipe sounds wonderful.

    :)
    ButterYum

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  5. I can't believe you've never had biscotti before that! I also enjoy biscotti, but I've never had orange biscotti... a new thing to try!

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  6. Those look delicious......Thanks for linking up @CountryMommaCooks...have a wonderful week!

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  7. I love making biscotti, but this is a combination I've not tried. Thanks for the recipe. It sounds delish.

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  8. This looks amazing! I would love for you to stop by my Linky party and Linky up at ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com

    Mrs. Delightful
    ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com

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  9. I love making biscotti. It's old school yummy. I prefer the butter kind but I'm going to try these too. I've got a couple of biscotti recipes on my site if you want to try others. Great post! I'm your newest follower.

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  10. I've always wanted to try making biscotti. This sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing on Crazy Sweet Tuesday!

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  11. I pinned this on Pinterest. Thank you for joining Creative Bloggers Party and Hop :)

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  12. I love anything with almond extract! Thank you so much for linking up to the Recipe Party @ The Sweet Spot. I hope to see more great recipes from your blog next week!

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  13. this looks so good definitely going to try it later this week. I hope you'll stop by and add this and any other posts you're proud of to my Wednesday What We Wore and Made Link party

    marissa
    http://raegunwear.blogspot.com

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  14. Ohhh! This looks yummy! I just bought my first biscotti yesterday, and now I want to try making it. I think I may try your recipe. :) I'm a new follower as well! :)

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  15. I haven't made Biscotti in such a long time, this sounds great:@)

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  16. I love Biscotti and yours looks good. Pat

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  17. My daughter and I have a new blog called 'Stella's Virtual Cafe' where we post about what's happening in our fictional cafe and either provide recipes of our own or links to other recipes. Today we posted about baking biscotti, the recipe of which we found here. We posted a link to your blog if people want to bake it. Thanks for the recipe. They are delicious :)

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