Biscotti You Can't Fail
How I Make Biscotti
Biscotti are made all over the world, baked twice to dry it out and good and crunchy. Biscotti have existed for many hundred years and still quite popular today. Click here for more info.
How I came to make biscotti is a bit of a strange story, it started out that my girlfriends/cousins, and I would go to our favorite Italian restaurant every Thursday for Martini night, sit at the “Prime Minister’s” table and eat, we did not eat much desserts, but we often wanted a biscotti to end the meal, because biscotti are not only good dunked in an espresso or tea, they are delicious dunked in wine! Whodda thought?
However, often times the restaurant did not have them, and I could not blame them, they are an expensive commodity! So we started buying some and bringing them with us to have. The owners thought we were crazy but still served it at the end of our meal, in time, my cousin Cher started making them herself and wow were those better than what we would buy. I was not making them then as I did not eat them so much myself, not having much of a sweet tooth.
In time things changed and I had to start making them as my cousin was going through health issues and not always up to baking, so we would alternate weeks.
What I discovered is that most recipes for the biscotti started with 2 eggs and a cup of sugar, then 2 cups of flour, baking soda and salt.
That's the base. What you add into that base is really what makes a biscotti.
I will put up a list of ingredients that I use in most of my recipes, and then you will see a variant of ingredients you can mix and match, now, this recipe to me is a no fail because after making them every Thursday for years, I pretty much have it down to a T.
INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
1 c. sugar (natural or refined)
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
I would use 2/3 cup of any of the nuts and ½ cup of dried fruit. You do not have to, it really is up to you to mix and match the flavors.
Nuts
Pine nuts
Walnuts
Almonds
Pistachio
Etc…
Dried Fruit
Apricots
Cranberries
Coconut (sweet or unsweetened, your choice!)
Etc…
Natural or artificial flavors ( I use about a teaspoon of the essences, a whole fruit for the peel and 1 tbsp. for the alcohol. I use the juice of the fruit to make the glaze if I glaze them.
Vanilla
Lemon
Coconut
Almond
Orange
Lemon or orange peel
Instant coffee
Alcohol
ETC
Spices and herbs
Poppy
Lavender
Black pepper
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Ginger
ETC
In a mixing bowl, using the mixer of your choice, beat the eggs, sugar and flavors you want to use including lemon or orange peel.
In a separate bowl measure out the flour, baking soda, salt and whatever nuts, dried fruit, herbs, spices and coconut if using. Stir the ingredients till well mixed.
Beating on medium low, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. The dough should be tacky (sticky to the touch), if your mixture is dry, you can add an egg yolk, a whole egg, or even better, melted butter till the dough does become tacky.
Form two logs of equal proportions and bake in a 375 ° oven for 25 minutes on a parchment covered sheet pan.
Note.: If you are not glazing your biscotti or dipping them in chocolate, you could brush with a beaten egg white for a lovely glossy look.
Remove from oven and let them rest 10 minutes before slicing them in app. 1-inch-wide pieces, you can also cut them diagonally for a different look.
Tip: Use a serrated knife if possible to cut the biscotti.
Lower the oven to 325°.
Place them back on the parchment covered sheet pan one their side, and bake 10 minutes more, after 10 minutes, turn them on the other side and cook them for another 10 minutes. Let cool.
At this point, you could dip them in chocolate or glaze them. Your choice.
This time I made my glaze out of powdered sugar, a bit of lemon juice and milk, enough to drizzle the biscotti with and Voilà!
