Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks/6 oz/170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. almond extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 tsp. orange zest
1 cup almonds, toasted
Double Chocolate Coating (see recipe below)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, almond extract and lemon and orange zest, and beat until the mixture is combined (it will be soupy and a bit lumpy). Add half the flour mixture and beat until it is just combined. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the remaining flour mixture and the nuts.
Shape the dough into two 15 x 3 1/2 x 1/2-inch logs and place them on the cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake 32 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 hours.
Using a long serrated knife slice the logs diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange cut-side down on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees F/150 degrees C for 7 minutes. Flip the biscotti over and bake an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Double Chocolate Coating
Ingredients:
6 oz. high-quality bittersweet chocolate
5 tbsp. (2 1/2 oz/70g) unsalted butter
2 oz. white chocolate
Instructions:
Melt the bittersweet chocolate and butter in a double boiler over gently simmering water (or melt in a microwave, stirring every 15 seconds until nearly melted, then remove and stir until fully melted). Dip half of each biscotto in chocolate, then let dry on a cooling rack. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler over gently simmering water (or melt in a microwave, stirring every 15 seconds until nearly melted, then remove and stir until fully melted) and place in a pastry bag with a une writing tip (or in a plastic freezer bag with a tiny piece of the corner cut off). Drizzle white chocolate over the dark chocolate.
Makes 36 biscotti.
Date: January 20, 2005