I love a good dipping cookie that doesn't fall apart in my coffee and
biscotti always delivers. This time I decided to make my biscotti mini
in size but big on flavor!
This biscotti dough is filled with a chopped candied and spiced almond mixture that provides extra flavor as well as texture to this crunchy cookie. The resulting biscotti are dry, crunchy and sweet. And they hold up well to a cup of coffee! Here is how you can make your own.
You can find the entire recipe here. The recipe calls for pecan halves but I used sliced almonds instead. In addition, I added 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract to the biscotti dough to add a little more almond flavor.
Candied Almonds: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a half-sheet baking pan with parchment or silpat and set aside. In a medium bowl whisk the egg white until foamy. Add sugar, spices and salt and whisk until thick and well combined. Add the sliced almonds and mix until completely coated. Transfer coated nuts to prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until browned and crisp. Let baked nuts cool completely before chopping into medium to small pieces. Set chopped nuts aside.
Biscotti Dough: Turn up oven to 350 degrees. Line a half-sheet baking pan with parchment or silpat and set aside.
In
a medium bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and
salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the
paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract (and 1/4 tsp. almond
extract if using) until completely combined. Add the flour mixture and
mix until a dough starts to come together. Fold in 1 1/2 cups of the chopped candied
almonds.
Divide the dough into three equal portions and shape into logs approximately 1 1/2" to 2" wide. All three logs will fit on the one half-sheet baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate sheet and bake for another 20-25 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let biscotti cool enough to handle then transfer to a cutting board and cut into 1/4" to 1" wide slices. To keep the biscotti small don't cut on the diagonal.
Transfer the cut biscotti back
onto the baking sheet. Each biscotti should stand on its own so they
don't take up as much room as when they are on their sides and they
crisp up faster too! Bake the biscotti for a second time, 10-15 minutes
or until golden and dry. Let cool completely before storing.
Note: If you want a really crisp biscotti let them sit out overnight before placing into an airtight container for storage.
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