I love a little something sweet with my coffee in the morning, and biscotti is one of my favorite choices. They are not terribly sweet – in fact most are mildly sweet, and just right. What I like best about this one is that it is crisp, but still “melt in your mouth”. Most biscotti that I buy are VERY hard – of course meant to hold up to being dipped in coffee – but I prefer to have mine WITH my coffee, not IN my coffee! For this reason, it is the best recipe for biscotti I have ever had! I don’t even remember where I got a cookbook of Christmas cookies, published back in 1979. The recipe I began to make from this book was called “Swedish Almond Toast”. That is a perfect name for it – since the texture definitely resembles that of “toast”! I have been making this ever since. These biscotti make a great gift, and they store well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I have quite a collection of cookbooks – just can’t seem to let go of them! But this recipe is exactly why I can’t let go – it’s timeless, and as good today as it was back then! Since it is a rather “basic” recipe – I have created a few different versions of it throughout the years. Almond was my favorite for a long time, but this chocolate walnut flavor is quite amazing too! I drizzle them with some chocolate to finish them off perfectly. If you don’t like or can’t eat walnuts, try pecans or almonds – or delete the nuts altogether to make just a chocolate biscotti! Adding some mini chocolate chips to the dough would make them “double” chocolatey! Have fun with this one!
Recipe:
1/2 lb butter, room temp
1 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs (reserve 1 Tbsp of egg white for glazing)
3 Tbsp sour cream (if you don’t have sour cream, substitute cream cheese)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 to 1 c walnuts, finely chopped (plus another 1/4 c for garnishing)
If you want to make “almond biscotti” – delete the cocoa powder, and change the flour to 3 c. Also change the 1 tsp. vanilla extract to 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract).
Set oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 large cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer using a whisk attachment, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, reserving about 1 Tbsp egg white for glazing. Blend in the sour cream, or cream cheese.
In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend with a hand whisk. Add gradually to the egg mixture, beating only until smooth. Mix in the nuts – 1/2 to 1 c nuts, depending on how “nutty” you like them!
I use a large ice cream scoop to evenly divide the dough onto the 2 cookie sheets. Line up the scoops, close together, until all dough is used. Then blend the scoops together using a knife. Shape the slabs of dough with your fingers, dipping you fingers in some cocoa powder if needed to prevent sticking. You should have 2 long slabs about 12 – 13 inches long, and 3 inches wide. They will be about 3/4″ thick. (You can make 4 THINNER slabs if you prefer smaller biscotti – just shorten the baking time a bit). Then brush both slabs with the reserved egg white, using a pastry brush.
Top with 1/4 c reserved chopped nuts. Press LIGHTLY into the dough. Bake at 350 for 20 min. I switch the pans in the oven from 1 shelf to the other, after 10 min. This allows them to bake evenly. They should be puffed, and have slight cracks on the top.
Allow to rest and cool for 15 min before cutting. (otherwise they will be too fragile, and will break). Lower the oven temp to 250 degrees. Cut into 3/4″ to 1″ cookies, GENTLY, using a large serrated knife. Lay the cookies on their side – and return to the oven for 20 min. Turn them over again, and bake for another 20 min. This allows them to “toast”, and get their crunch on!
Cool completely, and enjoy them right away! OR, turn them upright, and drizzle with some melted chocolate almond bark using a spoon, OR dip them 1/2 way into the chocolate! They will look amazing either way! The recipe will make about 30 biscotti.
