The Fresh Loaf

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Almond biscotti

metropical's picture
metropical

Almond biscotti

I finally stumbled on a recipe that gets the texture I want.

Now I want to work on the flavor a bit more.

The ones I get on Court Street in Brooklyn are hard to beat.

 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole almonds
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp lemon zest

 

Ingredients:
Toast almonds in oven at 350 for five minutes, then cool and coarsely chop.  

In a bowl, combine flour and baking soda.  

In a separate bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until the mixture forms a ribbon (you will be able to lift it out of the bowl a few inches with the beater). Gently stir in flour mixture until just incorporated and then gently fold in almonds.  

On a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, form the dough into two 3-inch wide loaves.  Smooth with wet hands, then cook at 350 for 25 minutes.  Lower oven to 300, let loaves cool for 10 minutes, then cut them into 1/2-inch thick cookies.  

Bake cookies on each side for 10-12 minutes until beginning to brown.

 

I added a couple tsp cinnamon, but I think I'd use a bit more next time.

And I want to get a bit or orange flavor in there with either orange oil or Grand Marnier.  I tried 1 tsp orange oil and that wasn't enough

Any suggestions as to adjustments to do so?  I don't want to lose the texture so I want to be careful about liquid adjustments, IE: eggs.

 

In my first attempt I actually used 1/4c almond meal and 3/4 c of barley flour as partial substitutions. 

I also used 1/2 c spray malt sugar as substitution.  That might have been a bit much.  I'll go back to all white sugar or perhaps some dark brown.

davidg618's picture
davidg618

Try it with a tsp of amaretto extract.

David G

Mary Clare's picture
Mary Clare

Maybe try 1/4 tsp. of salt?

Mary Clare

flournwater's picture
flournwater

Looks good .... but the ingredients list baking powder and the instructions list baking soda.

 

turosdolci's picture
turosdolci

Try my recipe found on my blog post.

http://turosdolci.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/almond-biscotti-“cantucci”-recipe/

Also try almond oil, but be very careful not to use the amount listed in the recipe as this is very potent and you need to use just a few drops depending on the size of your recipe.

Good luck,

Patricia

mredwood's picture
mredwood

I love baking biscotti. With your recipe I probably would leave out the lemon zest. I would replace it with orange zest. I would not increase the orange oil. Add the zest. Don't know what size eggs you are using but I would figure an adjustment that would allow about 1/4 c. of orange juice. I would add the salt too. There are many different kinds of cinnamon and sometimes combining them gives a better flavor profile. My absolute secret ingredient is cinnamon oil. I would not up the powder but I would add from 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of the oil. With the zest, salt, juice and cinnamon oil the flavor will come alive. 

 

metropical's picture
metropical

I actually had augmented the recipe more than I indicated.

I used a tsp of amaretto liqueur, didn't use the lemon zest but rather a couple tsp orange zest, a wee drop of cinnamon oil.  No salt.  I think I used baking powder, I didn't notice the error in the recipe.

I think subbing the juice for some egg may be helpful, though I'm a little concerned the result may lighten the batter a bit.

The cinnamon is something I brought back from Vietnam.  It's quite spritely, but I like the idea of a bit more cinn oil.

I'll have to pick up some almond oil too.  I think the almond meal is a waste.  Next time 50/50 apf and barley flour.

flournwater's picture
flournwater

Once again  -   the ingredients list baking powder and the instructions list baking soda.

Ingredients:

"1 tsp baking powder"

Instructions:

"In a bowl, combine flour and baking soda.  "

davidg618's picture
davidg618

...of almond biscotti, one for a dinner party this weekend, that is "diabetic friendly" since one of our guest is--both diabetic and friendly. The second, with more sugar, butter, eggs, and lemon zest (our favorite) is for our annual Open House wherein we share this year's new wines (as well as past years). Almond biscotti pairs wonderfully with Sauvignon Blanc, and European style Chardonnay. Both versions are flavored with Amaretto and almond extracts.

David G

P.S. Neither recipe calls for baking soda.

clazar123's picture
clazar123

I worked on my biscotti skills this last Christmas season and discovered that biscotti made with no oil or butter can actually be very hard. Mine were usually in the toothbreaking department after a few days. The oil tenderized it.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/biscotti/Detail.aspx

This is actually the recipe I ended up with as a basis. I just deleted the anise and substituted other flavorings (almond,cinnamon,cardamom,etc) and additives (nuts,craisins,chocolate). Read the comments for some ideas. I made 3 or 4 different flavors-chocolate espresso,almond,spice and anise.

The other thing I learned is to let the dough sit for a few minutes after mixing.It becomes less sticky. Handling the dough is tricky-use either wet or oiled hands and bake on parchment paper.

Have delicious fun!

threedogs's picture
threedogs

I don't normally use oil (or butter) in my biscotti, and I have a hard time getting them anything but soft. I came to the conclusion that it had to do with how much moisture is in the air - I lived right next to the ocean for a few years. It wasn't a problem because my friend & family prefer the biscotti like that (I, on the other hand, like them more crunchy).

Found that if I left them in the oven, with the door slightly ajar, to cool after the second bake that they came out perfect for me. My dog Emma also was pleased, as she quickly mastered the art of opening the oven door, and helping herself.

With all the years I've made biscotti, the only time mine came out tooth-breaking hard was when I first started baking them. I don't follow my recipe that much (in fact, I lost the recipe recently & now mix them from memory, which can be ... scattered.. at best, lol). I throw in various liquors and other mix-ins, depending on what i have at hand, so that might make them softer. At any rate, I've never felt that it needed more fat than what's in the egg yolks.