Kittencal's Almond Biscotti

"This recipe goes back over 30 years! if desired you could add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips into the batter and for the holidays add in some diced mixed candied fruit --- for perfect results all ingredients must be measured accurately, for a sweeter taste increase the sugar to 1 cup or a little more, I normally get 24-25 cookies from this recipe but it will depend on the size you slice them - these will keep well in a airtight container for up to 2 weeks or you may freeze so don't be afraid to make these well before the holidays! :)"
 
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photo by A Marsteller photo by A Marsteller
photo by A Marsteller
photo by A Marsteller photo by A Marsteller
photo by A Marsteller photo by A Marsteller
photo by bindifry photo by bindifry
photo by momo_bone photo by momo_bone
Ready In:
55mins
Ingredients:
10
Serves:
24
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ingredients

  • 1 34 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 34 cup unblanched whole almonds
  • 2 eggs
  • 34 cup sugar
  • 13 cup butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 teaspoons grated orange rind, finely grated
  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten
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directions

  • Set oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and almonds.
  • In another bowl, whisk together, eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and grated orange rind; stir into flour mixture until a soft sticky dough forms.
  • Transfer to a lighty floured surface; form into a smooth ball.
  • Divide dough in half.
  • Roll each into a 12-inch long log (doesn't have to be exact).
  • Transfer to a ungreased baking sheet.
  • Brush tops with slightly beaten egg white.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven; let cool on pan for 5 minutes.
  • Transfer each log to a cutting board.
  • Using a serrated knife cut diagonally into 3/4-inch thick slices.
  • Stand cookies upright (on cut sides) on baking sheet.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes longer, or until golden.
  • Transfer to a rack; cool.
  • Note: cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 2 weeks.

Questions & Replies

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Reviews

  1. I am so thrilled with the taste of this biscotti! I got into a baking frenzy last year during Christmas and decided to try for the first time ever making biscotti. I used this recipe and I was so happy with it! <br/><br/>I was reading other reviews and a few things I think might help people who have problems with sticky dough:<br/><br/>Watch the humidity and warmth in your working space. A few times I cooked this recipe while I was cooking something else or washing dishes (once with the dish washer and once by hand). The dough turned out sticky and I had wondered what I did wrong since I did everything exactly the same and all the other times I made the dough it was perfect. After a few times of going through this I figured out that even the slightest temperature and humidity difference in the room had an effect. I kept aware of this and I haven't had a single batch of sticky dough since.<br/><br/>If the dough turns out sticky for you, the first thing to do is chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so to make it workable. Any time you're working with it and it starts getting sticky again, just put back in the refridgerator and chill it. After that, try opening a window and turning on a fan to cool and dry out your space and see if that helps. You Can add more flour to the recipe as some folks did (which will cut down the taste a little and make your cookies more crunchy) but it shouldn't be necessary. First just try chilling the dough and cooling down and airing out/drying out your working space to see if it has an effect. Good luck!<br/><br/>KittenCal, this is a great recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
     
  2. Kittencal, surely you don't need another 5-star review?? (LOL!!) These are great: real genuine biscotti. I took your words to heart: to measure accurately. I did not have a 3/4 cup of unblanched almonds, and decided to make up the shortfall with pistachios, which worked just fine. I did not have any orange, so used lemon rind and some orange extract. Like one of the reviewers, I also found the batter very sticky and quite hard to handle, but managed with more flour on the wooden board, when preparing the batter for the oven. I'd like to add the warning that this recipe is perhaps not for novice bakers. I used a sharp serrated knife for the cutting of the baked biscotti -- do not use an ordinary carving or paring knife, no matter how sharp! I'd also like to warn bakers with convection ovens that I found 170 deg C (about 338 deg F?) to be the right heat, and for the final baking I turned my oven to 160 deg C, which is 325 deg F. If I'd used 350/180 the biscotti could have burnt. (Mind: this is just for fan ovens, which tend to bake very fast). A GREAT biscotti, Kittencal! I'm definitely going to bake another batch. And by the way, I also got 24 cookies -- you were spot on. Thanks!!!
     
  3. These are so tasty! I had only one problem with the recipe... I followed the measurements precisely, but in the end needed approx. 1/2 cup more flour than the recipe called for. Without this my dough was so goopy it wouldn't even hold a shape (so making logs was impossible). Anyway, I used a standard all-purpose flour and that's how it turned out for me. Don't be afraid of more flour! Mine turned out great... not too dry or anything like that. And SO SO tasty!
     
  4. yum I've made it twice now and have changed added ingredients, dried cherries, cranberries, lemon rind, coconut... whatever I have on hand.
     
  5. Easy. I used 1 cup of sugar. The dough was sticky but I've been told that's how biscotti is supposed to be. No problem forming logs. The logs did stick to my cookie sheet a little. Maybe I should use parchment paper next time. When cutting the logs, i found a slow sawing motion with a bread knife kept the pieces whole.
     
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Tweaks

  1. If you are looking for a great, crunchy biscotti recipe, this is it. This recipe is identical to a Canadian Living Recipe I have except for slightly more almond extract and orange rind. I've substituted Hazelnuts for the almonds and Hazelnut extract instead of almond extract, which is just fantastic. My kids also love it with chocolate chips in place of the almonds :) Kittencal, I love the recipes you post - thanks for posting this one, everyone should try it!
     
  2. excellent recipe!!! I did change a few little thing.... i wanted to make a double batch and instead of doubling the butter i used 1/3 cup of oil instead of butter. I also used slivered almonds instead of whole almonds which i prefer. I also placed the double batch of dough on a cookie sheet and baked the whole cookie sheet for 25 minutes and then let it rest for 10 mintes and cut into biscotti shapes and placed on cookie sheets, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked for another 20 minutes... they came out perfect and so delicious!!! i really like the orange zest too!!!
     
  3. This was a very easy recipe to make. I used fresh lemon rind in place of orange rind, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Then I dipped the bottoms of the biscotti in white chocolate and let dry. Tastes fantastic! I think I will be making some more in the near future. Thanks for a great recipe!
     
  4. I substituted walnuts for the almonds, just because I had them in the house. I chopped them and roasted them before adding them to the recipe. Superb biscotti. Really.. totally out of this world! These are definitely No. 1, i.e. the absolute best of all the biscotti recipes, compared to all of the other biscotti recipes that I have tried from this site and from other sources. Thanks a million, Kittencal! And since your biscotti were so amazing, I sent the recipe to a very good friend of mine who lives in Italy. She has never been that domestic and has never made her own before, so this will be a first for her! So even Italians in Italy are making biscotti Kittencal's way!
     

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