Almond and Orange Biscotti

I love nothing more than a good steamy tumbler of coffee in the morning.  I love pastries and sweet things with my coffee...This particular recipe for Almond and Orange Biscotti I got from a "follower of a follower" on Twitter. Check it out-

INGREDIENTS-

2 cups raw, unpeeled almonds

2 eggs, plus 1, for glaze

3 egg yolks, plus 1 if needed

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Zest of 1 orange

2 1/2 cups sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, for glaze

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 (.5 ounce/16 g) package Lievito Pane degu Angeli (vanilla-flavored Italian leavener)

Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS-

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Toast the almonds on a cookie sheet until fragrant, about 8 minutes, watching to ensure they don’t burn.

In a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, beat 2 eggs, 3 yolks, melted butter, orange zest and 2 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light in color and smooth in texture.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, package of Lievito Pane degu Angeli, and a pinch of salt. Then slowly, one spoonful at the time, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until the dough forms and starts to come away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. The dough should not be too wet, if it crumbles, add an extra egg yolk to bind the ingredients.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the almonds by hand.

Butter 2 cookie sheets and, using your hands, separate the dough in two equal parts. Stretch each piece of dough into a long cylinder, about 2-inches thick and 8-inches long, and place on each sheet.

In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons sugar and one egg, then with a pastry brush glaze the cookie dough evenly and place the sheets in the oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and it has expanded by at least half in size. Remove from the oven and rest on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Using a bread knife, slice the cookies about 3/4-inch thick and let rest on the cookie sheets, uncovered, overnight to help ensure a proper crunchiness.

The next day, toast the cookies in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes on each side to complete the twice-baked process. Store in an airtight container

Turn oven up to 350 degrees F.


Makes 45 cookies...Enjoy!