Tozzetti

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We just got back from a fantastic week-long holiday around the pacific northwest peninsula. Since flying has gotten so expensive, it does not look like I will get to go back to NY this summer to see my mom (don’t even get me started), my husband took us away on a small trip for my birthday. We drove to Olympic National Park and Seattle. If you ever get the chance to go to Olympic National Park, do so. It is so amazingly beautiful, with rainforests, ocean views, and very snowy mountains.  We stayed in Olympia, Forks (home of the Twilight series), and Port Angeles before heading to Seattle for 2 days.  While in Seattle we stayed at the gorgeous Turret House which is owned by our friend William. I can’t recommend it enough; great location (Trader Joe’s is 2 blocks away!) , super clean, full kitchen,and  very cozy! Since William was kind enough to let us stay there I brought him some of these very travel friendly biscotti as a small token of appreciation. These are definitely dunking material, so start brewing a pot of coffee.
TOZZETTI

Butter, for greasing pan
3 1/2 cups flour, plus
   more for pan
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 cups whole blanched
   almonds, toasted
1 1/2 cups whole blanched hazelnuts,
   toasted
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 eggs
1/4 cup anise-flavored liqueur, like
   sambuca
1 tbsp. crushed aniseed
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 375°. Grease and flour a 10″ x 15″ jelly roll pan; set aside. In a bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder; toss in nuts. In a bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs for at least 5 minutes, until very light and airy;whisk in sambuca, aniseed, and vanilla. Add flour mixture; fold. Pour into pan; bake until golden, 20 minutes. Let biscotti cool.

2. Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Remove cooled biscotti slab from pan; cut crosswise into twenty 10″-long strips; cut each strip in half to form forty 5″-long strips. Transfer strips to parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing strips 1/2″ apart. Bake until golden brown, 20–25 minutes. Let cool.

Recipe Source: Saveur

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Lemon Almond Biscotti

Since I am still baking like a mad woman days before Christmas, I must make this short. If you could describe biscotti as “light and refreshing”, these would be it. They are simple yet delicious. We made these over the weekend while out at the Hamptons with my dear friend John. So, these are for Mrs. OFlaherty.  Happy Holidays…

1 1/2 C sliced almonds, toasted
2 C sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs
Grated zest of 1 large lemon (or 2 small)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Please make sure to toast your almonds in a 350 F oven for about 8-10 minutes, shaking the pan a few times, until the almonds are a lightly colored and smell like almonds. Set aside to cool.

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line one large cookie sheet or 2 smaller sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in the sugar and toasted almonds.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, zest, lemon juice and almond extract; add to the dry mix. Stir (and stir and stir) with a large wooden spoon or spatula, until the dry ingredients are completely mixed with the wet ingredients.
Turn the dough out onto a clean counter and cut into 3 equal pieces (or 2 for larger biscotti). With wet hands (or floured- not both) shape the pieces into long narrow sausages, about 10 inches long.
Bake the loaves for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Reduce the oven temperature to 250 F
Slide the hot loaves onto a cutting board and holding one end with a pot holder or folded towel, carefully cut thin slices with a serrated knife at an angle to about 1/2 inch wide.
Place the slices, cut side down, back on the cookie sheets. If you only used one sheet before you will now need two or re-bake them in batches.
Bake them for 35-40 minutes, turning the slices upside down and reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once during baking. Do not underbake.
Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: Brand New  Book Of Great Cookies

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Cherry Anise Biscotti

going back in the oven for their 2nd bake...

I cannot resist the urge to take a recipe and tweek it somehow to make it better (at least in my own mind). This is no doubt how all recipes are born and luckily chefs and bakers all around the world are continually doing this to create “new” and more interesting recipes for our ever-changing palettes. Which is also the reason why we love a simple dish as well – how about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or a bowl of perfectly cooked pasta with marinara? 

For this recipe I only made one change, and it’s really just a matter of preference. The original recipe called for whole almonds and I opted for sliced. The only reason is that I find it much easier to slice them than going through whole almonds, to make a cleaner slice. So, it’s your choice to use what you want, or have on hand. Be sure to lightly toast them first to bring out their flavor. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes, or until you start to smell them. Just don’t let them burn!!! If that happens you have no choice but to throw them away as they will taste burnt and bitter. 

Biscotti may not be the prettiest of cookies to look at, but who says things have to look pretty to taste great? This is another fantastic recipe from The Craft of Baking. The flavors work so well together and the cornmeal adds just the right amount of texture to it. Simple, but perfect. 

a quick grind in the mortar and pestle for the anise seeds

1 C ( 3.5 oz, 100 g) blanched sliced almonds, lightly toasted
1 C  (4.3 oz, 120 g) sugar
1/2 C (4 oz, 114 g) butter
2 tsp anise seeds, ground
2 eggs
1 1/2 C  ( 6.75 oz, 195 g) flour
1/2 C ( 2.25 oz, 65 g) corn meal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C ( 4.8 oz), 135 g) dried cherries 

Beat the butter, sugar and ground seeds until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time,scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition. Whisk together dry ingredients then add to wet. Stir in the cherries and almonds. 

shape into logs before baking

 Shape into 2 logs and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, then slice and lay cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 250 for 1 hour 

enjoy with a cup of coffee

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