Almond Orange Biscotti

By zircon50

Makes approximately 25 biscotti

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting your work surface
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tbs butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 2 tbs freshly-squeezed orange juice
• 2 tbs orange liqueur or 1 tsp orange extract
• (optional) 4 ounces of chocolate for piping

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Begin by mixing the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar (preferably with an electric mixer).

Add the eggs, and beat until fluffy. Add the almonds, orange juice, zest, and extract or liqueur. Slowly add in the flour mixture; mix until well blended.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment (or wax) paper. Dust lightly with flour. Pour the dough out onto this cookie sheet (the dough should be soft and sticky). Shape it into a rectangle approximately 12 inches by 5 inches with a thickness of .50 – .75 inches. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up (don’t skip this step!).

Remove dough from the freezer. The dough should be firm and much easier to work with now. Flip the dough upside down on a new cookie sheet, and peel off the parchment paper. Divide the dough into 2 rectangles; try to shape them as well as you can, because this will affect the final shape of your biscotti. (For smaller biscotti, you can divide the dough into 3 (more narrow) rectangles.) Make sure there is at least 2 inches of space between the logs.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the dough is golden and firm to the touch. Cool completely before continuing to the next step.

With a serrated knife, slice the loaf (at a slight angle) into approximately .75-inch slices of biscotti.

Place the cut slices of biscotti back onto your baking sheet, and bake at 325 degrees for an additional 15-20 minutes (or until they are golden). Turn them halfway through so that both sides “toast.”

If you don’t want to add the chocolate drizzle, then congratulations! You’re finished here. However, if you’re like me and can’t leave well enough alone, continue on to the next step.

First, make sure the biscotti has cooled entirely.

This is my method for piping chocolate when it’s just a “quick and dirty” job. Add a few ounces (no more) to a ziplock bag.

Microwave on 50% power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate has melted. Snip a teeny bit off of the corner, and drizzle chocolate bath and forth over the biscotti.