Biscotti Toscani

By lindybug

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Place nuts in a shallow pan and bake in a preheated 325 degrees oven until golden brown, about 8-10 min. Let cool.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, almond extract and zest. In a bowl, combine the flour baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Add to the creamed mix until blended. Cut almonds into halves or thirds and fold in.

Divide dough in half. Place on a greased and floured baking sheet and form into two logs about 1/2" thick and 12" long and place about 2" apart. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 min or until light golden brown.

Cool on a rack for 5 min. Place on a cutting board. With a serrated knife slice diagonally at a 45 degree angle about 1/2" thick. Lay the slices flat on the baking sheet and return to the oven for 10 min. turning them over once to dry slightly. Let cool on rack.

Store in an airtight container. To add chocolate to one surface, melt approximately 1 cup of coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips in a microwave bowl. Melt at 50% power for 1 min intervals, stir and then microwave again until just melted. Using a spatula spread on one side of cookie. Let cool at room temp until set.