Biscotti - the perfect accompaniment to my coffee addiction

I like biscotti to go with my espresso (I rarely drink regular coffee). Some time ago I got sick of paying for what is such a simple item to make. They're also fun to make because you can play with the recipe.

Here's my latest:

(T=tablespoon; t=teaspoon; C=cup)

Pan toast 1-1/2 C almonds (put the almonds in a dry saute pan and heat over a low fire, stirring/tossing occasionally, until they start to go golden and smell **heavenly**). Allow them to cool slightly and then chop them coarsely in a food processor. Use quick pulses to chop so you don't reduce them to dust.

Also in the food processor, chop dried apricots to make 1 C of them after being chopped (about 1-1/2 cups of whole). Again, use a pulse, not a steady running. They'll take a bit more time than the almonds.

Combine in the bowl of your stand mixer:

1-1/2 C sugar
1-1/2 sticks butter (unsalted is probably the better choice)
4 T rum or brandy
1 T vanilla extract
1 T almond extract
4 eggs, beaten then added (large or jumbo)
the almonds
the apricots

Mix to combine and to break up the butter.

In a separate bowl, combine by hand or dough cutter:

4 C AP unbleached flour
2 t baking powder
pinch of salt

(This premix step is important. The baking powder will lump instantly in the liquid if you don't do this)

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to a smooth, very thick, somewhat sticky dough/batter.

Place parchment paper or a Silpat (my choice) in a sheet pan. Glop the dough into a lump and, using a silicone spatula, shape the lump into two side-by-side long, flat, square-ended loaves, with 1-1/2 inches between them. (Remember, they will rise and expand in the oven, so give them a bit of room to do so.)

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. The loaves should be very barely golden on the bottom edges, near where they contact the silpat/parchment. The top will be essentially the same color it was, but with a slight crusty feel and maybe a few surface cracks. Allow a little more time, if needed to get to this state.

Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 300.

Allow the loaves to cool, on the pan. Don't try to move them when hot as they are very tender and could break. When they're cool enough to touch, put them on a cutting board and slice into 1/2-3/4 inch thick slices. Use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion. Again, they're quite tender, so be careful.

Place the slices, cut side down, back on the parchment/silpat and back in the oven. You will probably only get half the slices in this batch. Just let the other slices stay on the cutting board till you're ready for them.

Allow to bake at least 10 minutes. Check the bottoms; they should show the first sign of becoming golden. Turn them over and bake an additional 10 minutes. Check them again. They should have an overall slight golden color, but not really going brown yet. They may actually look undercooked. That's okay. Most important is they should feel quite dry. Not as dry as, say, toast, but there should be very little give to the cut surface that is visible. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on rack. Put the rest of the slices on the parchment and repeat this second bake for the remainder of the slices.

Let 'em cool - maybe an hour or overnight if you did this in the evening - and then put them in a jar or even a large plastic bag. You don't want them to get so dry they're like crackers, but you also don't want them to get too soggy in the air, either.

Enjoy!

I love biscotti and apricot, so it looks like a winner. I'm going to give this recipe a try over the weekend - thank you!

I love checking this site out even though I haven't made any yet.
http://members.aol.com/jimg004/bisindx.html

Thanks for your recipe and tips!

I don't drink coffee but I make a mean spiced chai. I believe I'm going to love it here:7