Homemade Almond Biscotti

Making your own almond biscotti is much easier than the local coffee shops let on.  It always bothered me to see a wonderful-looking biscotto wrapped in plastic with a two or three dollar price tag.  I was one of those suckers who thought that the only way to enjoy this delicacy was to pay the price.  And I did many times.

But in the end, those pre-made biscotti always left something to be desired.  Perhaps they were too crunchy.  Perhaps it was the after-taste of all the preservatives. Perhaps it was attained way too easily and thereby never fully enjoyed.

I am glad to say that my longing for the perfect–and perfectly free–biscotti has come to an end!  These homemade almond biscotti have become a little piece of heaven in our home.  My kids devour them as a special-occasion “cookie” to dip in hot cocoa or milk.

Homemade Almond Biscotti, in all it’s decadence.

And I equally enjoy having something to dip into my hot, foamy coffee decaf cappuccino.

I must confess that my first batch of almond biscotti actually came with me in my purse to the local coffee shop.  I was not ashamed in the least. Neither should you be. 🙂

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5 from 1 vote

Homemade Almond Biscotti

Course Snack

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 16 cookies

Author Bonnie Hershey

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
• 1 Cup sucanat sweetener or light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
• 3 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 Cup sliced almonds

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
• Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and almonds.
• Pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Use your hands, if needed, to incorporate the last bit of flour.
• Divide the dough in half and plop each half onto the parchment paper. Form each part into a longish rectangle, about an inch high.
• If you have the time, chill the "logs" in the refrigerator for one hour. (Or they can be wrapped in plastic and chilled for up to 3 days.)
• Bake for 30 minutes, until the logs are evenly golden brown.
• Remove from oven, and using a sharp knife, slice the logs crosswise into1-inch strips. (This gives the biscotti their traditional shape.)
• Lay them on their sides and bake for another 5 minutes.
• Flip them over and bake for a final 5 minutes.
• Cool on a cooling rack...if you can wait that long! (They actually cool down pretty fast.) Let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Notes

Optional variations: At the final stage of mixing, you can also throw in a handful of dried cranberries or mini chocolate chips.