Micheles Spiced Almond Biscotti Recipes

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING ALMOND BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Spray large baking sheet (12x19-inch) with Pam or oil.
• If using whole, unblanched almonds, boil 2 cups water in microwave and place almonds in water for about 5 minutes. Remove skins and chop coarsely.
• Combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
• Cream sugars and butter until creamy and smooth using an electric mixer.
• Add eggs, almond and vanilla extracts, stir until well mixed.
• Add the dry ingredients, including the almonds and mix well. Dough should be very thick and sticky. If it is too sticky to hold a shape you can use powdered sugar to thicken it - just be sure to mix the powdered sugar into the dough thoroughly.
• Coat a flat surface (counter or cutting board) with powdered sugar and place dough onto it.
• Divide dough into two balls and form roughly into a rectangle about 5x10-inch. Brush off excess powdered sugar and place biscotti dough onto the baking sheet.
• Repeat with the other dough ball and place both logs side by side on the cookie sheet.
• Bake 30 minutes until dry. Allow to cool 10 minutes.
• Slice each log into 18 slices, about 1/2 inch each.
• Place sliced biscotti back onto cookie sheet and bake an additional 10 minutes. Turn slices over and bake 10 more minutes (if desired).
• Cool biscotti on a rack.
• Can dip or stripe in white or dark chocolate.
• Note: Store biscotti in an airtight container to retain freshness. If biscotti loose their crispiness, just pop them into a 300F oven for 5-10 minutes!

TUSCAN SPICE AND ALMOND BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Finely grind 1/3 cup of the toasted almonds in a food processor.
• In a medium-sized bowl, combine the ground almonds, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice.
• In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter.
• Add honey, egg, vanilla extract and almond extract to the creamed mixture.
• Gradually blend in dry mixture and remaining 2/3 cup almonds.
• On a well floured surface, shape dough into two logs.
• Transfer logs to a baking sheet or baking stone, leaving space between the two logs.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until firm and lightly brown.
• Cool logs on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes.
• Cut logs into 3/4-inch slices.
• Place slices in a single layer on the baking sheet, leaving space around each slice.
• Continue baking about 10-15 minutes or until desired crispness.
• Cool completely on a wire rack.