The biscotti that everyone loves to eat

I've tried lots of biscotti--biscotti with cranberries, biscotti with nougat and pistachios, biscotti with matcha powder--but really, it doesn't get any better than this recipe.

Before getting a second baking

I've gotten a lot of requests to make this again and again, to the point that I'm actually sick of making it already (but not eating it). Baking biscotti is a laborious process, because you must bake it not once, but twice! (Hence its name "bi" + "scotti" = twice baked.) These cookies can keep for a long time and even taste better over time. Though you may think it really bizarre, my family's favorite way to eat it is....with pâté! Because the biscotti is only lightly sweet with the gentlest touch of orange liqueur, it complements the rich and savory flavor of pâté perfectly. Weird? Yes. But really great. 

Almond Biscotti

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen
Makes approx. 40 biscotti

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 cup whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped or sliced almonds
• 1 large egg white (for the egg wash)

Method

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Mix sugar, melted butter, 3 eggs, vanilla extract, orange liquer and zest in large bowl. 
• Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir with wooden spoon until well blended. Mix in almonds (I like to toast them first in the oven) 
• Divide dough in half. Using floured hands, shape each dough half into 13 1/2-inch-long, 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer both logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Whisk egg white in small bowl until foamy; brush over top and sides of each dough log.

• Bake logs until golden brown (logs will spread), about 30 minutes. Cool logs completely on sheet on rack, about 25 minutes. Maintain oven temperature. 
• Transfer logs to a cutting board; discard parchment paper. Using serrated knife, cut logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on same baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Turn biscotti over; bake until just beginning to color, about 8 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. 

NB: The original recipe says to bake 12 minutes and then 8 minutes, but this depends on how hard you want your biscotti. I err on the side of a shorter baking time since I prefer to keep my teeth in tact. Do note that the day after you bake it, the biscotti get harder.

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