Biscotti Toscani
Growing up in a large family we rarely went to a restaurant to eat, but when we did it was always at my uncle’s restaurant. It was important to keep support of la familgia. I have fond memories and it was fun to see my cousins and to see what my uncle was making in the kitchen. My uncle, known to all as “Papa Joe” was a round man with a happy face and a twinkle in his eye. He was always warm, and generous to me.
There was always one special part I looked forward to. After a delicious dinner, as we were leaving, saying our good-byes, my uncle would always let me pick out a torrone. The torrone came in a beautiful box, and were white nougat candies stuffed with whole almonds and flavored with citrus and vanilla. It was such a special treat, and I always picked either the orange or the vanilla flavor.
Biscotti Toscani remind me of the flavor of torrone. Chockfull of roasted almonds and scented with orange zest, these crunchy cookies invoke old world flavors. I like to top them with a little sanding sugar for a pretty sparkle. Don’t forget your espresso when you munch on one of these!
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3/4 sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
Sanding sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Roast the almonds for about 8 minutes and remove to cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, extracts, and zest and mix until combined.
In a bowl, combined flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Add to butter mixture until combined.
Chop the almonds in half or thirds, and then fold into the dough.
Divide the dough into two halves and shape into even logs, about 12 inches long. Brush the logs with egg white and dust with sanding sugar and bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack for about 5 minutes.
On a cutting board, cut the logs into slices about 1/2 an inch thick. Lay the slices with the sugar side up and return to the oven for about 10 minutes. Let the biscotti cool on a rack.