Almond Orange Biscotti
I keep a list of recipes I want to try and potentially post to the blog if they go well. I’ll be the first to admit that they don’t always go well. I burnt soup this weekend. One time I made mini pumpkin pies that turned into mini pumpkin blobs. I’ve made caramel filled rice cereal bars that were so chewy they could probably take out a filling. *Sigh*.
I’ll end my pity party there because there are also those recipes that are SPOT ON the moment I try them and it makes my day. Sometimes my week…small victories, people. Small victories. Let’s talk almond orange biscotti. SPOT ON! I didn’t even really know I had any love of biscotti until I made these. Can I just say again how SPOT ON these are?! Okay, I think you all get it.
A few of my favorite parts of these cookies are:
- They look super fancy and hard to make BUT they’re not. For reals.
- I’ve heard rumors that properly stored these guys can last like a few weeks or a month. I may never know if this is true.
- The almond orange biscotti are not overly sweet thanks to the nut and citrus flavors.
- Chocolate.
- Biscotti make it totally appropriate for adults to dunk their cookies. In fact, that’s what they’re made for!
This is a fairly traditional recipe for biscotti but let me tell you, I am psyched to try new combinations of flavors! Granted, most will probably involve dunking them in chocolate. I’m pretty sure most everyone will be okay with that.
P.S. I don’t drink coffee because I’m weird like that. I dunked these in milk. YUM.
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs + 1 egg for egg wash
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (or zest from about 1 medium orange)
- 1 cup whole almonds, toasted*
- 1 tablespoon water
- chocolate chips, to dip biscotti (1-2 cups depending on how you dip them)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Beat in 4 eggs, vanilla, and orange zest until it forms a ball. It will start out looking rather crumbly so be patient!
- Stir in toasted almonds.
- With clean, damp hands form 2 logs on parchment-lined baking sheets. Each log should be about 4 inches wide and 3/4 inch tall.
- Whisk together remaining egg and water for egg wash. Brush each log with egg wash.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top, rotating pans at the halfway point.
- Transfer logs to a wire rack and let cool for about 20 minutes.
- Use a large serrated knife to cut 3/4 inch slices. I cut mine on the bias, or diagonal, but you can also cut straight across.
- Place the slices, standing up, on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for another 25 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Melt the chocolate chips (I used a double boiler but you could also microwave them, checking and stirring every 30 seconds). Dip* biscotti in chocolate and let cool on parchment paper.
- Store in an airtight container.
- *To toast the almonds, I just put the whole almonds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and toasted them until they started to become fragrant
- *I dipped my biscotti in chocolate along the bottom edge but you could also dunk them in the chocolate (like you would dunk it into a drink). I've even seen some with drizzle on them. I like the bottom coated because you get a little chocolate in every bite but it doesn't cover up the cookie so you can still dunk it in your drink!
