ORANGE - ALMOND BISCOTTI

Tea time in my house is one of the most relaxing moments of the day. Anyone who comes to visit can expect nothing less than a mug of hot goodness and a special something to go with it. One of the major perks of biscotti is that it seems to carry an indefinete expiration date. Truthfully, I've never had biscotti go stale in my house. It has never lasted long enough to find out just how long it would have lasted otherwise. Of course, there are no rules. You could often spot me munching on a biscotto outside of tea time.

This recipe could be modified to fit any craving of the day. Pistachios or hazelnuts instead of almonds; Cranberries or lemon instead of the orange. One thing I think you want to remain constant is the subtle vanilla that you find in this recipe. I baked mine for the second time a little less than I believe most people do. I like mine to be just a little soft when I bite into them, but of course this is all personal taste as well. I was not completely prepared to make these. You'll want to make sure you have a baking sheet large enough to hold the logs as they are really quite long and spread out as they bake. I ended up just using two of my smaller cookie sheets and pushing them together in my oven. Sometimes you just have to make due.

Orange - Almond Biscotti
Adapted from Bon Appetit


• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbls. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 10 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 3 large eggs
• 1 Tbls. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbls. orange zest
• 2 Tbls. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 heaping cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1 large egg white

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix flour, baking powder and salt  in large bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, orange zest and juice in medium bowl to blend. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until moistened; fold in almonds, then gather dough together. Turn dough out onto baking sheet and shape into 2 12-inch-long by 3-inch-wide logs.

Bake logs until golden brown and firm to touch, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool log on baking sheet 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250°F. Using long metal spatula, carefully transfer log to work surface. Using serrated knife, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place slices, cut side down, on 2 clean rimmed baking sheets.

Bake 8 minutes. Turn slices over and bake 6 minutes longer until just golden brown. Transfer biscotti to rack and cool completely.