Almond Orange Biscotti

 

I have made a lot of biscotti that was so hard it could only be eaten after a good soak in hot tea or coffee.  Though that may be the way biscotti should be, I prefer mine to crunch a little yet still be able to eat it without soaking.  This is the latest in the quest for my ideal biscotti.  The butter adds a rich flavor and helps keep the biscotti soft.  I run the almonds through a food processor until they are about the size of coarse corn meal. This helps keep it tender by preventing the gluten from forming long chains.  Finally, this is more like a cookie than yeast bread so no kneading; simply mix as little as possible to get to come together.  The more you work the dough, the tougher it will become. 

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups unbleached, all purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/3 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 stick, (8 tablespoons) unsalted Butter, melted

1/4 cup Canola Oil
3 large Eggs
1 Tbsp Vanilla extract
Zest of 1 Orange

1 tsp Almond extract
4 ozs Almond meal

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.  Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.  Mix sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract and orange zest in large bowl. Add flour mixture to wet mixture and stir until blended.
This is sticky dough and requires a well floured work area and hands to prevent sticking to everything.  Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 2 1/2-inch-wide log and place on cookie sheet.
Bake logs until golden brown, 30-35 minutes, and a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow the logs to cool, about 20 minutes but don’t turn the oven off.   
Transfer logs to cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, back on the cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Turn biscotti over; bake until just beginning to color, about 8 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool before storing.   This usually makes about 3 dozen and should keep several weeks, though mine never stay around long enough to find out.