I'm big on biscotti. Its one of my favorite things to make, and its definitely one of those treats that people turn their heads to see when you announce what you're bringing to the holiday table.
Biscotti means "twice baked," but I bake mine 3 times. My biscotti is also a touch softer than the packaged variety you buy at a grocery store or in line at Starbucks. Below is a basic recipe, that I tweak and add to in order to create new flavors.
Basic Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Here is how you change this up, and finish off the recipe!
Typically, biscotti has almond extract in it, but I do a combination of extracts, and depending on their strength, add up to about 1-2 teaspoons of extract total. Just two examples:
Peppermint Biscotti: 1/2 tsp peppermint extract, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Birthday Cake Biscotti: 1 tsp almond extract, 1 tsp vanilla extract
And so on, but any combination works, its what you like best. You can also use orange, strawberry, lemon, or any other type of extract at all- just make it fit the combination of ingredients you put in your biscotti. You're simply flavoring the dough.
To change up to a chocolate biscotti, I use 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder.
Then, the fun part- the goodies inside the biscotti. Use 1 cup worth of extras for this recipe. I use chocolate chips of any variety (minis work well for this), chopped nuts, dried fruit, sprinkles, candy, etc.
Once all of your ingredients are sorted, here is how to actually MAKE the biscotti:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a large cookie sheet.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the extract(s). Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in extras.
With lightly floured hands, shape dough into two 10 inch long loaves. Place rolls 5 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet; flatten each to 3 inch width.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until set and light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut loaves on a bias into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange slices cut side down.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until bottoms begin to brown. Turn, and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Cool completely.
I usually melt a little chocolate, drizzle over the top, sprinkle on a topping of sorts, and voila! Delicious biscotti for all to enjoy! Or not, no one says you have to share it ;)
-Rachel
