Almond Biscotti

I love almonds, and after the success of my Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti, I decided to make some Almond Biscotti.  These twice baked biscuits are really lovely with a cup of tea(or coffee for those who prefer that).  They are also very simple to make and take no time at all.

How hard you have them, once baked twice is up to you, dependent on how long to you baked them once sliced.  The longer they are baked the harder they will become.  They also keep very well, in an airtight container, since there is very little moisture left in them after the baking.  Personally I like them very hard, so that they are best dunked in tea as part of the process of eating them.

You can use a stand mixer to make the dough, but it is quite easy to do it just in a bowl, and it will certainly exercise your arms.  The list of ingredients is straightforward too, so why not give these a try, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Finally, before we get onto the recipe I want to say thanks to all the people who looked at my Lemon Macarons, that I posted two days ago.  That recipe has had, by far, the largest number of views of any post since I started this blog.

Ingredients:

• 180g blanched almonds
• 260g plain flour
• 150g granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 medium eggs(in US that would be large eggs)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4/350F
2. Place the blanched almonds on a baking tray and roast them in the oven for about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and allow the almonds to cool, then roughly chop them into pieces.  I prefer large pieces, so I can clearly see them in the biscotti, but smaller is acceptable.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 150c/Gas Mark 2/300F.
5. In a large bowl place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk to mix.
6. Add the chopped almonds and mix them in too.
7. In a separate bowl beat the eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract together until fully combined.
8. Add the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until a dough has formed and all the flour as been absorbed.
9. Lightly flour your work surface and place the dough onto it.  
10. Form it into a ball and cut in two.
11. Roll each half into a sausage shape, about 7 inches in length.
12. Place each roll onto your baking tray and press to flatten to about 4 inches in width. They will spread in the oven, so leave enough room between them.
13. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes and remove from the oven.
14. After 15 minutes take a sharp knife, or a serrated knife, and slice each baked dough into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch slices.
15. Place the slices back onto the baking tray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
16. Then turn the slices over and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes.
17. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
18. The biscotti are now ready to serve, with a lovely cup of tea.