Coconut Biscotti

I just love biscotti the had, twice baked, biscuit/cookie that originated in Italy.  I also love coconut and had some coconut flour that needed using.  So I decided to make biscotti with it, using flaked coconut too.

Usually I just use eggs, or egg whites, as the liquid element of biscotti but today I inluded some butter too.  That provided a more cake-like texture to the biscotti when first baked.  But the second bake worked fine in drying out the end result just perfectly.

I only used coconut, and some vanilla extract, as the flavour but adding some hazelnuts or dry fruit might be a nice addition too.

The recipe is simple to make, but it takes a while, due to baking twice.  The end result is certainly worth waiting for.  The arome of coconut that emanates from the oven during baking is wonderful, whetting the appetite for the later tasting.

Mine turned out, a lovely golden brown, and light, very crisp and crunchy with a great taste.

• 190g plain flour
• 1 1/2tsp baking powder
• 60g coconut flour
• 50g flaked coconut, chopped into smaller pieces if the flakes are very large
• 85g softened butter
• 135g caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 medium eggs

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F.
2. Line a baking tray, or two, with parchment paper.
3. In a bowl mix the flour and coconut flour together.
4. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar(I used a hand mixer) until fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, salt and vanilla extract and beat until fully combined(dont worry if the mixture splits, it will come back together when the flour is added.
6. Add the flour mixture and the flaked coconut and mix until just combined.
7. Divide the mixture in two and shape into logs about 9.5 inches by 2 inches.  The mixture will be very sticky so wet hands will help.  Make sure, if using just one tray, that there is enough room for the mixture to spread during baking.
8. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and, if you wish, spray lightly with water to soften the top a little to stop crumbling when cutting.
10. Reduce the heat of the oven to 165C/ 145-150C Fan/325F.
11. Leave for 5 – 10 minutes and then cut into about 3/4 inch thick slices using a sharp knife or a serrated one.
12. 
    
13. Lay the slices on the baking tray, one of the cut sides down.
14. Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes, turning once during that time, until they are a nice golden brown.
15. Remove from the oven and place the biscotti on a wire rack to cool completely and harden.
16. Store in an airtight container.  They should keep for weeks, if they last that long.