Almond Biscotti

I do more than bake, I promise! It's just that time of year....

I've never made, or even eaten biscotti before. An Italian cookie intended to be dipped in coffee just never really appealed to me, not being a coffee drinker. Then the other day I came across this recipe for almond biscotti and I thought "Duh! You could dunk it in hot chocolate!"

This recipe came from joyofbaking.com, and the only change I made was I used slivered almonds instead of whole blanched almonds. Saves a step since you don't have to chop them.... and there were no whole blanched almonds at the store. :) You can dip the end of these in melted chocolate as a nice finishing touch, but since I dunk them in hot chocolate instead of coffee, I didn't want them to be too rich.

Almond Biscotti

1 C slivered almonds

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

2 C all-purpose flour

3/4 sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 350. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool

Reduce oven temp to 300, line baking sheet with parchment.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and extracts.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) combine the dry ingredients, beating on low speed till well blended, about 30 seconds. Gradually add the egg mixture, adding the almonds about halfway through. Continue to mix until a dough forms.

On a lightly floured surface roll the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 3-4 inches wide. Transfer log to the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Log will spread some during baking.

Remove to wire rack and let cool about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut in to 1/2 inch slices on the diagonal, using a serrated knife.

Arrange slices evenly on the baking sheet, and bake 10 minutes, turn and bake another 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

To dip in chocolate: Melt 3 oz of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate and 1 tsp of butter in a small metal bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Dip one end of each biscotti in the melted chocolate and let dry on a sheet of parchment.

Yeld: about 28 biscotti