I remember first time I baked them I was in Mexico and we were making a trip to the State of Michoacan to the Butterfly Sanctuary to witness a spectacular Event. There are millions of Monarch Butterflies. You can see them flying around and almost obscuring the sky. You will hear the fascinating sound of their wings flapping. Its indeed the 8th wonder on Earth. Every fall, huge numbers of Monarch Butterflies gather in southern Canada to migrate. Some Monarch Butterflies travel over 3,100 kilometers to Mexico to reproduce and and then die.
The trip was a beautiful comfortable journey. These cookies kept our spirits high and energy boosted. Whenever I bake these I remember this memorable trip. Coming back to cookies, they are crunchy and so very almondy. The roasted almonds gives it an incredible texture and taste. You can dunk them in your coffee or chai and take a short trip to heaven. 🙂
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven for 10 minutes on 180 degree Celsius (Learn more about Oven temperatures and Conversion). In a baking tray spread the almonds in a single layer and toast them for 10 minutes. They will give out a golden colour and will crunch up.
2. Let them cool down a bit and roughly chop them using a sharp knife.
3. In a bowl combine All purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
4. In a different bowl whisk Sugar and butter (Learn how to bring eggs and butter at room temperature) until it turns creamy.
5. Add in eggs and Vanilla Extract. Continue to whisk until its very creamy. Also add Almond Extract.
6. Add in the flour and mix thoroughly. It should resemble a sticky dough. Do not over mix, just till the flour is moistened.
7. Add in chopped toasted almonds and simply fold in using a spatula.
8. Sprinkle some flour on the counter slab and put the sticky dough on it.
9. Divide and shape the dough into four logs about 6 inches Long and 2 inches wide. Flatten the logs with your finger tips. You will need a lot of extra flour to do this. Place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminium foil or parchment paper. Ensure there is 4 inch space between each logs as they will expand on baking. I baked two logs at a time.
10. Bake it in a peheated oven for 35-40 minutes on 190 degree C until they acquire a slight golden colour.
11. Let them cool down a bit, cool enough to handle. Place it on a chopping board. Slice it diagonally using a serrated knife and further cut them into 3/4 inch pieces.
12. Arrange these pieces on a lined baking sheet and return them to the oven. Bake them for 7 minutes on one side and then flip the side. Bake the other side also for 7 minutes.
13. Let them cool down for 5 minutes on the baking tray and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool down completely. The cookies will crisp up only after coming at room temperature. Dunk them in your coffee and enjoy these delicious twice baked Italian Biscotti.
Other Cookies you can try here : White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Coconut Chocolate Cookies
[whohit]Almond Biscotti[/whohit]
- 3 cups of All Purpose Flour
- 1 and 1/2 cup Castor Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 and 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp of Salt
- 1 and 1/2 cup Almonds
- 4 Eggs
- 2/3 Cup Butter,softened at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp of Almond Extract*
- Preheat the oven for 10 minutes on 180 degree Celsius. In a baking tray spread the almonds in a single layer and toast them for 10 minutes. They will give out a golden colour and will crunch up.
- Let them cool down a bit and roughly chop them using a sharp knife.
- In a bowl combine All purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a different bowl whisk Sugar and butter until it turns creamy.
- Add in eggs and Vanilla Extract. Continue to whisk until its very creamy. Also add Almond Extract.
- Add in the flour and mix thoroughly. It should resemble a sticky dough. Do not over mix, just till the flour is moistened.
- Add in chopped toasted almonds and simply fold in using a spatula.
- Sprinkle some flour on the counter slab and put the sticky dough on it.
- Divide and shape the dough into four logs about 6 inches Long and 2 inches wide. Flatten the logs with your finger tips. You will need a lot of extra flour to do this. Place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminium foil or parchment paper. Ensure there is 4 inch space between each logs as they will expand on baking. I baked two logs at a time.
- Bake it in a peheated oven for 35-40 minutes on 190 degree C until they acquire a slight golden colour.
- Let them cool down a bit, cool enough to handle.** Place it on a chopping board. Slice it diagonally using a serrated knife and further cut them into 3/4 inch pieces.
- Arrange these pieces on a lined baking sheet and return them to the oven. Bake them for 7 minutes on one side and then flip the side. Bake the other side also for 7 minutes.
- Let them cool down for 5 minutes on the baking tray and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool down completely. The cookies will crisp up only after coming at room temperature. Dunk them in your coffee and enjoy these delicious twice baked Italian Biscotti.
- *Do not add more Almond Extract than in the recipe. It can be very over powering.
- ** Do not let the baked logs cool down completely, slice them when still warm otherwise the cookies will crumble.
