Biscotti Attempt #1

I have been meaning to attempt to make biscotti for a long time, and finally went for it yesterday. It was a cloudy, nasty day in Cleveland and I had no desire to go outside, which for me usually results in a GREAT day in the kitchen.

The biscotti was a bit of a disaster. I have swept my kitchen floor 4 times and am still feeling crumbs under my feet. The disastrous results, however, were user error, and not the recipe's fault. All I can say is wow, biscotti is difficult. At least 50% of this recipe ended up in the trash, but the other half is pretty good for a first try.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 cup slivered almonds

2 cups sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

4 eggs

1/3 cup triple sec*

2 t anise extract

1 t vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 t baking powder

1 t salt

1 egg white + 1 t water mixed in a small bowl for egg wash.

* The original recipe called for brandy, but I don't have it. I think whiskey would work too.

First thing, toast the almonds. Spread almonds in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. While they are baking, you can mix the rest. Let almonds cool before adding to the dough.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in triple sec, vanilla, and anise. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together, and add the dry ingredients slowly, mixing thoroughly (I had to switch from the mixer to a big spoon at this point. Add almonds , mixing enough that they are spread throughout the dough.

Cut the dough into four parts. This is definitely necessary; I know this because I only cut it in half, and this happened:

Oops.

If you make your loaves too big, they will crack, break, and be extremely difficult to deal with. So follow the directions. Make four long, skinny logs, two on each baking pan. They should be a few inches wide and have room to spread out as they bake. Brush the egg wash (egg white and water) on the top of the loaves, covering the whole thing. I actually found it easier to use my hands to spread the egg wash. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Turn oven down to 300 degrees when you take the loaves out.

Be very careful removing your loaves from the pans. Most recipes say to use parchment paper on the trays, but how many of us have that in our kitchen? Let the loaves cool so they are barely warm or room temperature before slicing. Using a very sharp, non-serrated knife, cut 1-inch slices and lay out flat on a baking sheet. Don't make your slices too thin, or they will fall apart.

Bake your sliced biscotti at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes, turning slices over every 10 minutes until they are beginning to brown. Let cool on a rack. Your biscotti will harden more as they sit out and cool. Once cool, store your biscotti in an air-tight container. Buon appetito!

References: My recipe was based on this recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Nanas-Anise-Biscotti-451