Orange Almond Biscotti

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This recipe for Orange Almond Biscotti is another favorite that we came home with after our honeymoon to the Tuscany region of Italy. These lightly sweetened biscotti are perfectly flavored with a generous amount of fresh orange zest, and blanched almonds add a bit of crunch as well as almond flavor to the cookie. These biscotti are quick and easy to make and are the perfect light dessert to accompany a cup of coffee or cappuccino.

Biscotti are traditional twice-baked almond biscuits that originated in the Italian city of Prato (in fact, they are more formally known as biscotti di Prato). First the dough is formed into a wide, flattened loaf and baked. Then the freshly-baked loaf is sliced into oblong-shaped biscuits and baked a second time until dry and crunchy. Because biscotti are a dry cookie, they are traditionally served with a drink (don’t be shy about dunking your biscotti while you eat it – it’s expected!). In the United States, it’s usually served with coffee of some sort, but in Italy we had them with a wonderful dessert wine called Vin Santo.

Source: Toscana Saporita Cooking School (recipe gently adapted from the original)

Orange Almond Biscotti

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 2-3 dozen cookies depending on size

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
¾ cup slightly chopped blanched almonds
2 tablespoons orange zest, finely grated and firmly packed when measuring

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until combined.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until light and fluffy.
Add in the almonds and orange zest, mixing until well combined.
Add the flour mixture in slowly, mixing until fully combined.
Divide the dough into two sections and shape each section into a slightly flat log about 9 inches long and 4-1/2 inches wide on each baking sheet. (Note: This size log will give you long biscotti. If you’d prefer shorter biscotti, you may form the dough into three narrower logs and adjust the cooking time per the directions below.)
Bake the logs for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees until very lightly browned and the center is cooked. (If you are baking 3 logs instead of 2, reduce your cooking time to 12-15 minutes.)
Allow the logs to cool slightly.
Using a serrated knife cut the baked dough diagonally into 1 inch wide slices. On the same parchment lined baking sheet, place each slice on its side so that one of the cut sides is facing up and bake again for 10 minutes.