Wednesday, April 15, 2009

ALMOND BISCOTTI - BISCOTTI AUX AMANDES

To change a little from the usual sticky, gooey and runny kinds of treats I tend to write about and in order to bring the spotlight back to a very popular Italian speciality that is crispy, totally irresistible and which I had once blogged about in 2007 (at this time, it hadn't been translated in French and it was illustrated with shamefully bad pictures - see old & scary post), I decided to share this recipe with you once again...

In Italy, these cookies are known under the name of
"Cantuccini", "Cantucci" or "Biscotti Di Prato" and are traditional "Almond Biscotti" from Firenze, the capital city of Tuscany. They are twice-baked and are meant/supposed to be kept long. This is the reason why they are made with no fat and are of a harder nature.

At the origin, "Cantuccini" were flavored with aniseeds, but nowadays, many sweet and savory variants can be found (with chocolate, candied orange or lemon, raisins/currants, dried cranberries, cheese, olives, herbs, nuts of all kinds, different types of flour, etc...). All over Italy, it is a very popular bakery item, but "Biscotti" are also widely spread and much appreciated by cookie lovers all over Europe and the USA. Over the last years, they have become very trendy...

These "Almond Biscotti" always meet much success and disappear rapidly! It is no wonder considering the fact that they are crunchy to the perfection, yet not rock-hard, not overly sweet, beautifully nutty-tasting and have a delicious amaretto flavor. To top these "Almond Biscotti" have a great appearance and will make your afternoon tea table look beautiful.

Because of their firm texture, these "Almond Biscot
ti" are ideal for biscuit dunkers, because they can be dipped into coffee, milk, tea, liquor, wine or any other beverage in order to soften them (not my favorite way of eating them, though). I particularly recommend you to dunk them into hot chocolate sauce.

Those wonderful classic cookies will d
elight all foodies in search of a delicate treat to end the afternoon or dinner in beauty...

~ Almond Biscotti ~
Recipe by
James McNair & Andrew Moore "Afternoon Delights" and adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2009.

Makes about 1 dozen large biscotti.


Ingredients:
2 Cups (255g) Plain white flour
1 Cup (210g) Castor sugar

2 Tsps Baking powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

3 Large eggs (~63g), lightly beaten

1 Tsp Almond extract (see remarks)
1 Cup (160g) Whole almonds, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped


Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 150° C (300° F).

2. Line a baking tray with kitchen parchment.

3. In a big bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk to mix well.
4. Mix together the beaten eggs with the almond extract.
5. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix well with a spoon.
6. Stir in the toasted nuts.

7. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Dust your hands with flour and gently knead it until it comes together, about 1 minute.
8. Transfer the dough to the lined baking tray and shape (with floured hands) into an even, flat rectangle about 15x23 centimeters (6 by 9 inches).
9. Transfer the baking tray to the oven (middle rack) and bake until the dough is lightly golden and feels firm when lightly touched in the center with your fingertip, about 50 minutes.
10. Remove the baking tray to a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes.
11. Peel the dough rectangle from the parchment and transfer it to a cut
ting board.
12. Return the parchment to the baking tray and set aside.

13. Using a serrated knife, slice the rectangle into slices 2 centimeters wide (3/4 inches).

14. Lay the slices (with one of their cut side
down), about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) apart on the lined baking tray.
15. Return the baking tray to the oven and bake until the exposed cut sides of the slices are golden, about 20 minutes.
16. Then, turn the biscotti over, return the baking tray to the o
ven, and continue baking until the other exposed sides of the biscotti are golden, about 20 minutes.
17. Remove the baking tray to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes.

18. When the biscotti are cool enough to handle, trans
fer them directly to the rack to cool completely.

Remarks:
Instead of almonds, you can use the same quantity hazelnuts, pistachios, pine nuts or any other nuts as long as you toast them first and replace the almond extract by 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
It is also possible for you to replace the almond extract by the same quantity lemon or orange extract.
To toast the nuts: place them on a baking tray and transfer to an oven that has been preheated to 190° C (350° F) and toast the nuts, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
Once you've added the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and started mixing. The dough will be crumbly.
The kneaded dough should be sticky.

As the dough bakes, it will spread into a large, rounded rectangle.
The biscotti may be stored in an airtight container at room
temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Serving suggestions:
Eat accompanied by Vin Santo, a tight expresso, ristretto or coffee.

Try dunking them into hot chocolate sauce.

****************

~ Biscotti aux Amandes ~
Recette par et adaptée par
Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2009.

Donne environ une douzaine de gros biscotti.

Ingrédients:
2 Tasses (255g) de Farine blanche/fleur
1 Tasse (210g) de sucre cristallisé

2 CC de Poudre à lever/cake
1/2 CC de Sel

3 Gros oeufs (~63g), battus légèrement

1 CC d'Extrait d'amande amère (voir remarques)
1 Tasse (160g) d'Amandes torréfiées et grossièrement hachées


Méthode:
1. Préchauffer le four à 150° C (300° F).

2. Couvrir une plaque avec du papier sulfurisé.

3. Dans un grand bol, mettre la farine, le sucre, la poudre à lev
er et le sel. Bien mélanger.
4. Battre ensemble (légèrement) les oeufs et l'extrait d'amandes.
5. Ajoute les oeufs battus et bien incorporer le mélange liquide au mélange sec.
6. Incorporer les amandes.

7. Transférer la pâte sur une surface légèrement farinée et pétrir jusqu'à ce que la pâte soit homogène, pendant environ 1 minute.
8. Transférer la pâte sur la plaque et former un rectangle de 15x23 centimètres.
9. Mettre la plaque au four (milieu) et
cuire pendant 50 minutes, jusqu'à ce que la pâte soit légèrement dorée et ferme au toucher (au centre surtout).
10. Retirer du four et faire refrodir pendant environ 15 minutes.
11. Enlever le papier sulfurisé et mettre la pâte sur une
planche à découper.

12. Remettre le papier sulfurisé sur la plaque et mettre de côté.
13. A l'aide d'un couteau bien éguisé, couper des tranches de 2 centimètres d'épaisseur.

14. Disposer les tranches (posé
es à plat) sur la plaque, à une distance de 2.5 centimètres les unes des autres.
15. Mettre la plaque au four et cuire pendant 20 minutes, jusqu'à ce que le côté exposé soit doré.

16. Retourner les tranches et remettre la plaque au four pendant 20 autres minutes, jusqu'à ce que l'autre côté exposé soit doré.
17. Sortir la plaque du four et laisser refroidir quelques instants.
18. Une fois que les biscottes seront manipulables (pas trop brûl
antes), transférez-les sur une grille afin qu'elles refroidissent.

Remarques:
Au lieu d'utiliser des amandes, remplacez-les par la même quantité de noisettes, pistaches, pignons ou tout autre noix de votre choix. N'oubliez pas de les torréfier avant et de remplacer l'extrait d'amande par 2 CC d'extrait de vanille pure.
Vous pouvez aussi remplacer l'extrait d'amande par la même quantité d'extrait de citron ou d'orange.
Pour torréfier les noix: Placez-les sur une plaque et enfournez-les à 190° C (350° F) pendant 10 minutes, tout en les mélangeant de temps en temps.
Une fois que vous aurez ajouté le mélange mouillé aux ingrédients secs, la pâte sera grumuleuse.
La pâte pétrie doit être collante.
Pendant la cuisson, la pâte va s'étaler en un large rectangle. C'est tout à fait normal.
Les biscotti peuvent être conservés à température ambiante, dans une boîte hermétique, pendant au moins 2 semaines.


Idées de présentation:
Servir ces biscotti avec du Vin Santo, un café, un expresso ou un ristretto.
Essayez de les tremper dans une sauce au chocolat chaude, c'est un pur bonheur!

79 comments:

  1. i have not made biscotti in a long while. these look delish!

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  2. One of my favourite things to munch on with an espresso!

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  3. Prato n'est pas, loin s'en faut, la plus belle ville d'Italie mais ses cantucci sont un régal.

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  4. The more i scroll down the more iam hungry...Looks crisp and yum....

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  5. je suis pas tant pour les biscotti d'hab, mais les tiens sont superbes!

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  6. they look so beautiful and crisp... :)

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  7. Yes! I agree biscotti with vin santo or espresso is heaven on earth (even thought I can easily eat it just alone)

    beautiful pics Rosa

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  8. je les adore ces biscottes, quand je commence impossible de m'arrêter..les tiennes sont très réussie, bravo! bisous

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  9. Un de mes pêchers mignons...
    Bises

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  10. These are excellent biscotti and the recipe instructions very clear and detailed.

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  11. These are as addictive as potato chips to me. Lovely photos too.

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  12. Love cantucci, especially with anise seeds.
    Yours look delicious! Love the pics!

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  13. Ils sont magnifiques!
    Dignes des p'tits cafés. Dire que j'en ai encore jamais fais!
    :)

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  14. thanks, i've lost my recipe months ago. Now I found a good alternative.

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  15. I love the smell of almond in a cookie.
    Iffet

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  16. Tes biscottis sont magnifiques et en plus j'adore ça tremper dans un bon café!

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  17. Your biscotti look perfect, I love anything that involves almonds!

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  18. they've come out so well! Love the outer crust!

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  19. They look perfectly crispy and delicious! Dipping them in chocolate sauce sounds great, and I love them in tea, vin santo, cappuccino ...

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  20. j'aime beaucoup ces petits biscuits italiens que je fais quand mon amie (mariée à un italien) viens à la maison.
    ils ont pour moi alors le gout de l'amitié.

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  21. Rosa, these look delicious :)

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  22. These look wonderful Rosa and surprisingly quite easy...I think I may need to make a batch.

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  23. aww, your biscotti look so crunchylicious Rosa. I love almond too.
    xoxo,
    elra

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  24. wow. no added fat? bookmarked.

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  25. Thank you for stopping by my blog :) I know I also owe you an email - I am very behind right now on those, but promise to be in touch soon :)

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  26. hi
    My dear Rosa,
    Thanks so much for visiting my blog and remembering me , it feels good....
    you take such great pictures and the quality is improving day by day...
    great!!!!
    pls write to me often

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  27. Tu me donnes envie d'en refaire ! Tes photos sont superbes ! bonne soirée, bises

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  28. Ce sont mes biscottis préférés. Ils ont l'air tellement bons.

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  29. Bonsoir Rosa,
    Ils sont superbement réussis, comme les photos, bravo, tu me donnes envie.
    Bises

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  30. MMMMmmmmmmmmmm biscotti! Looks delicious!

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  31. Tes biscottis sont magnifiques:)

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  32. ..coucou Rosa!!..bon matin;)

    .. j'ai cuisiné une fois des biscottis et;catastrophe!!!!!!!..lol!!

    ..les tiens ont l'air bien bons;)

    ~nancy xx

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  33. Rosa, how beautiful! I wish I had one of your almond biscottis right now! It would go perfectly dunked inside this hot coffee I am drinking!

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  34. These would taste perfect with a cup of coffee!

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  35. Almond biscotti are one of my fave cookies. I sometimes dip half of them in dark chocolate to fancy them up. But truly, they're just as good all on their own, too.

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  36. You know, I have never tried making biscotti. You almost persuade me to give it a try!

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  37. Oh! oui trempés dans une sauce chocolat...Comme tu le dis c'est trendy.
    Bises

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  38. I might be a chocolate monster but I love almond equally too :D

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  39. je viens justement de me préparer un tit café pour m'octroyer une pause jardinage... un des tes biscotti serait le bienvenu. Biz

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  40. The lighting on the photographs are awesome Rosa.

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  41. The biscotti looks perfect!

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  42. Wow, Rosa, those look dunking delicious. I used to make biscotti quite a bit with whatever I had in the cabinet as far as nuts, chocolates and dried fruits went, and your post motivates me to jump back on the biscotti bandwagon :) Kudos to a gorgeous cookie!

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  43. These look wonderful, Rosa! And, your photos are just lovely. Homemade biscotti are so much better than the store bought kind, aren't they? So crisp and crunchy!

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  44. ma certo i cantucci col vin santo!!! buonissimi.

    Un bacio :)

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  45. it's fun to mark how your photography has evolved! the early photos are still quite nice, in focus at least! the recipe sounds like a good one, I love biscotti and must try them dipped in chocolate as you describe...

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  46. Magnifique!!!Je n'en ai jamais fait et les tiens sont magnifiques.

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  47. These almond biscotti sound just heavenly! I love the almond flavor the whole almonds here are awesome!

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  48. I have yet to make Biscotti and these look wonderful.

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  49. Mmmm, wish I had just one for my coffee right now. They look perfect!

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  50. Tiens c'est marrant il n'y a ni huile ni beurre dans ta recette de biscottis, m'intrigue cette histoire... Les photos sont splendides et donnent envie de croquer à pleines dents dans ces bons gâteaux au amandes!

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  51. il faut que j'essaye cette recette...à chaque fois que je la vois je suis tentée

    bisous

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  52. Your biscotti look great! I never try making it... it is a great way to start. Thanks!

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  53. Beautiful biscotti! Great photos!

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  54. These look perfect! My aunt always made biscotti, but I've never tried it. Thanks for the great looking recipe!

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  55. So, do I go to bed now? (11:30p.m.) or brew some cafe and make some biscotti! Looks great. I shall have to stay away from your recipes when it is near midnight.

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  56. I know these so well! They are wonderful, Rosa!

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  57. Gorgeous! I wish I could dunk one in my tea right now.

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  58. Ils sont splendides tes biscottis. Je me laisserais bien tenter par l'option chocolat... Bonne journée

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  59. Superbe, long et doré, tu me donne l'envie d'en faire...
    Bises

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  60. They look delicious Rosa! There's no better accompaniment for a cup of tea than these :)

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  61. Ils doivent etre bons ces jolis biscottis!

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  62. Every biscotti recipe makes us want to give it a try!

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  63. Tes biscotti sont super beaux!
    Il faut que j'en refasse, c'est tellement bon ...
    Bises!

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  64. J'adore ça ! le croquant et la saveur ! ils sont très beaux en plus les tiens !

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  65. I love making biscotti, too. Yours looks really tasty. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  66. Ils sont trop beaux tes biscotti, il faudra que j'essaie cette recette, je suis sure que ca me plairait.

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  67. j'aime beaucoup les biscoti que j'appelle des croquants les tiens sont vraiment très réussit

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  68. Biscotti is good but there isn't anything wrong with sticky gooey desserts! :)
    ~ingrid

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  69. I also prefer thick hot chocolate as my dipping liquid of choice. Looks great!

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  70. Excuse me, Rosa. I'm in late! I was very very very busy last week. And I discover only now your wonderful biscotti: they look ab fabulous! It changes, you're right! But it is always good and so nice! I love your pictures! You're very talented, Rosa!

    Cheers,

    Miette.

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  71. a chaque fois que je vois des biscottis j'en mange c'est presque inné :D mais les tiens me font encore plus envie!

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  72. Rosa, they remind me of mom's biscotti. So guess what...yours get a 10!

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  73. Tu me donnes envie d'un café ou d'un thé. Ca doit si bien aller avec.

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  74. Ohhh....these looks so good...i recently made these and i made it three times already..the are so much in demand...:)ur pis are real good.

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  75. Very nice pictures! I will definitely be making this soon

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