Cantuccini Food

CANTUCCI BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Mix dry ingredients (except nuts) in a large bowl. Mix the eggs and liquids in a separate bowl. Add liquids to the dry ingredients gradually, mixing until dough is stiff. Do not overmix. Stir in or work in the nuts.
• Shape dough into two rectangles 3 inches wide, 15 inches long. Place on greased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove baked rectangles from oven and let stand until cool to the touch.
• Using sharp knife, slice rectangles crosswise into 3/4 inch slices. Place back on cookie sheet, sliced side down, and bake again for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. Store in airtight container. These store well for weeks.

TUSCAN BISCOTTI (CANTUCCI)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together eggs and granulated sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Mix in orange zest and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture until combined. Mix in nuts and dried fruit.
• Divide dough evenly between two parchment-lined baking sheets, forming each half into a 9-by-5-inch rectangle. Brush tops with egg white and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon sanding sugar.
• Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden all over and tops are firm to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
• Working with one rectangle at a time, transfer dough to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange, cut-side down, on fresh parchment-lined baking sheets.
• Bake, rotating sheets and flipping cookies halfway through, until lightly golden all over, about 40 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

CANTUCCINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine flour, sugar, eggs, egg yolk, baking powder, and vanilla extract in a food processor. Blend until the mixture forms a ball, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice. Turn mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead in hazelnuts, almonds, and anise seeds.
• Beat egg yolk and water together in a bowl.
• Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll into logs about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place onto the prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Brush with egg yolk-water mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven and reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Cut logs diagonally into 1-inch slices and lay cut-sides down on the baking sheet. Return cantuccini to the oven until dry and firm, 30 to 40 minutes more.
• Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

CANTUCCINI: THE ORIGINAL "BISCOTTI" FROM TUSCANY

Steps:

• Put the almonds on a cookie tray in a single layer and bake in the oven at 180ºC (350ºF) for 5 minutes.
• Leave to cool on the bench.
• Beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer (or whisk) until foamy.
• Add the honey and softened butter and mix.
• Add the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Mix in gently.
• Stir in the almonds by hand.
• Form the mixture into two long thin "loaves" no more than 6cm (2 1/2 inches) high and place them on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper.
• Bake at 200ºC (400ºF) for 20 minutes until golden-brown.
• Leave to cool for a few minutes until you can touch it.
• With a SHARP serrated knife, cut slices approximately 1cm (1/2 inch) thick and lay them on a cookie sheet.
• Bake at 200ºC (400ºF) for 7-10 minutes until slightly browned.

CANTUCCINI BISCOTTI

Steps:

• PREHEAT the oven to 180/350/gas 4. GREASE a 28cm round shallow cake tin with a little butter and line with baking parchment. MELT the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat, remove from the heat and leave to cool. MIX together in a large bowl the flour, almonds, sugar, salt and baking powder. ADD the eggs, cognac, vanilla extract and orange zest. STIR together until well combined. ADD the cooled butter to the flour mixture and mix until it starts to form a dough - it will be quite crumbly. PRESS the dough into the base of the cake tin with the palms of your hands, squashing it right into the corners. It should cover the whole base, 3cm deep. BAKE in the oven for 25 minutes, until risen slightly and golden brown. If you remove them now they will be chewy. For a harder biscuits leave an extra 10 mins longer. REMOVE from the oven and turn onto a wire rack to cool. Cu CUT into large fingers and sprinkle with icing sugar.

CANTUCCINI: CLASSIC TUSCAN BISCOTTI

Steps:

• You will also need: 2 cookie sheets or 2 jelly roll pans covered with parchment paper or 2 aluminum foil.
• Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
• In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon and stir well to mix.
• Stir in the almonds.
• In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the vanilla then use a rubber spatula to stir into the dry ingredients.
• Continue to stir until a stiff dough forms.
• Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half.
• Roll each half under the palms of your hands into a cylinder a little shorter than your baking sheet.
• Place the logs of dough on the baking sheet, making sure they are neither too close to each other nor to the sides of the pan.
• Press down gently with the palm of your hand to flatten the logs.
• Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the logs are well risen and have also spread to about double their original size.
• The logs are done when pressed with fingertip they feel firm.
• Place the pan on a rack and let the logs cool completely.
• Reset the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds but leave the temperature at 350 degrees.
• Place one of the cooled logs on a cutting board and cut it diagonally into slices 1/3-inch thick.
• Arrange the biscotti on the prepared pans, cut side down.
• It isn't necessary to leave space between them.
• Bake the biscotti for about 15 or 20 minutes or until they are well toasted.
• Cool the pan on a rack.
• Store the cooled biscotti between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover.