Quaresimoli Italian Almond Biscotti Food

QUARESIMALI (LENTEN ALMOND BISCUITS)

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Toast almonds in jelly roll pan for 10 minutes. Let cool. Grind finely 1/4 of the almonds, mix with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and set aside.
• Grind coarsely the remaining 3/4 almonds and set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and baking powder. Add the butter and stir until all ingredients are combined.
• Stir in coarsely ground almonds and the 2 of the eggs, then knead the dough in the bowl until all ingredients are combined. Divide dough in half.
• Form each half into a rectangle 15 X 4 inches. Transfer rectangles to baking sheets which have been buttered and floured. Brush rectangles well with 1 egg combined with 2 tablespoons of milk. Sprinkle with reserved almond/sugar mixture. Bake them in the upper third of the oven (375 degrees F - 190 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and skewer comes out clean.
• Cut rectangles crosswise into slices 3/4 inch thick. Let stand 15 minutes in the turned-off oven. Transfer to racks and let cool thoroughly.
• Store airtight.

ALMOND BISCOTTI: QUARESIMALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Put brown sugar, sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, butter, and almonds in a large mixing bowl; with mixer on low speed, add beaten eggs and vanilla; mix until dough just holds together.
• Put dough on a floured surface, cut in half; roll each piece into a log; place on parchment-lined cookie sheet; flatten each log slightly with plam of hand, lightly brush the top of each log with egg wash.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until firm to touch, remove from oven; cut dough diagonally into biscotti, lay down on cookie sheet and toast in a 325 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until toasted.

ALMOND BISCOTTI: QUARESIMALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put brown sugar, white sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, butter, and almonds in a large mixing bowl. With mixer on low speed, add beaten eggs and vanilla. Mix just until dough holds together.
• Put dough on a floured surface. Cut in half. Roll each piece into a log. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Flatten each log slightly with palm of the hand. Lightly brush the top of each log with egg wash.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until firm to touch. Remove from oven. Cut dough diagonally into biscotti. For harder biscotti, return to 300-degree F oven until sufficiently dry.

QUARESIMALI (LENTEN ALMOND BISCUITS)

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Toast almonds in jelly roll pan for 10 minutes. Let cool. Grind finely 1/4 of the almonds, mix with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and set aside.
• Grind coarsely the remaining 3/4 almonds and set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and baking powder. Add the butter and stir until all ingredients are combined.
• Stir in coarsely ground almonds and the 2 of the eggs, then knead the dough in the bowl until all ingredients are combined. Divide dough in half.
• Form each half into a rectangle 15 X 4 inches. Transfer rectangles to baking sheets which have been buttered and floured. Brush rectangles well with 1 egg combined with 2 tablespoons of milk. Sprinkle with reserved almond/sugar mixture. Bake them in the upper third of the oven (375 degrees F - 190 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and skewer comes out clean. Cut rectangles crosswise into slices 3/4 inch thick. Let stand 15 minutes in the turned-off oven. Transfer to racks and let cool thoroughly. Store airtight.

CHOCOLATE-ALMOND BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
• Place 3/4 cup of toasted almonds in a food processor and pulse until ground.
• Beat butter in large bowl for 30 seconds, then add sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; beat until combined.
• Beat in eggs and almond extract.
• Beat in as much of the flour as you can with mixer.
• By Hand, stir in remaining flour, the ground almonds and the remaining 3/4 cup of sliced almonds.
• On pieces of wax paper, shape dough into two 14 inch long rolls.
• Place rolls on prepared cookie sheet at least 5 inches apart, flatten slightly.
• Bake 25-30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near centers comes out clean.
• Cool on cookie sheet for 1 hour.
• Cut each roll diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices.
• Place slices, cut sides down, on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 8 minutes.
• Turn slices; bake 7 to 9 minutes more or until cookies are dry and begin to crisp (do not overbake).
• Remove from cookie sheets to wire racks.
• Cool completely.
• If desired, to make glaze or drizzle, place semi sweet chips and white chips in separate small microwave safe bowls.
• Add 1 teaspoon of shortening to each bowl.
• Microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring once; stir.
• If necessary, microwave an additional 15 seconds or until chips are melted and mixtures are smooth when stirred.
• Dip biscotti into mixtures or drizzle over tops.

CLASSIC ITALIAN ALMOND BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in the 350-degree oven for 10 minutes, or until light golden and aromatic. Remove and set aside.
• In a large bowl, hand mix toasted almonds, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder and flour.
• In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Add the vanilla and orange zest and whisk until well-blended. Add to the flour mixture.
• Work the batter together with lightly floured hands. The mixture will be sticky, but persevere. Keep squeezing the batter with your hands until a dough starts to form. Once the dough is firm, form it into a ball. Divide the ball into four equal pieces.
• Place one piece of dough on a lightly floured surface. Using your hands, roll it into a log that is approximately 8 inches long, 2 inches wide and 3/4 of an inch high. Repeat with remaining three pieces of dough. Place two logs on each baking sheet. Brush loaves all over with egg wash.
• Bake for 40 minutes, rotating pans midway through. The tops of the loaves will be shiny and deep golden. Cool on a rack for about 20 minutes.
• Place a loaf on a cutting board, and using a large serrated knife, slice cookies 3/4 of an inch thick on the diagonal. If the cookie crumbles, let it cool for a few more minutes. Don't let it rest too long, however, or it could become too hard to slice.
• Place slices on their sides back on the baking sheets. Place in the still-warm oven with the temperature off and the door closed for 30 to 60 minutes. The longer they stay in the oven, the harder they will become. Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in an air-tight container, preferably a metal tin, which helps keep them crisp. Stored properly, biscotti will last up to a month.

THE BEST ALMOND BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Adjust rack to center position and heat the oven to 350 degree. Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper.
• Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nuts in a large bowl and stir to combine. In a small bowl combine the eggs, butter and vanilla and whisk to fully combine.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula, mix to combine until a rough dough forms.
• Dump the dough onto a work surface and knead a couple of times until the dough comes together, adding extra flour sparingly and only if necessary. Start to form the dough into a big, fat cigar and cut it in half. Form each half into a cigar about 1 inch thick, 2 inches wide and about 12 inches long. Place them onto the cookie sheet and lightly press with fingers to slightly flat cigars.
• Bake for 25 minutes reversing the pan halfway through. The bars will be firm to the touch and just slightly browned. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 300 degrees. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
• Remove cookies to a cutting board using two spatulas. Using a serrated knife, slice the bars on an angle about 1/2 inch tick to form the biscotti. Lay them back on the cookie sheet with either cut side down and place back in oven for 15 minutes. Turn each cookie to expose the other cut side and place in oven for another 15 minutes. Let cool on a rack to room temperature. Place cookies in an airtight container.

QUARESIMALI (LENTEN ALMOND BISCUITS)

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Toast almonds in jelly roll pan for 10 minutes. Let cool. Grind finely 1/4 of the almonds, mix with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and set aside.
• Grind coarsely the remaining 3/4 almonds and set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and baking powder. Add the butter and stir until all ingredients are combined.
• Stir in coarsely ground almonds and the 2 of the eggs, then knead the dough in the bowl until all ingredients are combined. Divide dough in half.
• Form each half into a rectangle 15 X 4 inches. Transfer rectangles to baking sheets which have been buttered and floured. Brush rectangles well with 1 egg combined with 2 tablespoons of milk. Sprinkle with reserved almond/sugar mixture. Bake them in the upper third of the oven (375 degrees F - 190 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and skewer comes out clean. Cut rectangles crosswise into slices 3/4 inch thick. Let stand 15 minutes in the turned-off oven. Transfer to racks and let cool thoroughly. Store airtight.