Almond Vanilla Bean Biscotti Recipes

ALMOND VANILLA BEAN BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
• Add egg and egg white and continue beating until creamy, then add the vanilla,vanilla bean (scrapings) salt and buttermilk and mix until combined.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together into a medium bowl.
• Add the dry stuff to the wet stuff in the mixing bowl, but do it a little at a time.
• When all the flour's in, toss in the finely chopped almonds, but save a couple tablespoons of the nuts for something we'll do later.
• Don't mix this dough too much or it might toughen up; you only want to mix it enough to get all the ingredients incorporated, and then you'll have tender biscotti.
• You may want to use your hands to work everything together as the dough thickens.
• Form the dough into a rectangular loaf on a lightly greased or parchment paper-lined sheet pan.
• The dimensions of the loaf should be somewhere around 10 inches long and 5 inches wide, and about an inch thick in the middle.
• Sprinkle the left over almond bits over the top of the loaf, then bake it for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top has turned light brown.
• Remove this now puffed-up loaf from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes or as long as it takes for it to be cool enough to handle and slice.
• When it's cool, move the biscotti loaf to a cutting board.
• Use a long serrated bread knife to slice the dough across its width.
• Make slices that are approximately 3/4-inch thick.
• Keep the slices standing up and move them back to the sheet pan.
• Position them in rows on the pan so that they aren't touching, then pop the whole pan back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are crisp on the outside.
• When you remove the cookies from the oven, keep them out on the sheet pan for several hours or overnight so that they completely dry out.

CHEF JOHN'S ALMOND BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl.
• Place butter, 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, olive oil in a separate mixing bowl. Mix together thoroughly until mixture has a creamy texture. Add 1 egg; mix into butter/sugar mixture. Whisk in 2nd egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract; whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture. Mix until flour is incorporated. Add whole almonds and chopped almonds; mix in evenly. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat.
• Divide dough in half. Place each half on a length of plastic wrap and shape into a log. Wrap with the plastic wrap and press into a shape about 3 or 4 inches wide and about 1/2 inch high. Transfer both pieces to prepared baking sheet leaving about 3 or 4 inches of space between them to allow for spreading.
• Bake in center of preheated oven until turning golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before slicing.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Cut each piece at a slight angle into 1/2- to 1 -inch thick slices with a serrated knife. Transfer pieces back to baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 12 minutes; remove from oven and flip pieces over. Return pan to oven and bake until biscotti are golden brown and crunchy, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer biscotti to a cooling rack; let cool to room temperature.

BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Position rack in center of oven. With a small knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and place in a small bowl. Add the sugar and use your fingers to mix the vanilla evenly into the sugar. Set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the butter until light. Add the vanilla sugar and mix until fluffy. Add the eggs and the vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and almonds and stir into the butter mixture.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 3 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, shape each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Place the logs on the baking sheet, spacing them as far apart as possible. Bake in the center of the oven until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
• Place the logs on a cutting board and let them cool slightly. With a serrated knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Place on the baking sheet, cut side down. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes, turning once. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

TOASTED ALMOND BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet, place in the oven and toast for about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder together and set aside.
• Beat the eggs lightly, just until they are blended in a mixing bowl with a whisk or in an electric mixer. Remove two tablespoons of the egg mixture to a small dish and set aside. Beat the sugar and almond extract into the remaining eggs until blended. Stir in the flour mixture to form a soft dough.
• When the almonds are toasted, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a bowl. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Divide dough in half and place one portion on well-floured work surface. With floured hands, pat into a six-inch square. Scatter half of almonds on dough and press them into surface. Roll dough into cylinder about 2 inches in diameter and 12 to 15 inches long. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Brush the tops of both cylinders with the reserved egg.
• Place in the oven and bake about 15 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch. Transfer to a cutting board and cut on an angle into slices one-half-inch thick. Return the slices to the baking sheet, standing them up, and return them to the oven. Bake another 20 minutes, until they are crisp and dry. Allow to cool completely before storing or serving.