Cornmeal Biscotti With Dates And Almonds Recipes

BROWN SUGAR AND DATE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Add dates and pecans and beat until combined.
• Divide dough in half and transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Form each half into a 2 1/2-inch-wide, 3/4-inch-tall log. Bake until dough is firm but gives slightly when pressed, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack, 20 minutes.
• With a serrated knife, cut logs into 1/4-inch slices on the diagonal and arrange, cut side down, on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake until biscotti are crisp and golden, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets and flipping biscotti halfway through. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

COCOA-CORNMEAL BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and soda together; whisk in the cornmeal.
• Working with a mixer (using a paddle attachment, if you have one), beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Beat in the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer off, and add the flour-cornmeal mixture all at once. Pulse the mixer a few times to begin incorporating the ingredients without having them fly about, and then mix on low speed until they disappear into the dough. Mix in the chips and almonds. The dough will be thick and heavy.
• Scrape half the dough onto one long side of the baking sheet. Using your hands and a spatula, shape the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide - perfection is impossible, so just get close. The log will be bumpy and rough, and that's fine. Form a second log on the other side of the sheet.
• Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the sheet after 15 minutes. The logs will have spread; they'll give when squeezed and won't be fully baked at this point. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack, and allow the logs to rest for 20 minutes. Carefully move one log to a cutting board. (If the parchment on the baking sheet is sticky, turn it over or replace it.) Using a serrated knife, trim the ends and then cut the log horizontally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Stand the slices up on the baking sheet - you don't have to leave much room between them; repeat with the second log.
• Bake the cookies for another 15 minutes - they'll be firmer, but not completely dry; they firm and dry as they cool. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack, and allow the cookies to come to room temperature. Kept covered and away from humidity, the cookies will hold for at least 1 week.

CORNMEAL BISCOTTI WITH DATES AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until well combined; beat in orange extract and zest. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed until just combined. Beat in dates, almonds, and anise.
• Transfer to prepared baking sheet; using your hands, pat into a slightly flattened log, about 15 by 4 inches. Bake until firm and lightly browned, and top is slightly cracked, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes.
• Transfer to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut log crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange on a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until slices are just turning brown around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

CRANBERRY-PISTACHIO CORNMEAL BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
• Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and mix until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, until well combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once; mix until just combined. Add lemon zest, cranberries, and pistachios and mix until combined.
• Transfer dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pat into a log that is roughly 14 by 3 1/2 inches. Bake until firm, lightly browned, and slightly cracked on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake cookies, rotating sheet halfway through, until they begin to brown at edges, 15 to 18 minutes.