Seeking Favorite Biscotti Recipes

I am thinking that I will make biscotti for assorted people this Christmas. I have a few ideas of what kinds, but what's your favorite?

Cynthia, don't overlook Jenise's great recipe -- I think it was posted here last February or March. I've made these a couple of times, and got rave reviews each time

Jenise Stone

Parmesan Black Pepper Biscotti (savory!)
I found this recipe on Epicurious.com and am making a batch this afternoon for a Barbaresco tasting I'm helping with tonight. Oh my god, are they good! In making them I've found I like more black pepper and some sour cream in place of all milk, and this recipe reflects my preferences, but otherwise this recipe is pretty much as found.

2 tblsp coarsely ground black peppercorns
4 cups all purpose flour plus additional for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (unaged American will NOT do!)
1 1/2 sticks butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream

Makes five-six dozen cookies. Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups of the cheese and the black pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk three eggs with the milk and add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quarter the dough. Using well floured hands, form each piece into a 12 inch long log even from end to end. Transfer the logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets and space them about three inches apart.

Whisk remaining egg with a teaspoon of water, then brush each log with the mixture. Then sprinkle each with a little more black pepper and the reserved cheese. Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching shelf position halfway through baking, 30 minutes total. Cool logs on a rack for about 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to 300 F.

Carefully transfer logs to cutting board and cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices with a serrated knife. Return slices to baking sheets and bake as above, about 30 minutes or a little longer until barely golden total, rotating/switching sheets halfway through baking.

Will keep in an airtight container about two weeks.

RCR Cook's Notes:

1. All sour cream worked great, no milk.
2. 1/2 tsp ground salt or 1 tsp sea salt worked fine; we preferred the sea salt which brightened the dough and gave little explosions of salt in the finished biscotti.
3. This works great baking with our baked apples at night.

Cynthia, this is my absolute favorite one! Just made a batch last weekend for a dinner, now I'm bringing some to a party this weekend.


Spicy Biscotti

2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Grated zest of ½ orange
Grated zest of ½ lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup toasted pecan pieces
½ cup toasted slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350F. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beat thoroughly. Add the zests and vanilla and mix to combine thoroughly.

Add the flour mixture and nuts. Stir just until a ball of dough is formed.

Divide dough in half. Lightly oil hands and shape dough halves into flattened logs about 2 inches wide and 10-12 inches long. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

When the logs are lightly golden, remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.

Cut each long widthwise into diagonal slices ½ inch wide. Place cut side down on the lined cookie sheet. Return to oven for 7 minutes. Turn over and bake for another 7 minutes. Remove and cool before storing.

Yum!

Thanks, Bob! I remembered that one vaguely, but hadn't searched for it yet.

Traci, that also looks delicious! But being from New Mexico, I can't figure out why it's called "Spicy."

You're so right!

But, the black pepper is super fun!

Hey Princess, why don't you add a little cocoa to the mix of Tracy's recipe? Then you could toss in a hint of dried chile. They'd be spicy AND they would have that combo you so love.

Just a thought.

rwj

It's not my department, but my wife makes uncommonly good, traditional anise flavored biscotti.
She also makes a less traditional, but equally good, chocolate, chocolate chip biscotti.
But she doesn't post here, and I don't know where she keeps her recipes.

But she doesn't post here

She's still scared of me, isn't she?

Actually, I think she likes you better than she does me.
It's the pizza dough recipe that did it. How do I compete with that?

There's just something wrong with getting Italian recipes from a Jew.

We do something similar to biscotti (mandl brot), but (as expected) heavier and less elegant. Nonetheless, good mandl brot has its virtues.

(Please, no chaos jokes or references to ben-wa)

I was all "set" to make a joke, but I didn't want to fract....ure our relationship. So I decided to ask for a recipe instead, if you have one?

I'll have it up later today when typing is easier (it's COLD in here!). I find my mom's recipe to be strangely attracting.

Physics jokes in the food forum. Just another reason I love it here!

You know, Robert, I have a recipe someplace for a chocolate chile biscotti. But my life is still in shambles so I may just tinker with Traci's recipe after all.

Cantucci are a Tuscan version of Biscotti -- often made about half as long as the ones you see in the stores and coffee shops, and with a beautiful nutty almond flavor. This recipe is a favorite, Louise has made it many many times. As I understand it these are sometimes dipped in the sweet wine of Tuscany, Vin Santo but they are a real treat with coffee, tea, or milk. The recipe was printed in the Speculator some 10 years ago.

2 cups almonds
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 beaten eggs

Toast the almonds on a cookie sheet at 375 F for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer them to a food processor with the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend them until the almonds are coarsely chopped, about 15 seconds, then blend in the butter just until it is incorporated. Blend in the eggs. The mixture will be like damp cornmeal.

Butter a baking sheet and heat the oven to 325 F

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and pat them into long loaves about 1 1/2 inches wide and no more than 1/2 inch thick on the baking sheet. They should be about 14 inches long. Bake for 20 minutes.

Let the loaves cool for a few minutes, then cut them into 1/2 inch slices. Place the cookies on their sides on the baking sheet, leaving space between them. Bake them 12 minutes longer, or until they are golden brown. Transfer them to racks to cool. Makes about 100 cookies. Store the extras in an airtight container or, to keep them longer than a few days, freeze them tightly wrapped. (Frozen cookies can be thawed quickly by toasting them in a 325 F oven for 10 minutes).

- Frank

Thanks, Frank! I love almonds.

Thank you Frank -- that's the biscotti Janet loves the most. I'm glad someone posted it.

There's a Northeastern threatening tonight -- I'll give the recipe a try in celebration.

Thanks. Bob

Thank you Frank, and especially Louise -- my first biscotti came out just great. Excellent flavor, and chewy centers.

I probably ground the almonds a little fine -- we like a little larger slice than I got this time. My oven bakes a little low, and I didn't allow enough time for the first pass -- next time I'll have to bump up the temperature or increase the time -- but they really do taste good and will hold well I'm sure.

Many thanks. The smell of baking apples and biscotti made the house sing!

Regards, Bob

Does anyone other than me ever cheat and eat the uni-cottis? That is, eat the cookie before it is baked the second time?
I love to grab a few and dunk them in coffee - they have more of a spongier texture before the second bake.

Try it, you'll like it.

Cindy's making a batch today - I can hardly wait. I see the anise extract out on the counter. I'll try to steal her recipe.

Mandl Brot (Jewish biscotti, courtesy of Charlotte Perry)

3 eggs
1 c sugar
1 c vegetable oil
3.5-4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 c crushed almonds
3/4 c chocolate chips
(optional: cinnamon and sugar for topping)

Mix eggs, sugar, and oil well. Mix flour and baking powder together, then add to the liquids. Mix until blended, fold in the chocolate chips and crushed almonds, then turn out and form three rolls about 8" x 1.5". Flatten them slightly. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. You can optionally sprinkle some sugar and cinnamon on top.

Cut the rolls into 3/4" thick slices, place them on their sides on a cookie sheet, then bake for about 10 more minutes until they brown slightly.

Serve with coffee.

Thanks, Stuart!

John, yes, please do snag the recipe if possible!

Actually I kind of talked myself into making some Cantucci, after taking the trouble to find the recipe (rummaging in 1997 Wine Spectators down in the wine cellar). I had mentioned it to Louise but she was discouraged by the difficulty of the nut processing -- we buy nice fresh almonds at Costco but they are in their papery skins, so you have to blanch them and peel them before roasting. And Louise is very busy this time of year between singing and her French Horn, so when she was at a concert last night I did the almonds. And then today she has church and her orchestra and then more church so I went ahead with the rest of the prep just now.

I found the "dough" so very crumbly that I couldn't work with it so I added about a tablespoon of water and kneaded it in. I don't think this can ruin it, I hope not. At any rate it's in the oven right now and smelling pretty good.

I may also have to roast up another batch of the almonds, wow, they were so tasty that we both nibbled at the ingredients last night...

Frank

The dough was delicious, Frank. I'd also use less butter next time. Still a very nice recipe.

Mine crumbled a little when I was cutting the big bars into little "fingers."

The good part about that is that I get to eat all the mistakes.

I think if I do this again I will try and avoid the extra water, but personally I don't think I would cut back on the butter. You need something to give it a moist texture and the 2 eggs really aren't enough with all that flour etc. At least the butter is liquefied at warm temperatures.

F

PS I sort of can't imagine how those old time Tuscan ladies made this without a Cuisinart.