This is in honor of my grandma who is having her 85th birthday today. My grandma is Italian and my grandpa was Irish. Although my grandma cooked most of the Italian food, my grandpa always made the biscotti. Many years ago my husband and I went for a biscotti making lesson and I realized how easy they really were. The traditional Italian biscotti are made with Anise which has a mild black licorice taste. For me, biscotti are best eaten any time of day; for breakfast dipped in coffee, for snack or dunked in milk for dessert! Mangia!

Anise and Almond Biscotti
Printer Friendly Version

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons anise extract or 3 teaspoons anise spice
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) unsalted almonds, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and anise. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each piece into a 16-by-2-inch log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly.

Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until logs are slightly firm to touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer logs on parchment paper to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Place logs on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place a wire rack on a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange slices, cut sides down, on rack. Bake until firm to touch, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven; let biscotti cool completely on rack. Biscotti can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Yield: about 4 dozen