Featured as a sweet treat to serve alongside coffee in Gourmet’s January 2009 Northern Italian entertaining menu, this almond biscotti recipe gets a punch of flavor from both almond and vanilla extracts and oomph from a pour of brandy. You’ll also stir lots of chopped skin-on toasted almonds into the sticky dough before giving it the twice-baked treatment indicative of the best biscotti recipes.
Here, the biscotti is baked on an ungreased baking sheet; for peace of mind, feel free to line yours with parchment paper if you’re worried about the dough sticking.
This almond biscotti is one of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes; producing crunchy cookies that taste even better a day or two after baking. Once you learn the technique, tweak the add-ins to suit your tastes: Mix in orange zest, lemon zest, or dried fruit—try cherries or cranberries, drizzled with white chocolate. Switch the almonds out for hazelnuts or pistachios, or dunk the cooled biscotti cookies halfway into melted chocolate.
Recipe information
Total Time
2½ hours (includes cooling)
Yield
Makes about 42 cookies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Stir 1 cup (200 g) sugar, ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, 3 Tbsp. brandy, 2 tsp. pure almond extract, and 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract with a wooden spoon in a large bowl to combine. Add 1 cup whole almonds with skin, lightly toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped, and 3 large eggs, lightly beaten, and stir vigorously to combine. Sift in 2¾ (344 g) cups all-purpose flour, 1½ tsp. baking powder, and ¼ tsp. kosher salt and stir until just combined and no floury streaks remain. Chill dough, covered, 30 minutes.
Step 2
Place rack in center of oven; preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 3
Using moistened hands, divide chilled dough in half and form 2 (16x2") loaves on an ungreased large baking sheet. Bake until pale golden, about 30 minutes. Carefully transfer loaves to a rack and cool 15 minutes.
Step 4
Cut loaves into ¾" slices with a serrated knife. Arrange biscotti, with a cut side down, on a clean baking sheet and bake until golden, 20–25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Do ahead: Biscotti improve in flavor if made 1–2 days ahead. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature.
Editor's note: This recipe was first printed in the January 2009 issue of ‘Gourmet’ as Nonna’s Biscotti.
Recipe notes
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