Almond Biscotti Recipe

Eat Ate | Chronicle, 2009

Rosa’s Almond Biscotti are displayed on our counter on Mondays and Saturdays. Those are the days Rosa, my sister, manages to squeeze cooking for the café into her busy week while raising Sophie and the twins, Francesca and Marcella, as well as feeding Michael and conducting her popular cooking classes. These biscotti make a lot of people happy, just like Rosa.–Guy Mirabella

LC Bewitching Biscotti Note

These bewitching biscotti may not turn out quite how you’re expecting. They’re not oblong. Nor are they toothsome. They do, however, have that classic biscotti flavor. Different form. Same function. Far less fuss. Also, the brilliant baking force behind this fine creation, Rosa, was generous enough to chime in below in the comments with a few insight into some of her variants on the recipe; don’t miss this cooking lesson!

Hands-On Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Makes about 20

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Ingredients

2 1/3 cups almond meal
1 cup superfine sugar (if you don’t have superfine sugar, simply blitz some granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until super finely ground but not powdery)
3 large egg whites
Grated zest of 1 orange, preferably organic
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 cups sliced or flaked almonds
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the almond meal, sugar, egg whites, orange zest, and almond extract in a bowl, stirring well.
3. Place the almonds in a separate bowl.
4. Roll a tablespoon of the biscotti mixture into a rough ball, then roll the ball in the almonds. Using your thumb, forefinger, and middle finger, pinch the ball into a rough pyramid shape. [Editor’s Note: Yes, pyramid. Think Egypt.] Stand the pyramid on the parchment-lined sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
5. Bake the biscotti for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool, then dust with the confectioners’ sugar. You can store the biscotti in an airtight container for up to several days as long as it’s not terribly, terribly humid outside–and inside—your kitchen.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Chocolate Almond Biscotti from Worth the Whisk
Chocolate Cocoa Nib and Cherry Biscotti from Baking Obsession
Fig, Apricot, and Nut Biscotti from Leite's Culinaria
Lemon Biscotti from Leite's Culinaria