Biscotti, the elegant, coffee-shop favourite, are so easy to make and they keep for weeks in the cookie jar.
Makes about 30 biscotti
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME: 50 minutes
COOLING TIME: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
- 1 cup coarsely chopped dried figs
- 1 large egg white
- 1 Tbsp water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat together the sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts until pale and thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the almonds and figs.
- Divide the dough in half and shape each piece into a log, about 3 inches wide and ¾ inch thick. Place the logs on the prepared baking sheets and square them off.
- In a small bowl, beat together the egg white and water. Brush the egg white mixture all over the logs of dough.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the logs cool on the baking sheets for 15 minutes. Turn down the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Using a sharp, serrated knife, cut the cooled dough into ½-inch slices, cutting slightly on the diagonal. Arrange the slices, on their sides, on the baking sheets.
- Bake until the biscotti are lightly toasted and dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. Let the biscotti cool completely on the baking sheets. (The biscotti can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.)
SWEET HISTORY:
- In the 1600s, drinking tea, coffee and chocolate became popular. Since all these beverages are relatively bitter in their raw state, sugar became the favored way to sweeten them. Drinking clubs sprang up where members—usually men—met to drink their favorite sweetened beverage while discussing political, social and business matters. Many now-famous enterprises—the London Stock Exchange, the London-based insurance company Lloyd’s, and the Hudson’s Bay Company, for instance—can trace their origins to these once-trendy clubs.
