Almond Mini-Biscotti
Adapted from a recipe posted among the Best-Loved Holiday Cookies and Bars By Jennifer Segal. These mildly sweet, crunchy mini-biscotti are great with coffee. (Dogs love them as a treat also). The recipe can be easily doubled.
Servings: 24 mini-biscotti Prep Time: 15 Minute Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal (0therwise the cookie will be gritty), or 1/4 cup of flax seed meal
1 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons anise seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle
5 tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extractplus 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup slivered almonds, chopped in a food mill or processor
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, fine cornmeal or flax meal, baking powder, salt and crushed anise seeds.
Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the flour mixture and almonds and mix until just combined. Refrigerate in bowl for at least 15 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into two equal pieces. Dust your hands with flour and form each portion into a log about 1 1/2 inch wide and 3/4-inch tall directly on the lined baking sheet (if the dough is sticky, dust your hands with more flour as necessary). Leave about 4 inches of space between the logs to allow the dough to spread. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the loaves are firm to the touch and golden around the bottom edges. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes.
Once cool, transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife and a sawing motion, cut the logs diagonally into generous 1/2-inch slices. (They will look a little undercooked in the middle.) Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, back on the lined baking sheet. Return to the oven on the middle rack and cook for 5-7 minutes at 350 oF, until lightly golden on the underside. Remove the from the oven, carefully flip the biscotti over and cook for 5 minutes more, until lightly golden all over. Let cool on the baking sheet completely before serving or storing.
The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a month.
Variation: Walnut and Cinnamon Biscotti: in the biscotti recipe above, substitute 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper for the ground anise seeds, omit the almond extract, and substitute 1 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts for the chopped slivered almonds.