Almond-Anise seed Biscotti

Recipe No: 146

Back home, most of the Bakeries have these crispy Cake like thing that are mostly kept in glass jars (I am sorry that I don't know its name, but if anyone knows, please share...) It is light yellow in color with Tutty Fruity here and there and its texture is that of a Rusk but tastes like a Cake… Now these Italian Cookies tastes exactly like those ones in glass jars.

For a very long time I used to make Raisin Biscotti, but once I happened to taste these Almond Biscotti that was bought from Costco from a friends house. (who are by the way very crazy of these)  After tasting that, I never went back to Raisin Biscotti… now I make only these Almond-Anise Seed Biscotti… and sometimes substitute a portion of Almonds with Pistachios depending on its availability at home. (It is in one of the picture)

‘Biscotti’ literally translates as ‘double baked’ which is exactly what happens in the baking of these Cookies. It’s baked as big logs first and later cut into small pieces and baked for a second time. This very lightly sweet Cookie goes excellent with Tea.

Ingredients                                  Makes around 40 cookies

• All Purpose Flour/ Maida………….3 Cups
• Baking Powder……………………...…1 Teaspoon
• Salt………………………………………...1/2 Teaspoon (Avoid this if you are using Salted Butter)
• Unsalted Butter………………………..1/2 Cup (1 Stick)
• Sugar………………………………………1 Cup
• Eggs…………………………………..……3
• Vanilla Extract…………………….……1 Teaspoon
• Dried Whole Almonds……………….1 ½ Cups (Substitute with 1 Cup Almond and ½ cup shelled Pistachios if you wish)
• Anise Seeds……………………...………1 ¼ Tablespoons (If not available use 1 Tablespoon of Fennel Seeds)

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C.
2. Heat a pan on medium heat and dry roast (without Oil) Almonds and chop into medium sized pieces. (Don’t make it small) Keep it aside till ready to be used.
3. Line two baking sheets with Parchment paper and apply a small coating of Butter . (or simply use a cooking spray)
4. Sift together Flour, Baking Powder and Salt; keep it aside.
5. Mix together Butter, Sugar and Vanilla Essence till light and fluffy.
6. Add Eggs one by one and mix till it is combined really well.
7. Mix in the Flour mixture until just combined.
8. Add the chopped Almonds and Anise Seeds and mix till it is equally distributed.

9. Divide this equally into two logs of 8-9 inches long and 2 ½ inches broad. This dough is very sticky, so dip your hands in water before using it to shape the log.
10. Bake it in the middle of the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or till the sides starts to brown slightly.
11. Take it out of the oven and let it cool down a bit.
12. Cut it into ½ inch thick pieces and arrange it in one layer on the baking sheets.
13. Keep it again in the oven and bake for 8 minutes on each side or till it hardens slightly. (Once out of the oven it hardens a bit more.)
14. Once cooled, store it in an air tight container and serve at room temperature with a cup of Tea.

Notes:

• Almonds can be used as whole, but I found that it is a bit hard to cut through the log if you are using whole Almonds, not to mention the higher chances of  the pieces crumbling when you slice the logs. So I prefer cutting the Almonds into thirds after toasting. But I don’t mind putting the Pistachios as whole since they are smaller in size.
• Anise Seeds looks almost the same as that of Fennel seeds (both belong to the same family Apiaceae) but slightly smaller in size. But the taste to me is almost the same. I have made these Biscotti with both Anise Seeds and Fennel Seeds and it needs an incredible palate and a sharp sense of sight to notice the difference! 
• Don’t try to accommodate both logs in one cookie sheet as it may spread while baking for the first time.
• Allow the logs to cool down slightly before slicing it, other wise it may crumble.

 




Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love...