Nutty For Lemon!
Recently a friend asked me “what makes biscotti so crunchy”? Yada, Yada, Yada….Next thing you know, I’m making a batch of crispy, irresistibly delicious lemony-love bars🍋. Lemon Almond Biscotti is a easy and delicious cookie treat you can bake 👩🏻🍳 in no time and they’re delicious anytime! If you’re a lover of lemon and a fan of a delicious, crispy biscotti, give this recipe a try.
I think of Biscotti as a cookie for grown-ups, but I actually believe everyone loves them, no matter what your age. Try these Lemon Almond Biscotti with tea instead of coffee, delish!
So, the answer to what makes biscotti so crunchy? It is that they are baked twice. Biscotti is simply a cookie that’s first formed into a log shape and baked. Then it’s sliced and baked again. That’s right. The traditional name Biscotti di Prato literally translates into twice cooked. There are so many delicious variations of biscotti from licorice flavored, the most traditional, to coffee, chocolate and almost anything else you can imagine.
How To Make Lemon Almond Biscotti 🍋
Preheat the oven to 350°
Lightly grease (or line with parchment) one large (about 18″ x 13″) baking sheet, set aside.
Into medium-sized bowl, beat 6 tablespoons of softened, unsalted butter. Add 2/3 cups of granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons of freshly grated lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of almond extract, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Beat in 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 2 eggs. The mixture of the lemon and the butter will cause the batter to look curdled at this point. Once you add the flour, the batter will come together. At low speed of your mixer, add the flour, stirring until smooth; the dough will be sticky. Add the chopped nuts and mix to combine.
To Form
Scrape the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Shape it into a log approximately 13″ long x 3″ wide x 3/4″ thick. Straighten the log, and smooth its top and sides; a small wet spatula or off-set spatula and water work well. Just use the side of the spatula dipped in water. It’s much easier than using your hands as the dough is very sticky.
Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool on the pan for about 15 minutes minutes.
Reduce the oven heat to 325°
Using a spray bottle filled with room-temperature water, lightly but thoroughly spritz the log, making sure to cover the sides as well as the top. (Softening the crust just this little bit will make slicing the biscotti much easier.) If you don’t have a spray bottle, use a pastry brush to lightly brush all over with water. Wait another 5 minutes, allowing the moisture to soak into the biscotti.
Using a serrated knife, cut the log crosswise into 1/2″ slices. As you’re slicing, be sure to cut straight up and down, perpendicular to the pan; if you cut unevenly, biscotti may be thicker at the top than the bottom, and they’ll topple over during their second bake.
Set the biscotti on edge on the prepared baking sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven, and bake them for 30 to 35 minutes, until they feel very dry and are beginning to turn golden around the edges.
Remove the biscotti from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool.
For the glaze
Into a small bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar with the 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir to combine. It should be the consistency of very thick syrup. If it’s too thin, add more sugar. If it’s too thick, slowly add more juice, 1 teaspoon or less at a time. Drizzle over cooled biscotti and allow it to harden completely.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Zest of 2 large lemons (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 2/3 cup slivered almonds or toasted almonds, chopped finely
For the Glaze (optional)
- 1 1/2 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- Lightly spray with non stick spray (or line with parchment) one large (about 18" x 13") baking sheet.
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, lemon zest, almond extract, and baking powder until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Beat in the lemon juice and eggs. The batter will look curdled
- At low speed of your mixer, add the flour, stirring until smooth; the dough will be sticky.
- Add the chopped nuts and mix to combine
- Scrape the dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Shape it into a log that's about 13" long x 3" wide x 3/4" thick.
- Straighten the log, and smooth its top and sides with a wet spatula or wet off-set spatula.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and allow it to cool on the pan for about 15 minutes minutes
- Reduce the oven heat to 325°
- Using a spray bottle filled with room-temperature water, (or a pastry brush with water) lightly but thoroughly spritz the log, making sure to cover the sides as well as the top. (Softening the crust just this little bit will make slicing the biscotti much easier)
- Wait another 5 minutes, then use a serrated knife to cut the log crosswise into 1/2" slices. As you're slicing, be sure to cut straight up and down, perpendicular to the pan; if you cut unevenly, biscotti may be thicker at the top than the bottom, and they'll topple over during their second bake.
- Set the biscotti up right on the prepared baking sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until they feel very dry and are just turning golden around the edges.
- Remove the biscotti from the oven, and transfer to a rack to cool. Put the sheet pan under the rack to collect excess icing.
For the glaze
- Combine the confectioners sugar with the lemon juice. Drizzle over cooled biscotti. Let the glaze harden before handling.
- Adapted from the recipe by King Arthur Flour Company
Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
