Light and wonderful at the side of fresh brew of coffee, try these little biscotti as a little alternative
Italian Biscotti
WHAT YOU NEED
1 & 1/2 cups and 2 tbsp of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground anise seed
pinch salt
grated zest of 2 lemons
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup grape seed oil
3 eggs
1 cup toasted whole almonds, skin on
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
butter, for brushing baking tray
WHAT TO DO
Preheat oven to 180 degreesC. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Brush the parchment with butter. Sift flour, baking powder, ground anise and salt into a medium bowl. Add almonds and cherries. In another bowl, add lemon zest, sugar, oil and eggs. Whisk until smooth. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir with wooden spoon and blend well. Divide dough in half and shape each into a cylinder (roughly 12 x 2-inches). Dough will be sticky so use a little oil on hands to shape dough. Arrange the cylinders on the baking sheet, leaving at least 3-inches – they will spread out as they bake.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and firm. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before cutting to keep shape. With a large spatula carefully scrape cylinders off tray and transfer to a cutting board. Carefully slice crosswise on the diagonal with a serrated edge knife (in one full cut) into ½-inch slices. Put slices back onto the baking sheet, laying flat and not overlapping. Bake a second time (180 degreesC.) for 20 more minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Makes about 40 cookies.
