ALMOND-ORANGE BISCOTTI

Vegetable shortening & flour, for baking sheet
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. almond extract
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 c. coarsely chopped almonds

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.2. Grease and flour a baking sheet. Shake off excess.
3. In a large bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Make a well in center of mixture.
4. To the well add remaining ingredients. With your hands, work dry mixture with liquids until a dough has formed. Divide the dough in half.
5. On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into two flat bottomed cylinders, 1" high, 2 1/2" wide and 8" long. Remove each to the baking sheet.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly colored on top. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
7. Holding a long sharp knife by the handle and tip; cut cylinders diagonally into 3/4" slices. Carefully place slices back on baking sheet, cut sides down; return them to the oven for 15 minutes more and bake until sides are golden and biscotti have dried a bit. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. The biscotti should be somewhat hard and crumbly. Yield: 20 to 24 biscotti.

CHOCOLATE NUT BISCOTTI

1 1/2 c. skinned, toasted hazelnuts or almonds (if using almonds, buy slivered)
1/2 to 1 c. pistachios, shelled
4 c. unsifted flour
1/2 c. miniature semisweet chocolate morsels
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 lg. eggs
2 c. sugar
1/3 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. grated orange or lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two large baking sheets. I prefer the insulated kind--keeps it from burning. In food processor, puree 1/2 cup of nuts. (If using hazelnuts, puree until paste forms and set aside; then coarsely chop remaining hazelnuts.) Place remaining 1 cup hazelnuts or almonds--and the pistachios--in bowl along with flour, chocolate, baking powder and cinnamon.2. To make zest, process strips of colored part of orange or lemon along with 1/2 cup of the sugar. Set aside.
3. In large bowl of electric mixer, at medium speed, beat eggs until fluffy. Add sugar-zest mixture, remaining sugar, melted butter and hazelnut paste or ground almonds. Beat until blended. Stir in flour mixture to form dough. You may need to add a bit of flour if dough is too sticky.
4. Divide dough into quarters, for small cookies, or halves, for wider ones. Drop dough onto baking sheets, smoothing into log shapes using spatula. Pat tops smooth, using floured fingers. I place one log on each sheet, at an angle.
5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until firm in center. Bigger logs take longer. Be sure to switch sheets halfway through baking time to ensure even cooking. When done, cool completely on sheets, on wire racks. Carefully remove logs to a cutting board and, using serrated knife, cut on diagonal making 1/2 inch slices. Place these on regular cookie sheets (I use Wilton's aluminum) and bake anywhere from 5 to 12 minutes, or just until crisp and brown on one side. Turn and brown other side 5 to 7 minutes longer, whatever it takes. Cool on wire rack.