Andiamo Toscani!

One way to make biscotti:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

2 tsp orange zest

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

Method:

Brown almonds for 8 -10 mins in a 325 oven

let cool, but keep that oven at 325

Cream the butter and sugar

add in eggs, vanilla and almond extracts and zest

mix the dry separately and add to the wet

fold in almonds

place "log" of dough onto greased pan

bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes

let them cool, flipping them over once to "dry"

Biscotti!

Biscotti so easy it hurts, dawg. I found this recipe in a book called "Biscotti" by Lou Siebert Pappas.  Its a darling little book, with a wide variety of biscotti recipes, (with a title like that, go figure.) Pappas says "Cut almonds into halves or thirds and fold in." So, I think that the recipe will look much more traditional with halved almonds.  I broke mine up, (quartered them really) as the book suggested, and it didn't look the classic way I wanted it to in my head.  

I just had one with coffee, typing this jazz up, and they are delicious. I was a little overzealous with the zest, but I like orange and I'm also not some kind of zesting computer that can magically figure out 2 tsps of zest while I'm grating.  In hindshit (typo of hindsight, decided to keep it), I should have just zested into a bowl and measured it out, but I am over confident and hasty...

I think I'm gonna melt me up some dark chocolate and dip half, so they look classy af...and also chocolate.

This recipe is great though because you can make biscotti with whatever you have in your little baking cupboard.  Pecans, dried cranberries, walnut, the possibilities are endless.