Biscotti With A Persian Twist Recipes

ANISE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Line a baking pan with foil; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, aniseed, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside., In a large bowl, cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Stir in almonds and reserved flour mixture. , Divide dough in half. Shape each into a 12-in. x 2-in. rectangle on the prepared baking pan. Smooth the surface of each rectangle; brush with milk and sprinkle with remaining sugar., Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and reduce heat to 300°., Transfer rectangles with foil to a wire racks; cool for 15 minutes. Place rectangles on a cutting board; cut diagonally into 1/2-in. slices. Place slices, cut side down, on baking pans. , Bake 10-12 minutes longer. Turn oven off, leaving cookies in oven to cool with door ajar. Store cookies in airtight containers.

BISCOTTI REGINA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• In a food processor, pulse together the butter and sugar until yellow and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time. Add the flour, baking powder, vanilla and lemon zest and continue pulsing until a firm dough forms.
• Scoop off golf ball-sized pieces of dough and roll with your hands into oval shapes. Dip the cookies in the milk, then roll in the sesame seeds. Space 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until brown and toasty, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely on the baking sheets, or cool 2 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely (if the baking sheets are needed for another batch). Cookies will last about 3 weeks in a sealed container.

MARK BITTMAN'S BASIC BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated; add extract and beat until incorporated.
• Butter and flour two cookie sheets (or spritz 'em with baking spray; that worked well for me). Divide dough in half and shape each into a "log" about 2" wide. This will spread quite a bit during baking, so if you try to cram 'em on to one baking sheet, bear that in mind.
• Bake until logs are golden and beginning to crack on top. Bittman says this is 30 minutes; for me, it was closer to 25 minutes. (At 30 minutes mine were a little overdone.) Remove from oven and drop temperature to 250.
• When loaves are cool enough to touch, slice each into 1/2-inch slices, on the diagnonal. (You can always eat the little nubby ends that are left over!)
• Return the slices to the baking sheets and return them to the oven. Bake at 250 for another 15 to 20 minutes, turning once.
• Cool on wire racks.
• NOTE: Mr. Bittman makes lots of wonderful suggestions for variations. I threw in a cup of chopped blanched almonds and half a cup of currants, and used almond extract. You can throw in any spice you like (cinnamon, anise, nutmeg); a cup of nuts (almonds or hazelnuts); chocolate chips; citrus zest; crystallized ginger; dried fruit -- you can change the flavor of your extract to match. You can also wait until your biscotti are cool, and then top 'em with a chocolate glaze (4 oz. good chocolate mixed with 2 tablespoons butter and a little extract for flavoring).
• Enjoy!

NUTELLA® BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Position racks in top and bottom third of the oven. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.
• Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Beat eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until pale and frothy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and mix until pale and thickened, about 2 minutes. Beat in melted butter and vanilla on low speed until combined.
• Add chocolate-hazelnut spread and beat on low speed, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed, until just combined, about 30 seconds. Gradually mix in flour mixture and on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Fold in chocolate chips and hazelnuts until just combined.
• Divide dough in half. Place each half in the center of a prepared baking sheet. Lightly spray your hands with cooking spray and shape each piece of dough into a 3/4-x2 1/2-x13-inch log.
• Bake in the preheated oven, rotating cookie sheets halfway through, until set and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Carefully transfer one log to a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to cut 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal. Transfer slices back to the baking sheet in an even layer, with cut-sides up. Repeat with the remaining log.
• Bake in the preheated oven until dried, about 30 minutes, flipping cookies and rotating baking sheets halfway through. Transfer biscotti to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, microwave candy wafers in a medium microwave-safe bowl on high power for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving and stirring in 30-second increments, until melted and smooth, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes total. Drizzle melted chocolate over one end of each biscotti.
• Refrigerate, uncovered, until chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.

AUNT GEN'S BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream together shortening and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add anise extract and vanilla extract, and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, sift together 4 cups of flour, cream of tartar and baking powder. Stir in anise seeds and hazelnuts. Gradually add to shortening mixture, mixing well; dough will be soft and sticky.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using floured hands, lightly knead the dough, sprinkling with flour as needed until dough is soft but no longer sticky. Pat dough into four loaves a scant 1/2 inch high (they will rise when baked), about 3 inches wide, and 6 to 8 inches long.
• Spray two baking sheets with oil, and place loaves on them. Bake until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and cut diagonally into slices about 1 inch wide. Place slices cut-side down and return to oven to bake until undersides are light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn cookies and bake again 8 to 10 minutes until cookies are hard and golden brown on both sides.

AUNT VICTORIA'S BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place kernels on a baking sheet, and toast in oven until they smell nutty, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool. Chop finely.
• In bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar, and cream again until fluffy. Beat in eggs until mixture is smooth. Beat in grappa, anise extract and aniseed. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Beat them in just until mixed. Stir in chopped kernels.
• Lower oven temperature to 325. Set an oven rack in upper third of oven. On a lightly floured board, make rolls of dough an inch or so thick and the length of your baking sheet. Set them on the sheet 2 inches apart, and bake on the oven rack until they are set and lightly browned on top, about 25 minutes. Cool rolls on a rack 5 minutes, and slice diagonally 1/2 inch thick.
• Lay slices back on baking sheet, and return to 325-degree oven for 5 minutes to dry them. Turn slices, and dry 5 minutes more. Cool on a rack, and store in a tightly covered container. The flavor improves if cookies are stored a few days.

BISCOTTI WITH A PERSIAN TWIST

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 325* F and lightly oil one large or two smaller cookie sheets.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, and cardamom powder if using.
• In another bowl, mix together the agave or sugar, applesauce, oil, and extracts. (Use more oil for a softer biscotti, less oil for a crunchier biscotti).
• In thirds, gently add and stir sugar mixture into the flour mixture. Batter will be very thick. Add the nuts and fruits. Finish the mixing with your hands.
• With floured hands, shape the dough into two 3-inch wide "logs" about 3/4 inch thick, with the ends squared off. (Measure if you have to; I did!).
• Bake the logs for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack. As they cool, drop the oven temp to 300°F.
• Cool the logs on a rack for 15 minutes. Cut the logs carefully with a sharp knife straight across into 1/2 inch wide slices.
• Place the slices cut side down on the cookie sheets and bake for 5-10 minutes more.
• Turn the slices over and cook 5-10 minutes more, or until golden on bottom. NOTE: The biscotti might look under-cooked. They almost certainly are not. They will harden up as they sit.
• Cool on racks, then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.