Cornmeal Biscotti With Dates And Almonds Recipes

CORNMEAL BISCOTTI WITH DATES AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until well combined; beat in orange extract and zest. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed until just combined. Beat in dates, almonds, and anise.
• Transfer to prepared baking sheet; using your hands, pat into a slightly flattened log, about 15 by 4 inches. Bake until firm and lightly browned, and top is slightly cracked, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes.
• Transfer to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut log crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange on a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until slices are just turning brown around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

COCOA-CORNMEAL BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and soda together; whisk in the cornmeal.
• Working with a mixer (using a paddle attachment, if you have one), beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Beat in the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer off, and add the flour-cornmeal mixture all at once. Pulse the mixer a few times to begin incorporating the ingredients without having them fly about, and then mix on low speed until they disappear into the dough. Mix in the chips and almonds. The dough will be thick and heavy.
• Scrape half the dough onto one long side of the baking sheet. Using your hands and a spatula, shape the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide - perfection is impossible, so just get close. The log will be bumpy and rough, and that's fine. Form a second log on the other side of the sheet.
• Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the sheet after 15 minutes. The logs will have spread; they'll give when squeezed and won't be fully baked at this point. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack, and allow the logs to rest for 20 minutes. Carefully move one log to a cutting board. (If the parchment on the baking sheet is sticky, turn it over or replace it.) Using a serrated knife, trim the ends and then cut the log horizontally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Stand the slices up on the baking sheet - you don't have to leave much room between them; repeat with the second log.
• Bake the cookies for another 15 minutes - they'll be firmer, but not completely dry; they firm and dry as they cool. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack, and allow the cookies to come to room temperature. Kept covered and away from humidity, the cookies will hold for at least 1 week.

THE BEST ALMOND BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Adjust rack to center position and heat the oven to 350 degree. Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper.
• Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nuts in a large bowl and stir to combine. In a small bowl combine the eggs, butter and vanilla and whisk to fully combine.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula, mix to combine until a rough dough forms.
• Dump the dough onto a work surface and knead a couple of times until the dough comes together, adding extra flour sparingly and only if necessary. Start to form the dough into a big, fat cigar and cut it in half. Form each half into a cigar about 1 inch thick, 2 inches wide and about 12 inches long. Place them onto the cookie sheet and lightly press with fingers to slightly flat cigars.
• Bake for 25 minutes reversing the pan halfway through. The bars will be firm to the touch and just slightly browned. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 300 degrees. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
• Remove cookies to a cutting board using two spatulas. Using a serrated knife, slice the bars on an angle about 1/2 inch tick to form the biscotti. Lay them back on the cookie sheet with either cut side down and place back in oven for 15 minutes. Turn each cookie to expose the other cut side and place in oven for another 15 minutes. Let cool on a rack to room temperature. Place cookies in an airtight container.

ALMOND AND LEMON BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
• In another large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until pale yellow, about 3 minutes.
• Mix in the lemon zest and then the flour, and beat until just blended. (The dough will be sticky).
• Stir in the almonds. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough evenly into 2 equal mounds and place on the baking sheet. With moist hands, space the dough evenly apart and form into 2 (9 by-3-inch) logs.
• Bake for 35 minutes until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes.
• Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick diagonal slices. Arrange the biscotti cut side down on the same baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are pale golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.
• To make the chocolate for dipping: Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water stirring until melted. (or cheat and microwave- 20 seconds at a time stirring each time until mostly melted, then just keep stirring, they should melt all the way. If you keep going until they are melted smooth sometimes you can burn them!).

CORNMEAL BISCOTTI WITH DATES AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, and mix thoroughly with a whisk or fork; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time until well combined; beat in the orange extract.
• Add the flour mixture; beat on low speed until just combined. Add the orange zest, dates, almonds, and anise seed, and beat until combined.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet; using your hands, pat into a log that is roughly 14 × 3 1/2 inches. Bake until firm, lightly browned, and slightly cracked on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven; let cool 15 minutes.
• Transfer the log to a cutting board, leaving the parchment behind on the sheet. Using a serrated knife, cut the log crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet. Bake until they just begin to brown at the edges, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove from the oven; let cool on the baking sheet.