Portuguese Biscotti Recipes

AVô'S BISCOITOS (PORTUGUESE BISCOTTI/COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cream together butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture.
• Do not undercream or overcream. (Undercreamed butter/sugar looks yellow and dense. Overcreamed butter/sugar looks white and greasy.).
• Add eggs, mixing until blended.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder.
• Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, stirring until combined.
• If dough seems dry or flakey, knead slightly.
• Scoop up ping-pong ball sized dollops of dough.
• Roll between your hands to form a 5-inch long "snake", even throughout the length.
• (if dough is too sticky to handle at this point, you will need to add a small amount of flour to the dough to make it workable).
• Brings ends of the "snake" together, slightly folding one end over the other, to form a donut-shape with a small hole in the middle.
• Place cookies 1-2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Let rest on baking sheet 2 minutes before transferring to rack to cool.
• Enjoy!

PORTUGUESE BISCOITOS RECIPE (TRADITIONAL BISCUIT COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly flour a clean cutting board or work surface.
• In the bowl of a standmixer, add the butter, and sugar. Cream until light and fluffy.
• Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside. Add the eggs, extracts, and milk and mix until combined.
• Turn down the mixer speed and slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. The dough should form a ball on the paddle. If it is too dry add 1 tablespoon of additional milk. If it is overly stick add one tablespoon of flour until it is workable.
• Remove the dough from the stand mixer and knead on the floured workspace. The dough should be the consistency of play dough.
• I used a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to scoop out tablespoon-sized balls.
• On the floured work space, roll on dough with the palms of your hand to create a 5 inch "snake". Bring together the ends to form a ring. Place cookies 1 inch apart of the baking sheet.
• These cookies bake for 18-20 minutes to get toasty deep golden-brown bottoms and tan golden-brown top surfaces. *See images
• Cool cookies for ten minutes before removing and baking the next batch. Repeat the process until all cookies are done.
• Cooled cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks time.

PORTUGUESE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• In large bowl of an electric mixer, beat 1 cup of the sugar and butter until well blended.
• Add lemon peel and juice; mix to blend.
• Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until smooth.
• Gradually stir in 3 cups of the flour, mixing well. cover and chill until dough is firm enough to handle easily, at least 3 hours or as long as 2 days.
• For easier handling, chill the dough before you form the ring-shaped cookies.
• Divide dough in half. Cover and chill 1 portion.
• Divide other half into 8 equal pieces. With floured fingers, roll each piece on a lightly floured board to make a 10-inch rope.
• Overlap ends of each rope slightly to form a ring.
• Place rings about 1 inch apart on a greased 14x17 inch baking sheet. Sprinkle light with sugar. Bake in a 300°F oven until golden, 35-40 minutes.
• Remove cookies from pans and let cool completely on racks. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Serve or store airtight up to 10 days.

ITALIAN BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ( 165 degrees C ).
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time; beat until fluffy. Stir in the anise and vanilla extracts. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; Add them to the egg mixture along with the chopped almonds. Stir with a spoon and as the dough comes together, Knead by hand.
• Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll each piece into a log about 15 inches long. Place logs onto cookie sheets, 2 to a sheet, the long way. Flatten the logs out until they are about 3 inches wide with a slight hump going down the middle. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, loaves should be firm. Cut the loaves into diagonal slices 1/2 inch wide, place the slices onto the cookie sheets and return to the oven. Toast on one side, then turn them over to do the other side. This will take about 7 to 10 minutes.

BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and anise flavoring until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. Divide dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto the prepared cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2 inch thickness.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. When The cookies are cool enough to handle, slice each one crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6 to 10 minutes on each side. Slices should be lightly toasted.