i brought a batch of these biscotti to the church potluck today. a woman asked me if i would sell them to her for a party she was throwing that day. but you know, they were for the 'flock'. ;-) she did take home what cookies remained at the end of the church lunch, and made a nice donation to the church for 'em. WOW do you know that most biscotti recipes call for a stick of butter and 2 - 4 eggs. these don't and everyone will think you're a genius. above is a picture of the logs after the first baking. one is overturned so you can see the color. that color determines whether it's time to take it out. the next picture shows the biscotti cooling on the rack after the final baking. and yes, those biscotti were made with pistachios. pistachios and orange zest to be exact. i like the almond-anise so much better. but it just goes to show: use what you got! ;-)
almond - anise biscotti - makes 50 - 60
whole wheat pastry flour: 1-1/2 cups
all purpose flour: 1-1/2 cups
baking powder: 1 Tablespoon
salt: 1/2 teaspoon
white sugar: 1-1/2 cups
smooth, unsweetened applesauce: 3/4 cup liquid measure
vegetable oil: 2 Tablespoons (from 1 to 3 Tablespoons. less oil = harder cookie /more = softer cookie)
vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
almond extract: 1 teaspoon
anise seeds: 2 Tablespoons
almonds: 1-1/2 cups, lightly toasted on a sheet pan in a 350 degree oven, when cool, roughly chop
this recipe pulls together quickly - so get ready. preheat the oven to 350 degrees. line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil and lightly spray with vegetable oil. this dough is very sticky.
in a large bowl, whisk together the two flours, baking powder (push it through a sieve to get the hard lumps out) and salt.
in a medium bowl whisk together the sugar, applesauce, oil, and extracts. pour the sugar mixture into the flours, adding the nuts and seeds. finish mixing with your hands and pour out onto a floured board. cut into two pieces.
with floured hands, form each ball of dough into a log, three inches wide, 3/4-inch thick, with squared-off ends. transfer each to its pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until the bottom of the log is a pale golden brown.
remove the logs to a cooling rack for 15 minutes and reduce heat to 300 degrees.
cut each log straight across into 1/2 inch slices. arrange the slices on the baking sheets, cut side down, and bake 20-25 minutes until a light golden brown. flip to reverse side and continue baking until the second side is a light golden brown.
oh, by the way, orson welles, says: "go vegan. why not?"
