Orange & Amaretto Biscotti
To Italian-Americans, the real Christmas holiday is Christmas Eve. In my opinion, Christmas Eve is the best day of the entire year. Our family (that is, my new, blended, married family) celebrates with an extravagant Feast of the Seven Fishes and some variant of a seafood dinner. We were with my parents this year for Christmas Eve, and we feasted on salt-baked Branzino, simple risotto, and lemony asparagus. I was tasked with supplying dessert and, naturally, I stuck with the Italian theme. Bringing the spoils of our Tuscany trip earlier this year, I assembled a dessert board of Pecorino Toscano, dark chocolate, dried figs, and the star: my homemade Orange & Amaretto Biscotti, which we dipped into sweet Vin Santo. While our evening wasn’t quite as stunning as those we spent dipping biscotti into Vin Santo under the Tuscan moon, it came close.
Orange & Amaretto Biscotti
Ingredients:
Zest of 1/2 an orange
2 tbsp amaretto
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
5 tbsp softened butter
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup slivered, toasted almonds
1 - 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat sugar, butter, almond and vanilla extracts, amaretto, and orange zest until combined and crumbly.
Slowly add eggs, beating well after each addition.
Gradually add flour mixture, beating until fully incorporated.
Remove bowl from stand mixer and stir in almonds.
With floured hands, split dough in half. Create two “mounds” out of each portion and lay on greased baking sheet(s). Each mound should be flattened to about 1 inch high, 5 inches wide, and 8-10 inches long.
Place baking sheet(s) on center racks of oven and bake for 40-50 minutes. If your finger barely makes a dent when you press on the dough, it’s ready to be removed.
Let the mounds cool for about 15 minutes. Then, carefully place them on cutting boards and slice vertically into 1/2 inch pieces. Turn horizontally and cut slices into 2 or 3 biscotti, depending on preference.
Put biscotti back on the baking sheets on one side. Bake for 10-12 minutes, removing when the cookies are dry and your finger cannot make a dent. Then, remove from oven and flip biscotti onto their opposite side, baking again for 10-12 minutes.
Once properly baked and dry, remove from the oven and set on racks to cool.
If desired, melt chocolate chunks to use as a drizzle or coating.
Serve with Vin Santo (can be found at your local wine store).
