Italian biscotti with the rich flavor of toasted hazelnuts and redolent of cinnamon. Perfect for dipping in your holiday coffee!
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup toasted hazelnuts (see note *, below)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking liner.
- Mix flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl; set aside.
- Coarsely chop hazelnuts in a food processor.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter and mix until fluffy. Add orange zest and vanilla and mix well. Add eggs 1 at a time, blending just until incorporated after each addition.
- Add flour mixture and mix until just blended. Mix in hazelnuts until just blended.
- Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 9″ x 2″ log (a round log that is 9 inches long and 2 inches in diameter). Place the logs on the baking sheet. With your hands, flatten each log to a 12″ x 2-1/2″ rectangle (12 inches long and 2.5 inches wide).
- Bake 25 minutes or until very light golden and firm to touch. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes.
- Transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut logs diagonally into 3/4-inch-wide slices. Place slices, cut side down, on your baking sheet.
- Bake 15 minutes. Turn biscotti over, bake about 15 minutes more or until light golden and firm. Transfer biscotti to racks and cool.
Notes
- * How to toast hazelnuts:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and arrange hazelnuts in a single layer. Toast until golden brown and fragrant, about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and wrap them in a kitchen towel, allowing them to steam for one minute. With the towel, gently rub the hazelnuts around to remove their skins. Discard the flaky skin and allow the nuts to cool completely before using the now peeled hazelnuts in the recipe. Small bits of skin will remain…this is okay.