BISCOTTI: TRADITIONAL AND WHOLE GRAIN KAMUT

Biscotti: Traditional and Whole Grain Kamut image

Biscotti are one of my favorite cookies. They're incredibly easy to make and taste so good when homemade with abundant nuts, dried fruit and aromatics.

Provided by Melissa Johnson

Categories Recipes

Time 1h15m

Yield 20

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

235g organic all purpose flour or whole grain Kamut wheat flour (1 3/4 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
145g sugar (2/3 cup)
2 eggs
50g light or regular olive oil, not extra virgin (1/4 cup)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of almond extract OR 1 tsp rum/brandy/frangelico
1 Tbsp of water if you are using whole grain Kamut flour
3/4-1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios (90-180g) or other nuts; make sure you chop large or hard nuts like hazelnuts and almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries (60g)
Optional 114g (4 oz) dark chocolate, double if you want to dip the entire batch of biscotti

Steps:

Preheat your oven to 300F and line a medium or large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In one bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a second bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, oil and extracts/liquors.
Using a spatula, mix the dry ingredients into the wet until they are incorporated.
Add the nuts and dried fruit last.
Scoop half the batter out of the bowl with your spatula and lay it on your baking sheet, dragging it into a line and smoothing it with wet fingertips. Repeat with the second half of the dough until you have two smooth tubes roughly 2-3 inches wide and 1 inch tall.
Bake for 35 minutes until the tops are lightly golden.
Remove from the oven and gently set the biscotti tubes (still on the parchment) on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temp to 275F while the biscotti cool.
Transfer the biscotti to a cutting board and cut 1-inch pieces on the diagonal using a sharp knife (I prefer a chef's knife over serrated).
Lay the cut biscotti on the parchment lined baking sheet, cut side up, and bake at 275F for 10 minutes.
Remove the sheet from the oven, flip all the biscotti over to their other cut side, and bake for 10 more minutes.
Let the biscotti cool completely on a rack before dipping them in chocolate. Do not store in plastic or they will soften.
Optional Chocolate Decoration
Melt 4 ounces of chopped dark chocolate in mug, using the microwave in 15-30 second increments and stirring in between (1-2 minutes total, depending on your microwave).
Arrange your cooling rack over the same parchment-lined baking sheet you used to bake the biscotti. (You can also place the biscotti directly on the parchment.)
Dip the one end of a biscotti in the melted chocolate, and scrape one side gently on the rim of the mug as you pull it out. Place the biscotti scraped-side-down on your cooling rack or parchment for minimal dripping.
If the chocolate re-hardens as you're dipping the biscotti, pop the mug back in the microwave for 15 seconds and clean up the sides of the mug with a spatula.
Let the chocolate cool and harden completely before gently popping the biscotti off the rack or parchment.