Here's the biscotti recipe. For the ones I made and sent to my SS, I left out the almonds. Since I wasn't sure about allergies and any other digestive problems, figured they'd be safer that way. The flavor is much the same (thanks to the healthy dose of almond extract), with or without.
Almond Biscotti
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 stick salted butter, softened (real butter, not oleo)
3 whole extra large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use
Watkins Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract)
1 teaspoon almond extract (I use
McCormick Pure Almond Extract)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder (I use Rumford Aluminum Free Baking Powder)
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds, chopped (toast in oven or in skillet)
3 cups flour, unbleached all-purpose
For the top
Cinnamon sugar (I use
Watkins Pure Ground Cinnamon) When I make cinnamon sugar, I use a lot of cinnamon, so that the mixture is a sort of light golden brown.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Line a cookie sheet with baker's parchment, for baking
Also, have a small floured surface ready, to form the dough after mixing. I use a small baking pan for this.
Mix first 6 ingredients until smooth and well blended. Add the baking powder, coconut, and almonds. Mix until well blended.
Now mix in the flour, about a quarter at a time. By the time you add the last quarter of it, the dough will be getting somewhat stiff. Just mix it, the best you can. If there's a bit of dry flour left in the bottom of the bowl, don't worry about it.
Dump the dough out onto the floured surface and flip over a few times, until any stickiness is coated with flour. Shape the dough into a sort of long oval, then divide that into two pieces.
Take each piece in turn, to the parchment covered cookie sheet. Shape each piece into a long log, almost the length of the cookie sheet. Try to square off the ends, so that it bakes more evenly. I usually try to keep the logs around 2" wide, as they tend to spread quite a bit, as they bake.
After the logs are shaped, take a wet paper towel and lightly pat the tops and sides until you can see that the dough top is wet. Sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar and be generous with it! The more, the merrier!
Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool (still on cookie sheet) for 30-45 minutes. I turn off my oven, while they cool.
After the logs are cool, turn your oven back on, to 325 degrees (F).
Take each log and very carefully cut into slices. I find it works best to use a sharp serrated knife and slice (several times) in one direction only. If you 'saw' at them, the slices tend to break. Cut the slices around 1/2" to 3/4" thick. As you slice them, return them to the cookie sheet. I just stand the slices back up as if they were still connected, but make sure there's a bit of space between each. Any extra pieces can go between the two reconstructed logs.
I usually keep the end pieces out, for sampling. The ends tend to dry out a lot faster, so don't really need the second baking.
Okay. Now you've got all the little slices standing next to each other, like little soldiers. Make sure there's just a tad of space between each. This is important, so that the insides will dry.
Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN OVEN! After 15 minutes, turn off the oven and leave the biscotti inside, with the door closed. If it's late in the evening, leave them in the oven overnight. Basically, you want to leave them in there, until the oven cools.
If you're in a big hurry and need to use the oven for something else, do the second baking for about 20-25 minutes, then remove the biscotti and spread them out on cooling racks, with a few paper towels beneath the racks. They must be completely cool, before putting into containers.
I use quart sized freezer bags, to store them. Just place a 'row' of however many will fit into the bag. Since they're dry, they keep longer than regular cookies. We've kept them up to a couple of months (during cooler months), with no change in the taste. You can freeze them, if you need to store keep them for longer than that.