Just Almond Meal (ground up almonds from Trader Joes) are a convenient time saver. I used one cup of the almond meal instead of 1½ cup whole almonds which the recipe says to grind up. The cookies are classic biscotti, for grown-up taste - dry, very crunchy, not too sweet, and very almond-y. Serve with some coffee or tea. Careful not to get them too toasty in the second baking or they will taste like burnt nuts, not good. Next time I will definitely dip them in chocolate or white chocolate, they're a bit plain for my taste.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, room temp.
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
- Chocolate or white chocolate for melting and dipping, optional
Instructions
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to blend. Add ground almonds, stir well.
- In a large bowl, mix together with an electric mixer the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and extract. With a sturdy mixing spoon, stir in the flour mixture until just blended. The dough will be sticky. Cover the bowl and chill the dough until firm, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease baking pan(s), or use parchment or silicone liner.
- Divide the dough into 2 halves. Using moistened hands, shape each half into a 10 inch x 2 inch log shape on the baking sheet. The logs should be about 4 inches apart and away from the pan edges.
- Bake logs for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Rotate the baking sheet from front to back halfway through the baking time. The logs will puff up a lot in the oven. When done, cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 15 mins.
- Remove the logs to a cutting board. With a sharp serrated knife, carefully make diagonal slices, 1/2 inch thick, from the logs. Place slices, cut side down, on the same baking sheet (don't need to space them apart too much).
- Bake 15 minutes, turning the slices over halfway through the baking time. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through the baking time also. When done, cookies will be crisp and golden. Transfer cookies to a wire rack with a spatula to cool.
- Cookies can be dipped or drizzled with chocolate or white chocolate, optional.
Adapted from a recipe in The Cookie Book, by Holly Garrison. Contains many recipes I use, including sugar cookies and chocolate cookies.
