Fool-proof Biscotti

Ok, so as you all know, the title of this blog is Cogs and Chocolate... SO, somewhere along the line I feel like it'd be false advertising to NOT persue Tuscan foods, and at least ONE good recipe. So, without any futher adue, here we go:

To the italians, all cookies are Biscotti. To Americans, Biscotti are a wonderful cookie found mostly in individually wrapped packages by a company called "Nonni's Biscotti" (http://www.nonnis.com/), or in some mass-produced madness at Starbucks. The actual derrivation of the word biscotti is 'bis' or twice, and 'cotti' which means baked... or together, "twice baked."

In my lifetime I have had two Biscotti worth noting: one in a fantastic store in the Strip District of Pittsburgh called "Enrico Biscotti" and the other here in Tuscany. Unfortunately the Biscotti made at the CIA were quite tasty, but involved the creaming method. (which, for all you non-pastry people, entails butter and eggs at specific temperatures, and specific mixing times) This however, is the traditional Tuscan recipe, void of all butter, and completely fool-proof. Also, due to the very low fat (and moisture) content, it has a fantastic shelf-life.

Should you attempt this recipe, you should only expect delicious, dry, dunkable cookies:

Biscotti:

Yeild: (enough to fill a 6 qt mixer bowl of dough) approx. 120 - 4" long biscotti

Flour 2# 12 oz
Sugar 2# 8 oz
Eggs 1# 3 oz
Almonds 1#
Orange, Zest 1 ea
Vanilla extract 1 tsp
Baking Powder 1 tsp

1) Paddle (in a planetary mixer such as a KitchenAid) the Sugar, Eggs, Orange zest, and Vanilla X
2) Add Eggs & mix into homogenous
3) Combine Flour & Baking Powder, add to the mix, and mix until homogenous
4) Add Almonds & mix breifly (!!) to distribute Almonds (note: mixers are not designed to process hard objects such as nuts for long periods of time)
5) Portion Dough into 2" diam. logs as long as the width of a 1/2 sheet tray (for home use)
6) Place 3 logs per 1/2 sheet tray (with space to spread slightly), and gently flatten to ease baking.
7) Egg Wash & Sprinkle with Sugar (Egg Wash = 2 Eggs, 1 T Water, pinch of Salt)
8) Bake at 350F until fully baked and the exterior has taken on a golden hue (SORRY CHEF HAMON!.. haha)
9) Remove from oven, let cool and cut on the bias (a.k.a. diagonally) into 1/2" thick cookies.
10) Lay cookies flat on sheet trays and re-bake until dried. (They will START to take color when completely dry, so feel them and pull out when finished)
11) Cool and EAT!

CIAO!