Biscotti

[tejon]

I have a few recipes, but none come out the right texture or taste in my opinion. My goal is to have a dense, dry, not too sweet biscotti that is full of flavor and prefect for dipping into something warm.

Any hints, recipes, or links?

Edited November 18, 2003 by tejon (log)

[melkor]

The second time you bake them, stand the biscotti upright. You don't need to flip them and they come out more crisp. What flavoring are you looking for? What recipes have you tried?

[tejon]

Ah - I had always baked on one side, flipped, then baked on the other side. Standing them on end sounds like a much better idea.

I'll admit to having not even one Italian cookbook , something I hope to remedy soon. So the recipes that I have tried have been off the web or out of less traditional cookbooks. I'm looking for anything with almonds or hazelnuts that would be good drizzled with a bit of chocolate, just to gild the lily a bit.

[tsquare]

you can also bake them on a rack, the second time in.

I like the Hay Day Cookbook almond cranberry (or maybe that's my variation on it?) These are not quite so brittle. Recipes with butter are quite different than ones without. Both are good. Biscotti with black pepper is remarkable. Have a recipe from Bon Appetit - maybe 1985? Yikes, time flies.

[Derek Wildstar]

My favorite biscotti is from Maida Heatter. She has fabulous recipes for almond chocolate chip, macadmia nut milk chocolate; and chocolate with almonds biscotti. You can find her cookbooks everywhere. If all the chocolate sounds too sweet for your tastes, my mother-in-law makes a very good almond mandel bread (jewish biscotti) and we may have her recipe at home.

[tejon]

Derek - Just finished looking for cookbooks by Maida Heatter and now know what to add to my birthday wish list :-). I would be very interested in the mandelbrot recipe if you can locate it.

tsquare - I love the idea of black pepper in a biscotti - was it a sweet or savory cookie? I could see it both ways (thinking of strawberries and black pepper).

[kitwilliams]

Once you get your Maida Heatter (as long as you get her "new" cookie book), you must try her "gingerful" biscotti. It includes white pepper and dry mustard and has an awesome kick to it. This one is a no-butter biscotti and comes out very crisp and hard. Great for dunking in tea.

[Alex]

I've used the Cook's Illustrated recipe with great success. I usually make an orange-anise version, using Boyajian orange oil and crushed anise seeds.

[albiston]

I hope I'm not off topic but what are biscotti?

I'm Italian and biscotti (for us Italians at least) is just the general term for biscuits and cookies. You're clearly talking about some specific kind of biscuit/cookie here. From the baking description I would immagine they're variations of the cokies called tozzetti/anicini/cantuccini/etc (wine cookies if you like) which in one form or another are found everywhere in Italy. Am I right, or are they something else still?

[Toliver]

I hope I'm not off topic but what are biscotti?

I'm Italian and biscotti (for us Italians at least) is just the general term for biscuits and cookies. You're clearly talking about some specific kind of biscuit/cookie here. From the baking description I would immagine they're variations of the cokies called tozzetti/anicini/cantuccini/etc (wine cookies if you like) which in one form or another are found everywhere in Italy. Am I right, or are they something else still?

Click here for a picture.

This is what is recognized as biscotti here in America. It can come in all kinds of different flavors. Some are half-dipped in chocolate.

It's a twice-baked cookie. Cooked as a "loaf" the first time, then sliced and cooked as seperate biscotti's the second time.

Edited to add, yes, they are probably the wine cookies you're talking about.

Edited November 19, 2003 by Toliver (log)

[Cephalopunk]

I regularly make Sheila Lukins' Biscotti from Silver Palate. While not overwhelmingly traditional, it is very simple and has a dense eggy taste, possibly what you're shooting for. Black pepper is a wonderful idea, tsquare. Maybe almonds, black pepper, orange or lemon zest?

[zilla369]

This recipe from the Godiva Chocolate website is the one i've settled on. I often make them as check amenities at the restaurant where i work.

A word of caution: make sure you beat the eggs and sugars for the entire 10 minutes suggested by the recipe. Skimping on the beating-time will result in a runny batter too loose to form into proper loaves, or loaves that will spread and flatten out too much in the oven.

[Derek Wildstar]

Derek - Just finished looking for cookbooks by Maida Heatter and now know what to add to my birthday wish list :-). I would be very interested in the mandelbrot recipe if you can locate it.

tsquare - I love the idea of black pepper in a biscotti - was it a sweet or savory cookie? I could see it both ways (thinking of strawberries and black pepper).

I will look for the recipe and let you know.

[prasantrin]

This recipe from the Godiva Chocolate website is the one i've settled on. I often make them as check amenities at the restaurant where i work.

I checked out the recipe and would like to try it. Should I need to omit the 4 teaspoons of Godiva Liqueur, would orange juice work in its place?

[tsquare]

tsquare - I love the idea of black pepper in a biscotti - was it a sweet or savory cookie? I could see it both ways (thinking of strawberries and black pepper).

Keep forgeting to dig it out - but I think they are almond/orange with black pepper (excellent guess cephalopunk!). A friend makes a different version as her standard - but I don't recall the other flavors in it.

[zilla369]

This recipe from the Godiva Chocolate website is the one i've settled on.  I often make them as check amenities at the restaurant where i work.

I checked out the recipe and would like to try it. Should I need to omit the 4 teaspoons of Godiva Liqueur, would orange juice work in its place?

nah, omit the Godiva and just don't replace it with anything.

If you're not omitting due to alcohol constraints, just put in brandy or Kaluha or something.

[beans]

I love the idea of black pepper in a biscotti - was it a sweet or savory cookie? I could see it both ways (thinking of strawberries and black pepper).

I think it was Epicurious that I got a pepper biscotti recipe. They were fantastic with red wine.

[tsquare]

The recipe I have is from Bon Appetit, January 1989.

It is called Walnut-Pepper Biscotti and uses orange peel, vanilla and almond extract, as well as a lot of toasted walnuts and 1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper (freshly ground, of course.) It includes eggs and butter. I'd post it, but that would be a copyright violation as I understand it.

That particular issue has a whole mess of cookie recipes. Now that I found it, I think I'll try some of thes other ones this year.

[Derek Wildstar]

Tejon:

I looked for the mandelbrot recipe, but I can't find it. Nevertheless, I think you will be very pleased with the Maidia Heatter biscotti or some of the other suggestions on this thread.

Happy baking!

[tejon]

Thanks everyone! This Friday I will be going cookbook hunting, and playing more with biscotti recipes soon after (have to recover slightly from Thursday, you know ).

Edited November 25, 2003 by tejon (log)

[Degustation]

Here's the Bon Appetit recipe.

Walnut Pepper Biscotti

[futronic]

I hope I'm not off topic but what are biscotti?

I'm Italian and biscotti (for us Italians at least) is just the general term for biscuits and cookies. You're clearly talking about some specific kind of biscuit/cookie here. From the baking description I would immagine they're variations of the cokies called tozzetti/anicini/cantuccini/etc (wine cookies if you like) which in one form or another are found everywhere in Italy. Am I right, or are they something else still?

I'm Italian as well, and understand your confusion. What they're talking about it something similar to Cantuccini di Prato.

Here's the recipe I use:

Combine in a bowl:

1 3/4 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup toasted almonds

In a separate bowl, whisk 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add to the flour and knead until firm.

Shape into 3 1-1/2" thick logs and bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 30 minutes.

Slice diagonally into 1" slices, spread out on the baking sheet, and bake 5 minutes, turning once.

[emmalish]

Resurrecting an old thread to ask a biscotti-related question. Which do you prefer: recipes with butter or without?

I've only ever tried recipes with butter. Right now I'm tweaking a lemon pistachio recipe and I'm finding the dough is a bit too wet. I'm thinking of switching to a butterless recipe, but I'm not sure I'll like the texture (I've heard other people say they think they're "hard as rocks").

I do like my biscotti quite crunchy -- which is one of the reasons the wet dough isn't really working for me. They're taking forever to bake to the appropriate crunchiness.

Opinions?

[yellowmnm81]

i've only made butterless biscotti recipes... and i really like them. i find no problem with them being hard as rocks.. either that or i'm just okay with eating very hard things. well, that and i always eat them by dipping them into coffee. and for that i've been scared to make butter biscotti before because i didn't want them to fall apart after dunking. i usually make the cantuccini recipe in baking with julia. it's a great recipe and the biscotti are delicious! i like the texture of them a lot. i haven't made biscotti in a long time though so i haven't had a chance really to make anything else. maybe i will take this oppurtunity and start biscotti making again.

[emmalish]

Thanks yellowmnm81. (off to check my Baking With Julia now...)