Blood Orange Toasted Almond Biscotti


Winter has finally arrived this weekend along with six inches of snow and frigid temperatures. I THOUGHT that I had weatherproofed my chicken coop and run, but Saturday the snow was blowing into the run which totally upset my chickens, and so I had to add some extra plastic covering along the sides.

It was undoubtedly the coldest weekend we have had so far since moving into our new house and not being used to these freezing temperatures we’ve had both fireplaces going throughout the day to keep things cozy and warm. When I am feeling cold, however, nothing warms me up better than heading into my kitchen to do some baking.

Now that the holidays are over and I’ve discarded the last of the Christmas cookies, I felt that it was time to fill up my husband’s biscotti jar once again. I had a few blood oranges in my refrigerator along with some toasted almonds leftover from my holiday baking, and I knew that they would be a delightful combination of flavors for my biscotti.

The finished dough was a little soft, and it therefore spread out quite a bit while the logs were baking, but the finished cookies were a perfect length to dip into a morning cappuccino. I used olive oil in place of butter in these cookies as I try and use heart-healthy olive oil in my baking whenever I can.

These cookies, like most biscotti, will crisp up nicely once they cool, so take care not to bake the cookies too long. These cookies will last a couple of weeks when stored in an airtight container. Of course, if you cannot find blood oranges, any type of orange could be used in this recipe.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

Blood Orange Toasted Almond Biscotti

Blood Orange Toasted Almond Biscotti

Yield: Makes 36 Biscotti
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Crisp, subtly sweet cookies that are perfect for dipping.

Ingredients

  • 2 2/3 Cups All-purpose Flour
  • 1 1/4 Cups Sugar
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Cup Toasted & Coarsely Chopped Blanched Almonds
  • 1/4 Cup Grated Zest (From Two Blood Oranges)
  • 3 Large Eggs At Room Temperature
  • 5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 3 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Blood Orange Juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In one bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Stir in chopped nuts.
  4. In another bowl, whisk together the orange zest, eggs, olive oil, and orange juice.
  5. Dump the dry ingredients into the wet and stir with a wooden spoon until blended.
  6. Place the dough onto a lightly floured counter, and briefly knead by hand until you have a smooth dough.
  7. Divide the dough into two pieces and shape each as a log about 13-14 inches long and 2 inches high.
  8. Bake the logs in preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned and logs feel firm to the touch.
  9. Remove from the oven and cool the logs for 10 minutes.
  10. Reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees F.
  11. Use a serrated knife and cut the logs into 1/2 inch slices.
  12. Lay the slices flat side by side on the baking sheets and return to the oven.
  13. Bake the cookies 10 minutes and then remove from the oven and cool completely.
  14. Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 2 cookies
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 213Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 164mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 5g

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