Lemon, Olive Oil Biscotti With Almonds


I’ve shared in that past that we have a biscotti jar sitting on our kitchen counter that I am responsible for keeping full. It is actually my husband’s biscotti container because I am not usually a cookie kind of girl. I have been remiss lately in baking any biscotti because we have been busy flying back and forth to Florida, and have recently listed our house for sale. I did finally tackle a batch of biscotti this past week, and I have to say that these are keepers.

My husband enjoys one or two biscotti every day after dinner, and since we have been working hard to eat healthier lately, he asked me to try and bake healthier biscotti. I was concerned about removing too much fat from the cookies which makes them beyond crispy, bordering on hard, but found this biscotti recipe that replaces butter with olive oil.

This cookies also use finely chopped almonds which makes them easier to slice than biscotti using whole almonds and are flavored with lemon. I am generally not a biscotti lover myself, but the flavor and texture of these cookies are truly addictive, and I have been having to ration myself from only eating two biscotti a day as well. In fact, I think by the time the weekend is over I will need to make another batch!

The cookies are flavored with lemon zest and a little lemon juice. I also included King Arthur’s Fiori di Sicilia Extract, a favorite of mine in the kitchen. If you do not have this extract, however, you can use half vanilla extract and half lemon extract. When grinding the almonds, do not grind them too fine as they are best with some texture.

My husband prefers his cookies plain without any icing or glaze, but these biscotti would be delicious dipped in white chocolate or lemon glaze, then sprinkled with some additional finely chopped almonds to finish. The biscotti will crisp up as they cool, so be careful not to overbake them.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

Lemon, Olive Oil Biscotti With Almonds

Lemon, Olive Oil Biscotti With Almonds

Yield: Makes About 3 Dozen Biscotti
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Cup Whole, Raw Almonds, Ground (See Notes Above)
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
  • Zest Of 2 Lemons
  • 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
  • 1 Teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia (See Notes Above)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In one medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and almonds.
  3. In another medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, beat together the eggs, sugar, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and extract for 1 minute until blended.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and on low speed, mix just until blended.
  5. Dump the dough onto a clean counter and knead briefly by hand until a smooth dough forms.
  6. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, then shape each into 12-inch logs about 1 1/2 inch high.
  7. Place the logs on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes or until firm to the touch.
  8. Cool 10 minutes, then cut into 1/2-inch slices using a serrated knife.
  9. Reduce the heat to 275 degrees F. and place the cookies flat, laying side by side on the baking sheet.
  10. Bake another 8 minutes, carefully turn over and bake about 5 to 6 minutes.
  11. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

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4 Comments

  1. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but curious to try this recipe and I’m so happy I did.  These biscotti are delicious!  I love that they’re a bit different from the typical biscotti recipes.  Thanks so much for a great recipe!

  2. Deborah, I just made these, they are in oven now after slicing. The top of the loaves were firm but when I sliced them the inside was still a bit soft to the touch and not totally cooked through. Will the drying process resolve this or have I uncooked them initially?

  3. These are very nice. I used pure vanilla and almond extract – 1/2 tsp each. Next time I will increase that to 3/4 tsp each. I used a scant TBSP of lemon zest that I stirred in by hand after I’d beaten the eggs, sugar, and oil. (No zest getting caught in the beaters). The next time, I will use a heaping TBSP of zest. The dough was very sticky – so I added about 2 TBSP flour. Next time I may just chill it instead of adding any more flour. Cud be that stickiness happened b/c I had reduced the sugar by 25% (150 gm vs 200 gms). Next time I’ll use 175 gm. I was able to shape the sides of the raw logs using a stiff spatula pushing in along the sides of the log. I found that my bare, dry fingertips and ball of my hand worked well to lightly smooth the tops and even out the thickness. The spatula didn’t work too well for that part. After baking, the tops were very smooth. I always cut my biscotti into 3/4-inch pieces and I always stand them up. By doing that, I had almost 2 dozen slices. Thanks!

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