BISCOTTI

Savory or sweet, Biscotti is a delicious treat. Bake up a batch using these simple, fool-proof recipes from Trish Lobenfeld’s cookbook Ultimate Biscotti: 75 sweet, savory and gluten-free recipes.

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup whole toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

¾ cup golden raisins

½ cup (~2 medium carrots) peeled, finely shredded carrots

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Icing

7-to-8 ounces white chocolate (see “Icing the Biscotti” on page x for instructions)

Setup

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. In a small bowl, make the egg wash: beat the egg with a splash of cold water until it is frothy and set it aside with a pastry brush. Line a 13 by-18by-1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

Method

In a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt on high until thickened, about 30 seconds. Mix in the walnuts, raisins, and carrots. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg, and beat on low, scraping the sides of the bowl and the beater as needed, until the flour is moist. Scrape the sides and beater again and mix on mediumhigh until the dough is smooth, about 10 seconds.

The addition of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg provides a spice-cake taste and aroma and dipping the cookie in white chocolate mimics carrot cake’s rich, silky cream-cheese icing.

Makes: 2 dozen biscotti

Egg wash

1 large egg

Biscotti

2 large eggs

⅔ cup granulated sugar

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and use your hands to form it into a thick log. Roll the log back and forth, adding a bit of dusting flour as needed, until it is 18-inches long by 2-inches wide. Cut it in half crosswise, and place both halves on the prepared baking sheet, straightening them if needed to keep their shape. Gently press the logs to about a 1/2-inch thickness. Brush both logs with the egg wash and bake for 25 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch but yield just a bit. Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the logs on an angle into 1/2-inch slices. Lay them flat on the baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, turn the cookies over, and bake them for another 10 minutes. When they have finished baking, lift the parchment paper off the baking sheet, and transfer the biscotti to a cooling rack. Ice the cooled biscotti and store them in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.

Sun-dried tomatoes provide a concentrated tomato flavor. Combine them with Parmesan cheese, Italian herb seasoning, and garlic, and you get pizza biscotti. Serve these with a dry wine, a bowl of olives, and a dollop of pesto.

Makes: 2 dozen biscotti

Egg wash

1 large egg

Biscotti

1 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons Italian herb seasoning

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 large eggs

2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon baking powder

Setup

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. In a small bowl, make the egg wash: beat the egg with a splash of cold water until it’s frothy and set aside with a pastry brush. Line a 13 by-18-by-1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

Method

In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, puree the sun-dried tomatoes, butter, cheese, herb seasoning, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in the eggs until thoroughly combined. Add the flour and baking powder and pulse until the flour is moist and smooth, without over processing, scraping the bowl as needed.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and use your hands to form it into a thick log. Roll the log back and forth, adding a bit of dusting flour as needed, until it is 18-inches long by 2-inches wide. Cut it in half crosswise, and place both halves on the prepared baking sheet, straightening them if needed to keep their shape. Gently press the logs to about a 1/2-inch thickness. Brush both logs with the egg wash and bake for 25 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch but yield just a bit. Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and let it sit for at least one hour.

Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the logs on an angle into 1/2-inch slices. Lay them flat on the baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, turn the cookies over, and bake them for another 12 minutes. When they have finished baking, lift the parchment paper off the baking sheet, and transfer the biscotti to a cooling rack. Savory biscotti contain little to no sugar, a natural preservative, and butter or oil, which means they are more perishable than their sweeter cousins. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days in an airtight container. The biscotti freeze well and can be thawed in small quantities, as needed. Warm savory biscotti as you would bread to activate the delicious aromas.

Red velvet cake has an interesting history, with disputes over its assumed origin in the 1930s at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria hotel. What’s interesting is our fascination with its color. The original versions relied on the anthocyanin (a natural pigment) in the cocoa powder reacting with the acid in baking powder and buttermilk. The color was not as deeply red as today’s versions that incorporate red dye. It is certainly an eye-appealing dessert, and these cookies, with their red color, pecans, and white chocolate icing, mimic the cake nicely.

Makes: 2 dozen biscotti

Egg wash

1 large egg

Biscotti

1 tablespoon cold water

1 tablespoon buttermilk powder

2 large eggs

⅔ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 ½ cups whole toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons red food dye

1 ¾ cups, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

Icing

7-to-8 ounces white chocolate (see “Icing the Biscotti” on page XX for instructions)

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. In a small bowl, make the egg wash: beat the egg with a splash of cold water until it’s frothy and set aside with a pastry brush. Line a 13 by-18-by-1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the water in a small bowl and stir in the buttermilk powder until smooth to reconstitute it.

In a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the reconstituted buttermilk, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt on high until thickened, about 30 seconds. Mix in the pecans and red food dye. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder and beat on low, scraping the sides of the bowl and the beater as needed, until the flour is moist. Scrape the sides and beater again and mix on medium-high until the dough is smooth, about 10 seconds.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and use your hands to form it into a thick log. Roll the log back and forth, adding a bit of dusting flour as needed, until it is 18-inches long by 2-inches wide. Cut it in half crosswise, and place both halves on the prepared baking sheet, straightening them if needed to keep their shape. Gently press the logs to about a 1/2-inch thickness. Brush both logs with the egg wash and bake for 25 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch but yield just a bit. Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the logs on an angle into 1/2-inch slices. Lay them flat on the baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, turn the cookies over, and bake them for another 10 minutes. When they have finished baking, lift the parchment paper off the baking sheet, and transfer the biscotti to a cooling rack. Ice the cooled biscotti and store them in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.

Ultimate Biscotti offers not only a wide variety of flavor profiles and recipes for people with food allergies, but also a detailed process that ensures how to successfully and repeatedly make biscotti perfectly. Perfect for any occasion – from weddings and tea parties to graduation celebrations and a Mother’s Day luncheon – Ultimate Biscotti includes recipes from sweet Banana Bread Biscotti and Carrot

Cake Biscotti to savory Bloody Mary Biscotti and Porcini

Rosemary Biscotti and more!