Cardamom-Almond Biscotti

I don't usually get pastries or cakes when I have my coffee/tea, but I just love a crunchy and light biscotti. It's the perfect pick-me-up in the afternoon, and sometimes, right before bed.

This is your basic biscotti recipe, but I decided to add cardamom and whole almonds because I love the floral taste and the extra crunch of whole nuts.




3-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups sugar
10 tablespoons (1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup whole almonds, toasted or blanched

Preheat oven to 350F/177C. Slide rack onto center rung.

In medium bowl, sift together salt, flour and baking powder. In large bowl, mix together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and cardamom. Slowly mix in dry ingredients (about a cup or two at a time) until thoroughly blended. Add almonds.

Divid the dough in half, and roll each one into thick logs that are about 2-1/2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Place parchment or baking paper on top of cookie sheet and place both logs on paper. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. The logs will have flattened a bit during baking, and will look like a loaf of ciabatta bread.

Remove from oven and let cool for about 15-20 minutes. Slice into loaves using sharp, serrated knife at an angle, making each biscotti at least 1 inch (2 cm) wide. Put biscotti back onto cookie sheet, on their sides, and bake on each side for another 5-8 minutes. They should be pretty hard when you pull them out of the oven the final time.

Let cool and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.