My Nutty Biscotti

haha yes MY nutty biscotti. kinda tweaked the original recipe by quite a bit. added three kinds of nuts to this one - walnuts, blanched almonds and pistachio nuts! and so it makes this one a super heart-healthy snack. reduced the total amount of sugar by about 50 grams! but i added raisins and black currants to give it that tinge of sweetness. and yes not to forget the ground cinnamon i added - it just perfects the entire taste and flavor of the biscotti.

it came out wonderful. all the hardwork was worth the while :)

and if you don't already know, biscotti means twice-baked in italian. that explains the hard work! but double baking is in fact the secret to making these tasty yummy crunchy cookies.

nuts are good for your health!

nuts and more nuts!

shape the dough into an oblong loaf.

the baked loaf is cut into slices and bake until they are dry and hard again

these cookies are as durable as they are tasty. keeps extremely well in an air-tight container.
but ermm they don't last very long afterall hahaha.

My Nutty Biscotti

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract (essence)
1 ¾ cups all-purpose (plain) flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ cups of nuts (walnuts, pistachio nuts, almonds), toasted, then coarsely chopped
½ cup of blackcurrants and raisins (added in any proportion you like)
1 tsp grated orange zest

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350^◦F (180^◦C). Lightly grease and flour 1 large baking sheet, or line it with parchment (baking) paper, and have another ungreased baking sheet on hand.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer in high speed, cream the butter until fluffy and pale yellow. Add the sugar and continue beating till the mixture is no longer gritty when rubbed between your finger and thumb. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well on low speed after each addition. Beat in the vanilla on low speed until blended.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together onto a sheet of waxed paper. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix on low speed or stir with a wooden spoon just until incorporated. Mix or stir in the nuts, blackcurrants, raisins and ornage zest. The batter should be very soft.
4. Turn the batter out onto a generously floured work surface and divide in half. With well-floured hands, transfer one-half onto the greased baking sheet and shape into a log about 12 inches (30cm) long and 1 ½ inches (4cm) in diameter. Place on one side of the sheet. Repeat with the remaining batter, leaving at least 4 inches (10cm) between the logs. (They will spread as they bake.)
5. Bake the logs until the edges are golden, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the logs cool for 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs, still on the pan, on the diagonal into slices ½ inch (12mm) wide. Carefully turn the slices on their sides and return them to the oven. When you run out of room on one baking sheet, start transferring to the other sheet. Bake until the edges are golden, about 10 minutes longer. Let cool completely on the pans on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.