Biscotti - whatever kind you want

I can't possibly count the number of times I've made biscotti.  When CA far, far away, for a very long time, it was the thing he wanted me to send him the most so I made biscotti nearly ever week for a year.  Since biscotti is already crunchy, it didn't matter if it took two weeks for it to reach him in the mail.  Plus, I'm pretty sure he and his coworkers consumed way more coffee than humans actually should and having something tasty to dunk in it made it a little less monotonous.

Needless to say I've been through my fair share of biscotti recipes... pumpkin, cinnamon, coconut, you name it.  But, I always found myself coming back to this one because I could customize it with whatever I happened to have in the house.  Today I found myself with a bunch of random leftover ingredients (dried cherries, currants, hazelnuts, pecans and cocoa nibs) and realized that they would all be really great in biscotti.  So, I whipped up a batch and now have a few less half empty bags clogging up my pantry.  That makes me happy!

If you think making biscotti is hard to make, you're positively incorrect.  It's actually really easy.  The dough for biscotti is essentially cookie dough, there is nothing magical or complicated about it.  You cream butter and sugar, add eggs, add your dry ingredients and then add whatever mix-ins you're using.

The whole idea of biscotti is that they are twice baked which is what makes them crunchy.  First you form your dough into a log (or two) and bake it once.

 Then you slice the log, lay the slices back on the cookie sheet on their sides and bake them again.

See, I told you it wasn't hard.

So, here's my go-to biscotti recipe.  You'll see I'm not specific about what you add into it because you can really do whatever you want.  Just make sure that whatever you put in there is pretty small in size or the biscotti won't hold together as well.  So, make sure you chop any nuts or large pieces of dried fruit.


Biscotti
Adapted from Williams Sonoma

Ingredients

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Other Extract (orange, lemon, almond or more vanilla)
1 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups Mix-Ins (dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, coconut, etc.)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with a silpat or parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Cream butter and sugar together until it is fluffy and pale yellow.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed until incorporated.  Add the vanilla and other extract and mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing until just combined.  Add all the mix-ins and mix until just combined.

Divide the dough in half (it will be quite soft and sticky so use flour on your hands as necessary) and form each half into a log on your cookie sheet.  Each log should be approximately 12 inches long and 2 inches wide.

Bake for 30 minutes or until firm and lightly golden.  Remove the pan from the oven and let the logs cool for 10 minutes.  Transfer each log to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to cut the logs on the diagonal into 3/4 inch slices.  Carefully transfer each slice back to the cookie sheet and lay them on their sides.  Return the cookie sheet to the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.


I bet you've got some random crap in your pantry too so it's time for you to go and get cooking!
Julie