Italian-style biscotti
Made without butter or oil, real Italian biscotti are quite crisp. They're baked twice, first in logs, then sliced and baked again until they're dry. King Arthur suggests spritzing the log lightly before slicing, to make the cookies less crumbly. To add nuts, use about 2/3 cup. Put them into a heavy-duty plastic zipper bag, make the seal airtight, and tap the nuts with a rolling pin to crack them. Makes about 14.
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs, sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla until creamy looking and thick as pancake batter. Reduce the speed to medium low. Add the flour and beat just until it is incorporated.
3. Transfer the dough to the prepared sheet and shape it into a rough log, using a wet pastry scraper to guide you. The log will be about 14-inches long and about 2 1/2-inches wide.
4. Bake the log for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven and cool the log for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
5. Five minutes before cutting the log, use a spray bottle of roomtemperature water to mist the sides and top. Cut the log into 1/2-inch slices (if adding nuts, slice the logs 3/4-inch thick). Set the biscotti upright on the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.
6. Cool the biscotti on a wire rack. Store in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks.
Adapted from "The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion" 