Lemon Macadamia Biscotti

biscotti

Biscotti are long and hard cookies that many enjoy by dipping into coffee, hot chocolate, or wine. As fancy coffee shops become more and more popular, biscotti have also become more fashionable and expensive.
The name “biscotti” is Italian and literally means twice baked – which is exactly how I prepared it.

This is another keeper from Anna Olson’s Back to Baking (published by Whitecap Books). Lemon Macadamia Biscotti…these are traditional, and are firm to the bite, and yet, they still crumble in your mouth. I would happily pay for these at a coffee shop.

Lemon Macadamia Biscotti
Author: Anna Olson, Back to Baking

Another wonderful recipe from Anna Olson’s Back to Baking. The lemon in this biscotti makes it taste lighter than traditional biscotti. It is has the classic crunch, yet gives nicely when you bite into . A definite keeper.
Ingredients
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup dry roasted, salted macadamia nuts
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl, stir the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder, and add this to the butter mixture, stirring until evenly blended. Stir in the macadamia nuts. I smashed them up a bit with a rolling pin.
4. Spread the batter into 2 logs. The batter is very soft, so use floured hands to shape the logs to about 14 inches (35 cm) in length. Mine were a bit longer.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the surface of the logs is evenly golden in colour, and remove.
6. Let the biscotti cool for 15 minutes and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
7. On a cutting board, use a bread knife to slice each of the logs into biscotti that are ½ inch wide, and place them back on the baking trays.
8. Bake the biscotti for 10-15 minutes, until they just begin to brown at the edges. Let them cool completely on the trays and then store them in an airtight container. The biscotti will keep for up to 3 weeks.

enjoy!