Almond White Chocolate Biscotti

While I'm usually more of a soft and chewy cookie kind of girl, there are times when a crunchy and hard cookie is just what I need. This was the case not too long ago, and so I decided it was time to make some biscotti. Biscotti, that twice baked, crisp and crumbly cookie that is perfect for dipping in coffee, hot chocolate, or my personal favorite, milk. There are so many options when it comes to biscotti; they can be sweet or savory, filled with chocolate or nuts, dried fruit or cheese, really anything you can think of. I of course favor the sweet version, and this time I went with white chocolate and almonds, mostly because I had both of those things in the house. It was a delicious combination though, one I would make again. Because you bake biscotti twice, the whole process can take a while, but you are left with a lot of cookies in the end, and they last for a long time. If you don't think you like biscotti because you've only ever bought it pre-packaged at a coffee shop or at the store, try making it at home before you write it off completely; you might be surprised at how delicious it can be!

Cooled, drizzled and ready to eat

Slivered almonds, ready to go

White chocolate, chopped

Dry ingredients 

Add the beautiful eggs...

...and the butter, and start stirring

Once it starts to combine a little, use you hands to 

knead the dough until it all comes together

Done

Divide the dough in three balls

Shape them into 14 inch logs

Place the logs on a couple of cookie sheets

and flatten them slightly

First bake

Gotta let them cool for about 20 minutes

Then slice up into 1/2 inch cookies

Cutting on the diagonal 

Then place back on the cookie sheets to be baked again

Ready to go

Second bake

Beautiful golden brown

Drizzle with white chocolate and 

they're ready to eat

Almond White Chocolate Biscotti
From: Ultimate Italian, a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped white chocolate 
• 2 eggs 
• 2 egg yolks 
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted 

Directions
Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease two cookie sheets; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder salt, almonds and chocolate. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Place eggs and egg yolks in the well and stir into the flour mixture. Add butter; stir until combined. (Dough will be crumbly.) Use your hands to knead dough until it comes together.

Divide dough into three equal portions. (If necessary, wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes or until evenly moistened.) On a lightly floured surface, shape each portion into a 14 inch long log, pinching dough as you roll, if necessary. Place logs about 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets; flatten logs slightly until about 1 1/2 inches wide. Bake about 25 minutes or until firm and light brown. Transfer cookie sheets to wire racks. Cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer logs to cutting board. Use a serrated knife to cut each log diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn slices over Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until crisp, golden and dry. Cool.

Drizzle additional melted whit chocolate over cooled biscotti if desired.