As with all things BLC&K, the ingredients are paramount for a great finished product. For these wonderful biscotti we are proud to use the very best and freshest of nuts, organic flour, De Santis Farms Valencia Oranges and incredibly rich McClelland Dairy eggs. Execution is equally as important. Just as it is a great winemakers job not to ruin perfect grapes, it is the bakers job not to mess up these simple but lovingly procured pantry fixings. The toast on the hazelnuts needs to be perfect, too light and there is not enough flavor coaxed, too dark and they will be bitter and acrid after the final bake. The oranges we use for this are of the most fragrant variety in California grown with care and devotion by Matteo and Rosa De Santis, Italian-American farmers in Fresno. Their mighty Valencia oranges are incredibly floral and hold their flavor whether zested or juiced, but cut too far into the pith and again the cookie turns bitter and unpleasant in the mouth. Last but not least, we use eggs from pastured hens at McClelland Dairy in Petaluma. Chickens that eat bugs lay richer and better tasting eggs. That’s a fact. You may not be able to get the eggs we get but you can use this knowledge to find your own awesome pastured hen eggs. The recipe provided is a good one. It has been tested. But remember, ingredients, especially seasonal ones, change. Nothing that is truly natural is always the same. Use common sense when baking these biscotti. Feel free to make changes to suit your taste and make the cookie your own.
Shaping the dough for the first bake should be precise. This shape will make your cookies uniform and help to brown them evenly as well as make them constant in their appearance. Take your time with this step. We use a heavy duty ruler that we can wash and reuse.
Once the first bake is finished and cooled, we cut the par baked dough into the cookies. Make sure you cut evenly so that the finished batch of biscotti bakes with consistency.
This is what our biscotti look like right before they go into the oven for the second and final bake. Notice they are evenly cut and evenly spaced on the sheet pan.
If you follow the simple steps of the recipe and incorporate just enough common sense you too will have excellent biscotti. Complete recipe below.
Hazelnut Orange Biscotti
5oz hazelnuts, lightly toasted and skinned (almonds also be used)
8 ¾ ounces AP flour
2tsp baking powder
¼tsp salt
2 large eggs, plus 1 large white beaten with pinch salt until just foamy
7oz granulated sugar (or vanilla sugar if you have it and then omit the extract)
4T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1T grated orange zest
1½ tsp orange-flavored liqueur (Grand Marnier or Cointreau)
½tsp vanilla extract
Vegetable oil spray
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325ºF. Using ruler and a pencil, draw two 8 by 3” rectangles, spaced 4 inches apart, on a piece of parchment paper. Grease baking sheet and place parchment on it, pencil mark side down.
Roughly chop 4oz, transfer to a bowl and set aside. Pulse remaining 1oz hazelnuts in food processor until finely ground, about 45 seconds. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; process to combine, about 15 seconds. Transfer flour mixture to a bowl.
Process the 2 eggs in now-empty food processor until pale yellow in color and almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. With machine running, slowly add sugar until thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Add melted butter, orange zest, orange liqueur, and vanilla; process until combined, about 10 seconds. Transfer egg mixture to medium bowl. Sprinkle half of flour mixture over egg mixture and gently fold in until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and hazelnuts and gently fold until just combined.
Divide batter in half equally. Using floured hands, form each half into 8 by 3-inch rectangle, using lines on parchment as guide. Spray each loaf lightly with oil spray and smooth tops and sides of the rectangles. Gently brush tops of loaves with egg white wash. Bake until loaves are golden and just beginning to crack on top, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
Let loaves cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes. Transfer loaves to cutting board. Using serrated knife, slice into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Lay slices, cut side down, about 1/4 inch apart on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 30-35 minutes, flipping slices halfway through baking. Cool completely before serving. Biscotti can be stored in airtight container for up to 1 month.
Makes about 28 biscotti. If smaller biscotti are desired, make 2’ wide rectangles.
Excellent cookie!