Biscotti (Carquinyolis)

A very good friend of mine in London recently passed this recipe on to me with the caveat that I report back and send her photographs of the finished product. Well it worked and for a while I became slightly obsessed.  I literally found myself making biscotti into the night trying out different flavour combinations.  They are so simple to make with incredibly satisfying results. The jar of biscotti that features here I then gave as a gift at a dinner party, receiving ooohs & aaahs all round… I think that’s my ultimate cooking pleasure and why I seem to be constantly entertaining, I thrive on the appreciation and the more I get the more it makes me want to go straight back in the kitchen and produce something even better.  Anyway, I hasten to add that you really do have to try these; they are especially delicious dunked in coffee.

The word Biscotti is derived from the latin ‘bis’ & ‘cotto’ literally meaning twice-baked, they are traditionally Italian, but many countries have since adopted their own versions seems, in Spain Carquinolis!

Biscotti
[makes 25-ish]

Ingredients for dough:

125g (4oz) plain flour
125g (4oz) caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg (lightly beaten)

Mix flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl, add the egg a bit at a time until it comes together into a dough, if too dry add more egg, if too wet dust with a little more plain flour.

Ingredients to flavour:
Options are endless, but some of my tried & tested combinations are as follows:

Dark chocolate & pistachio (make sure to use unsalted pistachios)
White chocolate, glace cherry & almond flakes
Almond & cherry (use whole or crushed blanched, skinless, unsalted almonds)
Amaretto & Almond (Amaretto is a sweet almond-flavoured liqueur that just gives a bit more of a flavour kick)

Add your chosen ingredients to the dough and divide into a few pieces before rolling into sausage shapes about 3cm diameter and laying out on parchment paper on a baking tray about 6cm apart. Lightly flatten, but not too much they spread whilst cooking!

Bake in preheated oven at 180C (350F) for 20-30mins until golden, remove and wait 10 mins to firm up.  Reduce oven to 140C (275F) and with serrated knife, cut biscotti on an angle into 1cm slices and return to oven on laid sideways on baking tray for another 20 mins turning once until pale gold all over.

Remove, cool & store in an air tight container.

Share with friends – Lorna