My Culinary Trial Room

I had to participate in this month's challenge. After missing the Halloween goodies, I just had to... I have been regular with my coffee breaks these days, all thanks to the unexpected snow few days back and the dipping mercury levels. A hot cup of coffee seems all the more necessary unlike any other day. And that is another reason that I had to bake this month's challenge. The biscottis, I dunk it in coffee, I dunk it in tea and I dunk it in my favorite Starbuck's pumpkin spice latte. And its that cup that is standing high in the pictures... :)

Nothing like dunking a biscotti in coffee and when its bursting with vanilla in every bite, its just vanilla heaven. Yeah more vanilla and it just seemed to add flavor to my coffee. Now am I exaggerating here, guess not. I am totally in love with these biscottis cos the variations are endless. You can jazz them up with 'n' number of add-ins and if you are a sucker for vanilla (seriously, are you???) then replace the vanilla extract with lemon or orange or even rum extract. Didn't I tell you, there are a whole number of ideas running around my mind. I can see myself baking umpteen batches of this biscottis in the near future atleast till the winter ends here.

And thanks to Priya akka for the wonderful challenge..

~*What U Need*~
Unsalted butter - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Pure Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Eggs - 1
Unbleached all purpose flour - 1 cup
Dark Chocolate chips - 1/4 cup(optional)

How I Made it:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly line a cookie sheet with aluminium foil. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract (if you're using it), and baking powder until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Beat in the egg; the batter may look slightly curdled. Add the flour and mix, the dough will be sticky. Plop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and shape it into 9 1/2" x 2" log, about 3/4" tall. Smooth it out with wet hands.

Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven. Cool for 10 mins. Slightly dampen the crust of the dough with slightly wet hands. Slice it with a serrated knife. Reduce the oven temperature to 325F. Return the biscotti to the oven, and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, until they feel very dry and are beginning to turn golden. They'll still feel a tiny bit moist in the very center, if you break off a piece; but they'll continue to dry out as they cool. Remove the biscotti from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool. Store airtight at room temperature; they'll stay good for weeks.

Serve with coffee!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

I always wanted to try some of these and gave it a go on New Year. The biscottis came out good and huss dear enjoyed it. They were not perfect to look at but I loved the crispiness of the biscotti. I made a small batch only.

What are biscottis?
Biscottis are twice baked cookies / cakes. They are dry and crunchy and are usually dipped in coffee/ wine / eaten as such.They are usually made with almonds but now many variations are available. You have chocolatey, citrussy / fruity biscottis available now.

~* Ingredients *~

Softened Butter - 3 cubes

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Egg - 1

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Baking Soda - 1/4 teaspoon

Baking Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Slivered almonds - 1/2 cup

Almond essence - 1 teaspoon

The Making:
Mix the sugar and butter till they come together. Add the egg and mix well.
Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
Add the flour mixture to the sugar - butter mixture
Add the slivered almonds and almond essence
Mix well till it forms dough.
Form the dough into a log and give the top surface an egg wash.
Place this in the oven and bake it for 15 mins till it is golden brown at 350 C
Once done, remove it and cut it into slices.
Bake the slices again at 300 C for 10 mins (or till done)