Biscotti recipe

Biscotti are traditional Italian biscuits that are twice baked. This means they are very hard and crisp, ideal for dunking in an espresso coffee or to serve with Zabaglione. For a twist, you could add chocolate chips or cranberries to the dough and flavour with a little grated orange zest.

Ingredients

• 275g self raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2tbsp Madeira or sweet sherry
• 100g shelled almonds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment
2. Place the flour, sugar and baking powder in a mixing bowl and mix together. Stir in the eggs and sherry, then the almonds and mix well until the mixture clumps together. Lightly knead the dough, then turn out onto a floured work surface and shape into 2 long fat sausage shapes.
3. Place them well spaced apart onto a baking tray, and bake for 35 mins
4. Leave to cool for 15 mins so that they are easier to slice and reduce the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 3.
5. Cut the biscotti into 1 cm thick slices and lay them flat on the baking trays. Bake for a further 20 mins until dry and hardened.
6. Leave to cool then store in a cake tin for up to 1 month.

How long do homemade biscotti keep?

This homemade biscotti recipe will last between 2-3 weeks in a cake tin or air-tight container - that's if you don't eat them all first! They make a great homemade food gift option to give to friends and family. Wrap in cellophane and tye with a bow.

How can I make my biscotti less hard?

If you want to soften your biscotti, we'd recommend adding a drizzle of icing sugar to your biscuit. Serve with a cup of tea or coffee and dunk into the liquid to make the biscuit less crunchy.