The familiar zwiebacklike cookie originated not at Starbucks but in Italy, where it is nowhere near as popular as it is in the States. Still, it’s nice to have a bunch around, and they keep far better than regular cookies, up to a week in an airtight container. Increase the sugar to a cup if you like your biscotti sweet. These may be made, of course, without nuts, with lemon instead of orange, or with added ingredients like raisins or even chocolate chips.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 3 to 4 dozen
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently until they color slightly and become fragrant, 3 or 4 minutes.
Step 2
Combine the sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor; pulse to blend. Add the eggs, vanilla, and zest and process until the mixture forms a dough ball; if necessary, add a tablespoon or two of milk. Add the toasted nuts and pulse a few times; you don’t want to pulverize the nuts, just chop them lightly (and it’s okay if some remain whole) and integrate them into the dough.
Step 3
Butter 2 baking sheets and dust them with flour; invert the sheets and tap them to remove excess flour. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 2-inch-wide log. Place each log onto one of the baking sheets.
Step 4
Bake until the loaves are golden and beginning to crack on top, about 30 minutes; remove the logs from the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 250°F. When the loaves are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to cut each on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Put the slices on the sheets, return to the oven, and leave them there until they dry out, 15 to 20 minutes, turning once. Cool on wire racks.
