Biscotti Di Prato (Little Almond Cookies)
Submitted by EVEM
Authentic biscotti di Prato from Tuscany. Twice-baked Italian almond cookies with toasted almonds, a pinch of saffron, and the traditional pasta-board well method. Crisp, dunkable, and built to keep.
YIELD
48 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
60 minREADY
105 minBiscotti di Prato are the original Tuscan twice-baked almond cookies, the rock-hard golden batons designed to soak up a glass of Vin Santo without going to mush. This is the traditional version with both blanched and unblanched almonds, a whisper of saffron, and the old pasta-board well technique where the eggs and sugar get worked into a flour mound by hand.
The two toasts are what define a real biscotto. The first bake at 375F (190C) sets the logs into a soft, golden bread. After slicing on a sharp 45 degree angle, the cookies go back in at 275F (135C) to dry slowly until they’re shatter-crisp all the way through. Skip the second bake and you get cake. Skip the angle on the slice and you don’t get the classic elongated shape.
Grinding part of the toasted almonds fine and leaving the rest in coarse pieces gives the cookies both flavor and texture. The fine almond meal flavors the dough; the chunks give bite. The pinch of ground saffron is subtle but essential, lending a warm golden tone and the faintly floral note that distinguishes Prato biscotti from generic almond cookies.
Pro Tips
- Toast the almonds first. Raw almonds give a flat, chalky cookie.
- Slice the logs while they are still slightly warm. Cold biscotti shatter under the knife.
- A serrated knife with a sawing motion gives clean cuts. A straight blade compresses and tears.
- Store in a paper bag for the first few days to let them soften slightly. After a week, transfer to a tin where they’ll keep for months.
Variations
- Add 2 tablespoons aniseed or fennel seed to the dough for an Italian licorice-tinged biscotto.
- Skip saffron and stir in 2 tablespoons orange zest with the eggs for a citrus version.
- Dip one end of each cooled biscotto in dark melted chocolate for a modern finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Place both the blanched and unblanched almonds on a cookie sheet and toast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown.
Grind 4 ounces of mixed blanched and unblanched almonds very fine, then cut the remaining toasted almonds into two or three pieces each.
Place the flour on a pasta board in a mound and make a well in the center.
Put the sugar and eggs in the well. Mix the sugar and eggs together well, then add the salt, saffron, and baking soda.
Mix thoroughly and when all the ingredients in the well are well integrated, incorporate the flour little by little, until all but about 2 tablespoons is incorporated.
Set the leftover flour aside.
Knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes, then add the very finely ground almonds and the almond pieces.
Knead for 2 to 3 minutes more, incorporating the remaining flour.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces.
With your hands, shape each piece into a long, thin roll about ¾ inch in diameter, then place, widely apart on a buttered and floured cookie sheet.
Beat the egg white slightly in a small bowl and lightly coat the tops of the 8 rolls with it, using a pastry brush, then put the baking sheet into the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes.
Remove the rolls from the oven (they will expand in size sideways) and cut them with a long slicing knife at a 45-degree angle every ¾ inch to get the shape required for this type of little cookie, or biscotti.
Place the biscotti back in the oven, this time at 275F, for 35 to 45 minutes.
They will be very dry.
NOTE: These cookies are much better eaten after 2 or 3 days, when they have softened a little; keep them in a paper bag.
If you wish to keep them indefinitely, transfer after a week to a jar or can.
Serves 8 to 10.
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