This is absolutely the best...crispy, crunchy, mild sweet flavor...not like the tooth-breaking commercial biscotti. I baked this for the first time last week exactly as printed with exception of using almond flavoring instead of anise. Like some others I found the baking time needed was less than the recipe stated, so watch it closely. Here are few tips that I'd suggest to those with less than satisfactory results. Do NOT add more flour. Stir it up as the recipe states and then divide the dough directly onto your well greased baking sheets. Use your hands to form it into a long roll that goes the length of the sheets and then use your fingers or a rolling pin (I used my Pampered Chef little roller) to flatten it out to a rectangle about 4" wide and about 1/2" thick. Bake. Remove from oven and while still hot use a pizza cutter to cut into strips. Flip strips on their sides and return to oven, continuing as the recipe directs. This worked absolutely perfectly for me and was so much easier than transferring a pre-formed roll of sticky dough to the baking pan and then contending with trying to slice a cool (and very crumbly) finished product. Hope this will help some of you and encourage you to try again. It's soooo easy and so tasty with ingredients just as they are! Wish I could give it more stars! I can't keep my hands out of the cookie jar!
Delicious! Great with coffee or as a snack. I did not have anise so used 1/2 Tbsp. almond and 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla intstead. Great flavor! TIP: Once dough is made; get a couple of long sheets of wax paper and split dough into 2 equal parts; place dough half on wax sheet and fold excess wax over dough allowing room for expanision; apply pressure/shape dough without having it stick to your hands or your kitchen counter. Do same with second half. Good luck!
I am a seasoned baker, and have tried many "biscotti" & "mandelbread" recipes over the years. This is the BEST recipe by far. It is simple, does not require the use of a mixer, and is just delicious. Every time I make it and serve it with coffee to guests, the raves are unbelievable, and I always send my company home with some. Thank you Jandee.
I cannot say enough good things about this recipe! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I have personalized it for my family and have made it many times now. Instead of 1 cup sugar, we add half cup each of white and brown. Throw in 1 cup chopped almonds, (some finely chopped and others coarse)- mix in with flour,add 1 tbsp. almond extract and 1/2 tbsp vanilla to the wet ingredients. This time I am also adding some chopped dry cherries, then you can drizzle with melted chocolate or almond bark for a special flair. Sad thing is, now my husband doesn't want to go to the coffee shop anymore - he insists these biscotti are so great - why buy them! (I do agree, so now does anyone have a good cappuccino recipe they'll share? :) THank you Jandee! PS - these make incredibly elegant (not to mention EASY) gifts for anyone you care about!
I am a pastry chef and make this recipe to go with the espresso that is served at my restaurant. I omit the anise oil and add 1/4 teaspoon EACH cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and coriander. Yum!
I loved this recipe. Of course, I did my own flavor invention. I omitted the anise, and added orange extract instead, and added 1T orange peel and 1/2 T cinnamon. Then spread white chocolate over top. They are a hit. As far as the stick dough goes, a trick I learned working with meatloaf... keep your hands ever so slightly moist at all times (NOT wet), and any sticky mixture ends up shaped perfectly. Add no flour at all whatsoever, no matter what the temptation. Managing with wax paper and moist hands is the key.
I've tried 3 biscotti recipes in this site and this is the one I like the best. I used crushed fennel seeds and a tsp lemon extract and it turned out great. I like softer biscottis, so I baked it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, then cut and rebake them for 4 minutes on each side. I found that oil is better than butter or margarine. The biscottis are not as crumbly. Thanks Jandee. This is a great find for me. MistIver
Even though I almost always bake with ONLY real butter, I followed the recipie and used vegetable oil. I did not find it necessary to add any extra flour as did many others who reviewed this recipie. I used brown sugar rather than white, and 1/2 tbsp. vanilla and 1/2 tbsp. almond extract b/c I did not have anise. Rather than mixing chopped nuts into the batter itself. I pressed finely chopped walnuts into the top of the logs once shaped and on the cookie sheet. The recipie is excellent and the final product has a WONDERFUL texture and flavor. This recipie is truly representative of fine biscottis you find at the coffee shop.
This is a great recipe! I substituted 1 tsp vanilla and 2 tsp almond extract for the anise extract with wonderful results. I turned the dough out onto floured waxed paper and it handled very well. The recipe is easy to make and could successfully be varied by adding nuts dried cranberries etc and changing the flavorings. This will be a nice addition to your holiday cookie trays. Whether you are a seasoned baker or not give this recipe a try. You will be glad you did.
These are "no frills." Not much flavor, and I had to add extra flour to get the dough "heavy" so I could shape it.
