Easy Italian Recipes

 MAKES about 4 dozen biscotti

- 2 cups (10 oz/315 g) pine nuts
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (12 oz/375 g) sugar
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz/90 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- 3 cups (15 oz/470 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt

Biscotti means "twice cooked:" first baked in a log and then cut into slices and baked again until crisp. The resulting cookies are designed for dunking. They are excellent with espresso or coffee, and are equally delicious with a sweet after-dinner wine such as yin santo or orange muscat.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325°F (165°C). Spread the pine nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven, shaking the pan every 2-3 minutes, until the nuts are golden, about 8 minutes. Pour them out onto a plate to cool. Put one-third of the cooled nuts into a food processor and pulse to chop finely; do not grind to a paste. Set aside. Raise the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well blended. Stir in the butter until combined. Add the finely chopped nuts and the orange zest and mix well. Add the flour and salt and mix well. Finally, add the whole pine nuts and stir to distribute them evenly. At this point, the dough will be very stiff.

Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment (baking) paper. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Form each portion into a log about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick, 2 inches (5 cm) wide, and 6 inches (15 cm) long. Using a long spatula, transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.

Bake the logs, watching to make sure the bottoms do not get too brown, until the top of each is firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using the spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board. Let cool slightly, then, using a large serrated knife, cut each log on the diagonal into slices 1/2 inch (12 mm) thick. Place the slices, with a cut side down, on the baking sheets (if all the slices won't fit, bake them in 2 batches).

Bake the biscotti until they color slightly and are quite firm to the touch, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Buon appetito !