biscotti – two ways
Biscotti are rustically charming Italian twice-baked cookies. Dough is first formed into a long roll and baked, then cut on the diagonal and baked a second time to dry them. They’re a delicious, even politely meant-to-be-dunkable treat. In Italy, biscotti are dunked into coffee and enjoyed for breakfast. In the evenings, after one of their famously-long and leisurely dinners, biscotti might be dipped into wine (especially vin santo.) In that sense, they’re a sort of chewable, meltable, endlessly-adaptable delivery system for the beverage being enjoyed alongside. Biscotti have made their way stateside, though some of them are highly sweetened and fancified and bear little resemblance to their Italian ancestor. I’ll offer the more traditional sort here.
What we love about biscotti:
they’re positively delicious when, bite-by-bite, they’re softened in coffee
they fall into the “treat” category without being overly sweet
even after weeks (if they last that long) they’re as good as ever
they make someone a sweet little present
they look so cute in a jar
I sent out sample packages of two versions for a vote. The results were close, but the lemon-aniseed version narrowly beat out the orange-walnut among testers. This was a very limited sample so I wouldn’t read much into it if I were you. They’re each good, and each has a following, but my husband and I come down on the side of the Grand Marnier-walnut. With fans in each camp though, I thought it only fair to let you decide for yourselves. (I’d start with the walnut – but you already knew that.) Post a vote if you like! And if you find a way of pairing your biscotti up with a favorite beverage or frozen dessert, I’d love to hear your discoveries.
Grand Marnier Walnut Biscotti
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier (or substitute a brandy or Cognac of your choosing – see NOTE)
- zest of 1 orange – about 1 Tablespoon
- 2 cups plus 2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting your board)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
cooking-spree 