Brown Sugar + Pecan Biscotti

Crisp but delicate biscotti studded with pecans and finished with a hint of cinnamon.

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons (115 grams) butter
• 1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup (70 grams) ground almonds
• 1 cup (130 grams) chopped pecans

– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients – 

Equipment:

• Standing or hand-held electric mixer
• Cookie sheets lined with baking paper
• Sharp serrated knife

Directions:

Heat the oven to 180C (350F). Line two cookie sheets with baking paper. Cream the butter and brown sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and beat until thick and fluffy.

Add the flour, almonds, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix until almost combined. Add the chopped pecans and mix until combined.

Divide the dough into two or four depending on how large you want your biscotti to be. If you go with four small biscotti logs, scoop two portions onto each cookie sheet at opposite sides.

For larger biscotti do one log per sheet. This is very generous in terms of space but they do spread and I am a bit paranoid about them joining together. Lightly flour your hands and pat the dough down into neatish logs. It will be sticky so dab flour on your hands as you go to help.

Small logs should be about 8 inches long and 1 inch high. Larger logs will be about 10 inches long and 1 and a half to 2 inches high. They will spread and making them a bit taller than you think will help them to dome.

Bake the small logs for 20 minutes and the larger ones for about 25 minutes until they are golden and when you touch the top of them gently with a finger they are set but a bit springy. Rotate the trays and swap them top to bottom halfway through cooking. If they are soft and seem a bit squishy give them a couple more minutes.

Take the logs out of the oven and pop them onto a cooling rack on the tray. Leave them for about 15 minutes then slide them on the paper onto the rack by themselves. Leave them to cool for another 15 minutes. They need to be firm and cool enough to hold and slice.

Use a sharp serrated knife and gently slice the logs up. I cut them to about half an inch. You can go to about 3/4 of an inch if you want them a bit chunkier. Live dangerously.

Now here is Dorie’s trick. Stand them up on the trays. Genius right? No turning them over halfway though and they will crisp evenly. Make sure there is space between them.

Back in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes depending on their size. The surfaces will be golden but the biscotti will still have a little give to them. They will crisp up as they cool.

Cook’s Notes:

• Use any nuts you like to change the flavour of these biscotti. Almonds are traditional but pistachios would also be lovely.
• This recipe can be halved to make a small batch for a small household
• If you would like to add chocolate chips, make sure the pieces are small and be careful when slicing as the chocolate will still be soft and will stick to the knife. You may need to wipe the knife down a few times.

 – These biscotti will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for over a week – they will dry out further but still be delicious – 

Adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

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