Young & Hungry

O Kitchen Aid, Kitchen Aid, wherefore art thou Kitchen Aid – mixer?  Shiny and red and steadfast mixer…  After three mixer-less batches of biscotti, my arms are now made of steel.  And the remainder of me:  flour, sugar, egg, and nuts…  My days of beating, stirring, kneading, battling by hand are now over.  I’m passing the torch to you, reader. 

 

But before I say adieu,  here is the last and best of the biscotti recipes.  The traditional and original recipe from which all my previous variations were born.  I was raised on this anise scented cookie and, as my affection has grown with each passing year, look more and more forward to a batch (or two) each passing birthday or Christmas.  Of course now that I finally know how exactly to make them, I have no excuse to not have biscotti around at all times.  There’s just something to be said for the ones made by Nonna herself, a special Grandmotherly touch if you will.  While I know hers will always be the best to me, I hope that yours will be just as perfect.  If not, select all, copy, paste, and send to Grandma!

 

Nonna’s Traditional Anise Biscotti

• 4 eggs
• 1 ¼ c sugar
• 2 tsp anise seed, ground
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tsp anise extract
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 4 cups flour
• 1 c walnuts or almonds, chopped

 

Beat eggs thoroughly for about 5 minutes, add sugar, and beat for another 5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Mix in extracts and half of the melted butter.  Blend in the baking powder, ground anise seed, and enough of the flour to make a soft dough, then add the nuts.  Add in the remainder of the flour until combined.  Stir in remaining butter and refrigerate for a couple of hours until firm. 

 

 Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll each part into a log (see below) and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350F. 

 

 Take out, let cool for 5 minutes, and slice thin (3/4 inch) diagonal slices using a serrated knife.  Return to oven and brown bottom for 6 minutes, flip, and bake for an additional 6 minutes.  Let cool for at least an hour before storing.

For a chocolate coating, melt about 2 cups of chocolate in a double boiler, dip biscotti, and let cool on wax paper.