Almond Butterscotch Biscotti

It’s been a long time since I’ve made biscotti, so this is what you’re getting this week.

I’ve had the tube of almond paste burning a hole in the Miscellaneous Baking Drawer (the one with the pomegranate molasses, yeast, gelatin, and weird flours that I’ll probably never use again) for a few months now, possibly perilously close to its expiration date. I admit that I lost steam when I read the ingredients after I bought it and realized that wheat was prominently listed. Wheat? In almond paste? Why? I admit that I had planned to eat half of the tube on its own while baking with it, so when that dream’s bubble had been burst, the paste lost its place in the baking queue. But what else to do on a Saturday in October after watching 45,000 people run the Chicago Marathon from our balcony? Bake something sweet, toasty, yummy, and utterly off-limits to moi-self.

Adapted from the Odense recipe…

1 (7-oz.) box almond paste

1/2 cup/ 1 stick butter, very cold and cubed

1/2 cup sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

3/4 cup butterscotch chips

4 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, pulse almond paste into small crumbs (use a food grater if not using a food processor). Add butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt and pulse until small crumbs form, no larger than the size of peas. (Use a pastry cutter if not using a food processor.)
3. In a large bowl, beat or whisk egg whites, vanilla and almond extract until foamy. Stir in crumbly mixture along with almonds and butterscotch chips, until dough holds together.
4. Divide dough in half and form into logs about 12″ long and 1″ thick on parchment paper (try to fit both on same baking sheet).
5. Bake 35 minutes, until golden.
6. Cool sheets on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then slice (using a serrated knife) into 3/4″ diagonal slices.
7. Place cookies on cookie sheet, cut side down, and bake 10 minutes. Flip and bake 10 minutes more.
8. Cool completely on racks and store in an air-tight container.
Tips:
- For a less “rustic” look, roll the dough out into neater-looking logs on a floured surface before baking. I formed the logs by hand, which I was okay with, but you might like something fancier looking.
- Please please please toast the sliced almonds first. They won’t taste the same if you just throw them into the batter all pale and untoasted.
- Make sure you let the toasted almonds cool before adding them to the crumbly batter. If you don’t, they’ll melt the butter.
- Skip the butterscotch chips if you’d like, or change into chocolate.
- For crispier biscotti, just bake a bit longer in step 6 (like 12-13 minutes).
- These freeze well.
- Enjoy!
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October 24th, 2015 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Cookies, Nuts