Italian Biscotti with Almonds - Cantucci

Simple, crunchy and nutty: Italian biscotti filled with toasted whole almonds

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Today, I will present you my recipe for Italian biscotti, which I made using my new silicone mats. I told you: I'm loving these mats, and have been using them every chance I get.
In Italian, "biscotti" means "cookies", plural of "biscotto". Obviously we don't called them just biscotti there, or it would be really confusing! They are called "cantucci", are typical of Tuscany, are traditionally made with whole almonds, and are twice-baked cookies: first are cooked in the oven as a long loaf, then cut in slices and baked again to toast. If I lived in Tuscany, I would eat biscotti after dinner, dunked in "vin santo", a sweet, intensely fragrant and aromatic dessert wine. But given that I am here in California, I really eat them at any time of the day, dipped in cappuccino, latte, tea and, why not ...Cabernet?!? Well, I have not actually tried them in Cabernet yet! But please, let me know if you do :)
Here is the recipe for you.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup of sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 pinch of salt (1/8 of a teaspoon)
• 4 oz of unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 3.5 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 cup of toasted, unsalted whole almonds
• 1 lemon, zest

Preparation time: About one hour

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, blend the eggs with the sugar.

Step 2: Melt the butter by cutting it in pieces in a heat safe container, placing it in a small pan with an inch of boiling water, until it melts.

Step 3:  In the large bowl, stir in the melted butter, the pinch of salt, the vanilla extract and the lemon zest. 

Step 4: Blend in the flour and the baking power.

Step 5: Add the almonds and mix with a spoon.

Step 6: On the silicone mat, make two long rolls with your hands, and flatten them out, as shown in picture. Remember: no need to grease the mat!! You can sprinkle with flour the dough if it sticks to your hands when making the rolls. Bake for 20 minutes.

Step 7: Remove from the oven, and let it cool off for 10 minutes. On a cutting board, with a sharp knife, cut out the cookies, diagonally, and place them on the silicone mat. Please do not cut directly on the mat or you might damage it! Bake the cookies for about 7-8 minutes on each side, or until golden.

Buonissimi :)