Al, I made biscotti too, a gingerbread biscotti. I finally got them crunchy, but the bottoms were very nearly scorched before they got hard enough.

Still not right, I'll either keep trying or give up and buy Nonni's...

Annie

Annie....what kind of cookie sheet were you using for the second baking. I find that if I use a ss baking sheet they get too brown on the bottom before the tops brown....where if I use an aluminum one covered with parchment or silpat it works better.
And youa re turning them over and baking both sides aren't you?
Linda C

Annie, that's strange! I used Lars' recipe; substituted slivered almonds for whole almonds but they turned out great. I too, used parchment paper and didn't have problem with burned bottoms.

In fact, I liked them so much that I made a second batch to go into gift bags for hubby's friends at work. I just packed some Starbucks singles, hot chocolate, hot apple cider with a few biscotti and viola, looking pretty!

Nope, they burned on the bottom during the FIRST baking, I had an aluminum baking sheet lined with parchment. The directions say "bake until firm to the touch". They were still doughy last time, so I flattened the log of dough down even more this time. Before they were firm to the touch, they were nearly scorched on the bottom.

I let them cool 5 minutes, cut them into strips and baked on parchment lined aluminum baking sheet 10 minutes per side. I did bake both sides during the second baking.

And yes, they were crisp, but I had to nearly burn them to make them that way. I'm kind of leaning toward the possibility that biscotti just isn't one of the (very few) things that I like better homemade.

I'm at work, but I'll post pictures tonight. Oh, and the flavor was good, I think I'd add some crystallized ginger if I do it again.

Annie

Annie, I sent you an email re: biscotti.

Eileen

The photos of the Biscotti look so good, really cute in the bags too!

Search Engine is down. Does any one have Lars Biscotti recipe, that you could copy and paste instead of typing the recipe out.

Thanks

Annie - Just a thought.... When I made my biscotti (3 batches so far this year) I put them towards the upper half of the oven to bake away from the direct heat of the lower element. Maybe that might help?

Alexa

Thanks Alexa, that's abeen mentioned to me too, since I have kind of a cheap gas oven. Sigh. I let it preheat for an hour to make sure it was hot too because it takes so long to come up to temperature and put the pan on the next rack up from the middle, if that makes sense.

In fact, I baked two loaves of bread before I baked the biscotti, so I would be sure the oven was up to temp. The bread, incidentally, came out perfectly, LOL.

Annie

Trudy, here's Lars' recipe:

Biscotti

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cardamom or coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups unbleanched whole almonds (I used slivered almonds)

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or Amaretto

8-10 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat and set aside. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a rubber spatula to mix. Stir in the almonds. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl; then stir them into the flour mixture. The dough will be loose at first but will come together during the kneading process. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead, folding it over onto itself until it is smooth. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 12 inch long log. Gently press down on the logs to flatten them until they are about 2 inches wide and 1 inch high. Transfer them to the prepared pan.

First Baking

Bake the logs for about 30 minutes, or until they are slightly risen and firm to the touch. Slide the logs off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack. The logs must be completely cool before you can continue with the recipe. Since they will take about 30 minutes to cool, you can either turn the oven off or leave it on for the next step. You can bake the biscotti up to this point several days ahead. Wrap the logs well in plastic and continue when it is convenient.

Second Baking

When the logs have cooled completely, preheat the oven to 350°F, if necessary. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the cooled logs diagonally into 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Place the sliced cookies cut side down on the pans and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the biscotti are crisp and golden. Cool on the pans. Thicker slices will take longer to get crisp. You can slice them as thin as 1/4" thick, if preferred.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Dip flat side of cooled cookie into the chocolate and return it to the pan to cool again. If you have chocolate left over, you use a metal spatula to add more to the cookies or drizzle it over.

Thanks so much for posting the recipe!

Could stir them up this afternoon, but no cardamom or coriander in the house.

Yours sure do look so yummy....going to make myself some decafe wish I had one of your biscotti's!

OK, maybe I flattened the dough too much for the first baking? I measured a baked biscotti and it's a touch over 1/2 inch thick (tall). Lars' recipe says 1 inch thick. They did spread while baking. I was afraid if I made it thicker, it would stay chewy in the middle.

Annie

Trudy, you're welcome. I find this recipe very forgiving so I am sure you can use any spice in it. I am going to use lemon and poppy seeds in my next batch, just to make something different. By the way, these are excellent with coffee and hot chocolate. I was afraid the hot apple cider wouldn't go very well but as I tried some last night, it was Good. I used dried cranberries in the biscotti and the hot apple cider was also cranberry flavor so they went together perfectly.

Annie, I have made both thin (1st batch) and thicker ones but I didn't notice any difference. If you make the log thicker for the first bake, wouldn't it take even longer to bake therefore the bottom would be even more brown?

Just a though... Do you have a cooling rack that fits on your cookie sheet? I wonder if you put the log on a cooling rack over the cookie sheet, to avoid direct contact with the baking sheet, it may burn less.

Al

Thanks for that suggestion, Al, I've tried nearly anything else. These were crunchy and had a nice flavor, and the boss and I enjoyed them this morning but the rest of the office wouldn't touch them, they were "burned". Yeah, whatever, dunk 'em in coffee and you can't tell...

{{gwi:2089970}}

Annie

Annie, I can see the bottom is a bit dark. Other than that it looks pretty good to me. I am sure it's tasty. I have a feeling if you dunk it into coffee or hot chocolate it will be excellent. Please keep us post on your next attempt. Al

Annie, they look so perfect except for the burned bottoms. I've never had biscotti do that. I wonder if it is something about the heat distribution in your oven. You could try putting another empty pan in the oven on a rack below the one with the biscotti to reduce any direct effect on the pan from the burner in the bottom of the oven. Or, if you have a baking stone, put that on a rack below the biscotti.

Another possibility is that you had them too long on the first baking. They should be firm enough to slice but they don't need to be super hard - however I think if that was the case they would have gotten a little too done on top and bottom, not just the bottoms.

Or maybe your oven temp runs a little too high. Can you get an oven thermometer to test it? If any part of the outside is burning before the inside gets cooked enough, I'd try lowering the temp by 25 degrees.

Maybe you just have too high of crunch expectations! I would bake them until done and leave them out on the counter overnight, they will dry out some. I think the super crunchy ones are hard to eat, they tear up my mouth. Im not a dunker. I do so love biscotti though! Those pictures are super duper! Adorable Santa bags! Wish I had time to make biscotti this year. But my one cookie foray has to be something to use up my prodigious jam stash.

Cloudswift, I have an oven thermometer and it's pretty accurate, but you may be right that I just baked it too long the first time. The recipe said "firm to the touch" and I didn't want it chewy, so I made sure it was firm, LOL. It still cut without crumbling after sitting for 10 minutes, so it wasn't THAT hard, but the bottom was definitely too done.

It's almost become a personal challenge to get the biscotti the way I want them. My last batch would have been perfect for lpinkmountain, who doesn't dunk. They were more chewy than crunchy, so I'm making progress, I think.

They sure weren't as pretty as Al's.....

Annie

Even if they aren't crunchy after the first bake, the second bake should get them their and you can turn them half way through it so that both sides get equally toasty and nothing burns. But if they cut easily into slices after a 10 minute cooling, I don't think you went too far in the first bake.

I suspect that direct radiation of heat from the gas flame to the bottom of the pan when the burner cycles on might be part of the problem. You might try what I suggested for putting something between the pan and the bottom of the oven.

Annie192 Which recipe did you use? Was it a gingerbread one? Maybe it had just enough extra sugar in it that you need to bake it a little less, cool it a little longer and then slice and bake again. If your oven temp is registering alright on the thermometer. BTW I just got back from Sams today. Looked for those yummy Gingerbread ones of Nonnies. I was just going to buy some again this year because Im running out of time. They dont have them this year. :C So guess Ill need to figure out Biscottis if Im going to have them in the future. Never done them before. But Als look so good, maybe I can make them too. So get going girl. Maybe they have them in your area but not here.
Mike

I have made lots of biscotti recipes and haven't found one I like as much as nonni's. Theirs are light while crunchy and have just the right flavor.
But yours look beautiful Al!

Annie, try this recipe....always always has worked for me and I probably have made this 50 times or more over the past 15 years.
It is not at all soft and batter like...but you need to mix it with a spoon, not an electric mixer....and don't flatten the rolls....leave them as tall as you can, they will flatten themselves. bake on parchment or sillpat...just bake until they look lightly browned....let cool as directed, then cut and bake again.
This recipe really works!!
Linda C

Annie, why not just turn the oven off (or down) before you bake the slices? Then you can get them however dry you want.

Thanks everyone! The biscotti was very well received. I was packing the last few bags this morning then I remembered one of the moms was allergic to nuts! Now, she's going to be there when I give the biscotti to the rest of the moms. I feel bad so I may have to make a batch that doesn't have any nuts in it. I probably will try lemon poppy seeds and dip the bottom in white chocolate. Not sure how it will turn out but if I don't try I will never know.

Linda, where is the recipe you mentioned? I would like to give it a try too.

Al

Al, Barnmom gave me this one, it makes a lemon version. I was a little "iffy" about the lemon/coffee combo but I love lemon so I'd probably like it. Since I love nuts, but don't really like them in cookies (yeah, I know, that's weird), she assured me that I could leave the almonds out. Right now I'm concentrating on MORE Christmas cookies but the lemon ones will be one of the next ones I try!

Almond Biscotti

1 1/4 cup whole unblanched almonds ( I buy the toasted unblanched unsalted almonds from Trader Joe and skip the first step below)
2 cups unsifted unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup sugar (I like the organic cane sugar from Trader Joe, or use a small amount of brown sugar in place of the white.)
1 level teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Roast the almonds for 10 to 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven until very lightly browned.

Watch closely as they burn easily. Set the nuts aside to cool completely.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lower the oven to 300 degrees.

Stir the dry ingredients together in a bowl just to mix. Set aside half a cup of the mixture. In a small bowl lightly beat the eggs and vanilla. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the eggs. Stir in the flour from the sides. When too stiff to stir, turn out the gobs of dough onto a surface floured with some of the dry ingredient mix set aside. With floured hands fold the dough over itself until it coheres. Use the rest of the dry ingredient mix to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and work surface.

Press the nuts into the dough and keep folding it over itself until they are evenly distributed. Let the dough rest for a few minutes so that the flour will absorb the liquid and make it less sticky.

Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Shape each piece into a strip about 2-1/2 to 3 inches wide and about twelve inches long. When cut these will produce about 3 dozen cookies about 4 inches long. It is the cook's privilege to eat the wee end bits!

Place the strips on the parchment covered baking sheet leaving at least 3 inches between them.

Bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes. Check your oven to make sure the temperature is correct and not hotter than you think.

Let them cool for 10-15 minutes. Remove from baking sheets with a spatula and transfer them to a cutting board. Using a sharp serrated bread knife, cut diagonal bars (I make little short ones, not long diagonal ones) every half inch. Lay the cookies on their sides on two parchment covered cookie sheets and put them back in the oven to toast for 35 to 50 minutes, depending on how dark you want them.

Cool on a rack.

Variations:

For Lemon-Almond Biscotti

Omit vanilla

Add the following to the beaten eggs:
Zest from 3 organic lemons
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Dough may be a little stickier, use a little more flour on the board when kneading and pressing nuts into dough.
I find that the lemon version browns more quickly. I use the shorter second baking time.

For Chocolate-Walnut Biscotti (a hard, crunchy version, no shortening)

Substitute walnuts, coarsely chopped, for almonds (you can toast before baking but I don't)

Add:
1/2 cup cocoa powder to dry ingredients
1/2 cup additional sugar to dry ingredients
1/4 teaspoon additional baking soda to dry ingredients
1 additional egg (for a total of 4 eggs)

1 tablespoon white vinegar to beaten eggs

Dough will be a little stickier, use a little more flour on the board when kneading and pressing nuts into dough.

The Chocolate-Walnut Biscotti are good with one side dipped in semi-sweet chocolate.

Made a batch of Gingerbread biscotti from the site posted below. You wouldnt have to add the almonds if someone was allergic to nuts. It is a softer biscotti, which is ok for our family since 3 of my sibblings have dentures...LOL

I drizzled with white choc. chips, since all the white almond bark was gone at Walmart where hubby stopped to get baking supplies last night. Of course I forgot to put coriander on the list.

Did add some chopped candied ginger to the recipe.
Love the gingerbread flavor!

Biscotti Di Prato

3 3/4 C all purpose flour (stirred till fluffy before measuring)
2 C sugar
1 tsp double acting baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla ( or 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract if using
almonds)
1 2/3 c almonds or hazel nuts coarse chopped and lightly toasted.
eggwash

Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
whisk together eggs, yolks and extracts, add eggs, etc to flour mixture and
stir until a dough forms (looks like it can never happen... but keep
working it...it will. I sometimes add a VERY little sprinkling of water)
add nuts, turn out on a non-stick surface ( I use a marble board or my
formica rolling board) and knead 3 or 4 times. Divide into fourths and
shape each piece into a 11 x 2 in. log ( make it "tall" as they flatten
while baking) Place on buttered and floured baking sheets, brush with egg
wash (egg yolk whisked with 1 T water). Bake at 350 for 35 min and cool 20
min. Slice 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Place on clean baking sheets ( cut side
down) and bake 10 or 12 minutes at 275. turn pieces over and bake another
10 minutes. If you want to make them extra fancy, dip half a slice in
melted chocolate and sprinkle with finely chopped nuts. You can make bigger
'scottis by making two thicker logs, but be sure to leave room for spread.

Best dipped in tea or coffee....or best yet in a sweet dessert wine!

Enjoy! Linda

Thank you Annie, Trudy, and Linda! By the time I saw these wonderful recipes I had already made some nut-free biscotti. I used extra ingredients like cranberries, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, flax, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds in the dough then baked as usual. I drizzled white chocolate over them, just lovely! I can't wait to try all of your recipes. That means we will have a lot of biscotti to eat for the next few weeks! LOL

Linda, after you've baked it for 35 mins and then cooled for 20 mins; when you put the cut biscotti back onto a clean baking sheet, is it buttered?

Annie, my oven always burns things on the bottom. I have re-calibrated it several times. Its only 3 years old, was expensive, and has done this from the start. I think it is actually too big, so heat is higher on the bottom, and takes too long to get up to the top and reflect back.

I have learned to compensate. I use the cushioned aluminum baking sheets for almost everything I bake, scones and bread too: the ones that do NOT have a dark non-stick coating. I have a set of the dark ones too, but they bake everything too dark again. Mine are extra thick and large and I think that makes a difference too. At this time of year they are on sale at many places, like Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and dept stores.