Classic Almond Biscotti - 10 Feb 2013

A kitchen filled with the aroma of freshly baked goodies is one of the most treasured memories of the festive season. This is why I love baking especially before Chinese New Year because of the warm, wonderful aroma that gives the home a sense of anticipation of the reunion with family and loved ones. Unfortunately, you cannot capture tis in pictures.

Together with my helper, I made biscotti as Chinese New Year gifts. It's one of those things that goes well with my daily dose of coffee. I've more time this Chinese New Year cos my kids are all in schools. But things always did not go as planned as one of them fell really sick the week before the new year.

There're many different variations of biscotti recipe, some called for whole eggs, some only egg whites and some even with butter. I've used a recipe from Bake with Yen because it works and it's so simple. The main ingredients are egg whites, flour, nuts and sugar. The problem with making biscotti is that you'll end up with lots of egg yolks. It is not a problem for us as my sister-in-law is using the egg yolks to make ice-cream. And biscotti goes really well with ice-cream too, esp. rum & raisin ice-cream.

Now we can catch up with our family and friends, over a cup of coffee and enjoy our Biscotti....


Recipe for Almond Biscotti

 You will need :
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
90g castor sugar
120g medium protein flour (sifted)
120g (or more) unblanched whole almonds
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (*try not to use the commercial vanilla essence)

 Method :
1) Beat egg white with cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating constantly until stiff (*some recipes are different where you beat until foamy and then add in sugar gradually)
2) Lightly fold in flour, almonds and essence.
3) Bake in a lined (loaf) tin for 35mins at 180C.
4) Rest and wait till loaf is slightly cool then turn it out and cool on wire rack.
5) Cut the cool loaf into wafer-thin slices, and then lay them on wire rack  and bake for 10 minutes or until crisp at 150C (*time varies depending on your oven and thickness)
6) Cool the baked biscotti on wire rack.

 I usually make double portion of the above because it is just nice for my baking tray and makes 4 small-sized containers.




Wishing you all a very blessed Lunar New Year and Happy Reunions! May your home be filled with sweet memories and wonderful aroma of freshly home baked goodies all year round!

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