Cantucci

Cantucci aka Almond Biscotti – dry, crunchy, almond biscuits.  That’s the best description for them, and I must admit, it doesn’t sound all that appetising, but the magic happens when you either dunk them or pair them with a coffee, tea, affagoto or even a sweet dessert wine.

According to Wikipedia, the word “Biscotti originates from the medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning “twice-cooked.” It defined oven baked goods that were baked twice, so they were very dry and could be stored for long periods of time”.

It does make you wonder, what else was cooked this way in medieval times and what must it have tasted like?  Perhaps they were on to something back then, who knows.   What I do know, is that these are really popular in current times and they often frequent the bench-tops of local coffee shops and the like.

It is for that reason, that I decided to make them for myself.  One, to see how difficult they were and secondly, because coffee shops do charge a bit for all the extra’s that go with a simple coffee.  This way, it is more economical to take a piece from home and have it with a coffee at work, thanks to the wonderful delights of the Nespresso machine in the office kitchen.   Unfortunately, there is no George Clooney standing around sipping an espresso in my corporate environment…doh!

Another great idea for these biscuits is to gift them as a Christmas or perhaps a birthday present.  They can be made in advance as they store extremely well.  Not many other biscuits I know can be stored for up to 10 weeks in a sealed container and still taste amazing, however, they are probably best eaten within 4 weeks of baking.

Although, I scoff at this as mine didn’t last more than a few hours, yes that is how good they are!

The flavours are very subtle but they do work well together and whilst there’s not a lot of sugar in them, the amaretto, almonds and orange zest do shine here and the make the biscuit taste more than palatable.

These really do need to be made and tried for yourself.

How to make Cantucci at your house:

— 001 — 

Preheat oven to 180°C or 350°F and line a cookie sheet tray with greaseproof paper.

— 002 —

In a large mixing bowl, combine sifted flour, sugar, baking powder and orange zest.

— 003 —

Add the eggs, honey, amaretto or almond flavouring, stir to combine.

— 004 —

Continue mixing until the batter becomes soft and crumbly.  Add the almonds and fold.

— 005 —

Prepare a bench-top, chopping board or silicone mat with flour and pour the biscuit dough out.

— 006 —

Gently roll the dough into two logs, approx. 2 inches of 5cm wide and place onto the baking tray.

Some of the almonds will fall out during this phase, don’t stress, as long as there are more almonds in the dough than on the bench-top, the biscotti will turn out fine.

— 007 —

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

— 008 —

Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

— 009 —

Transfer the logs to a chopping board and with a bread knife or similar, slice diagonally.

— 010 —

Put the cut slices back on to the baking tray and bake or 15 minutes or until toasted.

For me, this was about 10 minutes, however my oven is fan forced

— 011 —

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Storage:

• store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 weeks.

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