Biscotti translates as twice baked, with the dough first shaped into a log and baked at a moderate temperature until it is risen and firm. The oven is then turned down to a low temperature and the log cut into slices that are spread out on a baking sheet and baked again until crisp.
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“Double bake aside, these are the most simple biscuits you could ever make. All the ingredients just get mixed together with a wooden spoon in one large bowl before they are baked,” says food writer Anja Dunk.
Makes: 30
Ingredients
- 200g (1 1/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 100g (1/2 cup) soft light brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 50g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 50g almonds, chopped
- 75g candied ginger, chopped
- 2 tablespoons demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Method:
Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F and line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment.
Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and stir them together with a wooden spoon until a dense, damp dough forms.
Spoon the dough onto the lined sheet and shape into a log about 25 centimetres long and around eight to 10 centimetres in diameter. The dough is pretty tacky and so won’t look all that neat, but will even out in the oven. Sprinkle demerara over the top. Bake for 25–30 minutes until firm to the touch and just golden – it should be cooked through but not hard, more like a firm sponge in texture with a crisper outer edge.
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Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely – this is important as the chocolate also needs to be cool before you cut the biscuits or they will end up being a streaky mess.
Set the lined baking sheet aside, ready for the second bake, and reduce the oven temperature to 150°C/130°C fan/300°F. On a chopping board, and using a sharp serrated bread knife, cut the log into slices 7.5 millimetres thick. Arrange tightly on the lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, turning them all over halfway through, until crisp on both sides.
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Take out of the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Stored in an airtight container, these will keep for a month or more.
Do you like the combination of ginger and chocolate? Why not share how the biscotti turns out for you in the comments section below?
– With PA
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