Almond Biscotti
These delicate almond biscotti are inspired by my personal voyage to the Sicilian hilltop town of Erice to visit Maria Grammatico’s famous ‘pasticceria’ (pastry shop) piled high with almond biscotti and abundant Sicilian sweet delicacies. Read Maria’s memoir and recipe collection through her book Bitter Almonds. These biscotti are delicious served with an espresso or sweet snack and perfect for celebrations and gift giving. They last very well in an air-tight container for a good week in your pantry or even longer in the fridge.
Serves: Approximately 20 Biscotti
Preparation: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
250g almond meal
125g caster sugar
3 drops of almond essence (optional, but gives a heightened flavour)
One orange, rind only
2-3 egg whites, lightly beaten (start with 2 egg whites)
20 whole blanched almonds or 10 whole glazed amarena cherries, cut in half (a combination of both is nice)
1 cup icing sugar
METHOD
Pre-heat fan forced oven to 180 degrees celsius
Get two baking trays and line with baking paper, put aside
In a medium bowl, place the ground almonds, sugar, almond essence and orange rind. Mix together so they are combined
Gradually add two egg whites to start with and mix well with your hands until a lovely solid dough is formed. If it is too hard, add another egg white making sure it is not too soft (it really depends on how much liquid the almond meal needs - so go with how the dough feels)
Place the icing sugar in a small flat bowl and put it next to you on the bench
Make the biscotti by taking approximately 1 tablespoon of almond dough and rolling it into a ball
Place this ball into the icing sugar and coat it well. Place it on the baking tray and gently press a little indent in the centre
Put a whole blanched almond or half a glazed cherry on top of the indented dough
Bake in the oven for approximately 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly brown
Let the biscotti cool on the tray
