These Italian cookies are actually pretty easy to make and really delicious with a cup of hot tea.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon
salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoon almond
extract
2 eggs
1 cup dried apricots,
chopped
1 cup chopped slivered
almonds, toasted
Powdered sugar
Powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, baking
powder and salt in small bowl. Set aside.
Combine sugar, butter and almond extract in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Continue beating, adding eggs one at a time, until creamy. Stir in apricots and almonds by hand. Gently stir in flour mixture just until dough forms.
Divide dough in half. Shape each half of dough on surface covered with wax paper into 12x1 1/2-inch log. Place logs about 4 inches apart on parchment paper covered large cookie sheet. Flatten each log to 2-inch width. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until logs begin to crack and edges begin to brown. Let stand 10 minutes on cookie sheet.
Reduce oven to 300°F. Carefully cut logs diagonally into 1/2-inch slices with serrated knife. Place slices on same cookie sheet, cut-side down. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, or until crisp and very light brown on both sides. Place on cooling racks. Cool completely.
Sprinkle cooled cookies with sifted powdered sugar. Store in loosely covered jar.
TIP:To toast almonds, spread evenly in shallow baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 4 to 8 minutes, stirring once, or until lightly browned. Cool completely
TIP: Use the Mediterranean variety of dried apricots for best results. You'll find them in the baking section of large supermarkets.
TIP: To cut apricots easily, use kitchen shears.
TIP: To prevent breakage while slicing, lightly hold each side of log to support edges
Combine sugar, butter and almond extract in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Continue beating, adding eggs one at a time, until creamy. Stir in apricots and almonds by hand. Gently stir in flour mixture just until dough forms.
Divide dough in half. Shape each half of dough on surface covered with wax paper into 12x1 1/2-inch log. Place logs about 4 inches apart on parchment paper covered large cookie sheet. Flatten each log to 2-inch width. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until logs begin to crack and edges begin to brown. Let stand 10 minutes on cookie sheet.
Reduce oven to 300°F. Carefully cut logs diagonally into 1/2-inch slices with serrated knife. Place slices on same cookie sheet, cut-side down. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, or until crisp and very light brown on both sides. Place on cooling racks. Cool completely.
Sprinkle cooled cookies with sifted powdered sugar. Store in loosely covered jar.
TIP:To toast almonds, spread evenly in shallow baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 4 to 8 minutes, stirring once, or until lightly browned. Cool completely
TIP: Use the Mediterranean variety of dried apricots for best results. You'll find them in the baking section of large supermarkets.
TIP: To cut apricots easily, use kitchen shears.
TIP: To prevent breakage while slicing, lightly hold each side of log to support edges
VARIATION
For cherry pecan biscotti, substitute tart, dried cherries for the apricots, toasted pecans for the almonds and vanilla extract for the almond extract. Cut each cherry in half before mixing into dough.
