Breaking out the limoncello at this freezing time of year makes me dream of the Amalfi coast and the warm sunshine and beautiful lemons there. I was going to make limoncello cookies, but then decided to do a limoncello biscotti recipe - better for dunking in hot coffee.
If you've never made biscotti before, this crunchy type of cookie is baked twice in order to get that crisp dry texture. Biscotti are very easy to make - the dough comes together quickly and then you just form it into separate logs and bake. After they cool, slice them in to the sizes you want and bake again. I dipped mine, after they cooled again, in white and dark chocolate but you can just leave them plain if you like.
I used some almond flour in this recipe because I really like the flavor it gives to the cookie, along with a few drops of almond extract. The recipe only uses eggs and no butter, so the cookies keep a little longer. Also, if you don't want to use limoncello, just sub out lemon juice.
Limoncello Biscotti
for a printable recipe click here
makes about 36 biscotti
Ingredients:
- 3 cups AP flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 drops of almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup limoncello
- zest of 2 lemons
- 4 ounces of white chocolate (optional)
- 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Add flours, salt and baking powder together in a small bowl and set aside.
Mix eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffly, about 5 minutes.. Add extracts, limoncello, and lemon zest and mix well. Add flour mixture slowly until well blended.
Divide batter in thirds. The batter will be wet and sticky. With either wet hands or well floured hands or (my favorite) a wet spatula and a wet knife, shape the batter into three loaves divided between the two pans. Dip the knife into water periodically and shape the loaves into about 9" x 3½" size. You can vary the size of the loave you make to reflect the size of your finished biscotti.
Bake the loaves for about 25 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn golden and the tops might start cracking a little. Cool for about 30 minutes. Keep the baking sheets and parchment paper out and the oven on.
Slice the loaves into about ½" slices. Place the slices onto the baking sheets and bake again for about 10 minutes, flip the biscotti and bake 10 minutes more.
If desired, you can dip the biscotti into chocolates. Melt the chocolate and just dip the bottoms into the chocolate. Place in the refrigerator to firm up the chocolates for about 20 minutes.
These are great either with a glass of limoncello or a cup of espresso.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They keep for 2 weeks. They also freeze really well.
