Recipes

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 whole large egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup 2% milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1 cup whole almonds with skins, toasted and cooled

1 cup dried apricots, quartered

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg, milk and extracts, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms, then knead in almonds and apricots.

 

Divide dough between 2 sheets of wax paper then form into 2 equal mounds and flatten each mound into a 5-inch disk. Peel wax paper off and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Form into a 14 x 2 ½ inch log lengthwise on 1 side of the baking sheet, spreading dough with wet hands. Make another log with remaining dough and arrange it about 4 inches from first log.

 

Bake in middle of oven until pale golden and firm, about 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack 20 minutes.

 

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees while logs cool.

 

Transfer baked logs to a cutting board using 2 wide metal spatulas, then cut logs diagonally into ½ inch wide slices with a large heavy knife.

 

Stand slices, curved sides up, ½ inch apart on baking sheet and bake in upper third of oven until biscotti are dry, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.

 

Store in air tight container up to 2 weeks or freeze.