These crisp Italian biscuits are baked twice to give them that extra crunch, making them perfect for serving with strong coffee for dipping
Makes approx 20 biscuits
Ready in 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- 50g butter, softened
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 medium egg, beaten
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 175g plain flour, plus extra for shaping
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 40g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- 40g dark chocolate chips
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.
Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat together with a wooden spoon until very pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg and orange zest.
Sift over the flour and baking powder and add the hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Knead on a lightly floured surface to a soft dough, adding a little more flour if the dough seems sticky.
Divide the dough into two pieces and using lightly floured hands shape each to a 18cm x 8cm log. Place on the baking sheet, well spaced apart, and flatten each one slightly with the palm of your hands.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until firm and lightly golden. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes.
Carefully transfer the two logs to a chopping board. Use a serrated knife to cut each log on the diagonal into 9-10 slices. Return all the slices, cut-side down, to the baking sheet and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
Transfer the biscotti to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely. You can store the slices in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks.
Make it fruity:
For a flavour variation, replace the nuts and chocolate chips with sweetened dried cranberries and mixed peel.
