Biscotti is the second signature bake on this year’s Great British Bake-off. I’ve eaten plenty of biscotti, and even knew that the name means “twice cooked” in Italian because they are baked once as a log, and again in slices. But I had never tried baking them myself.
Originally, biscotti were made without butter, oil, leavening or milk. I went with a recipe that included a bit of baking powder, but I could see them working fine without it. I opted for the traditional whole almonds, and added dried cranberries as well.
I’ll definitely be making these again, trying out different combinations of nuts and dried fruit, or maybe dark chocolate chips.
Cranberry and almond biscotti
(makes about 16)
- 1 egg
- 100g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- a dash of almond extract
- 125g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 50g raw almonds
- 50g dried cranberries
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C).
- Beat the egg and sugar together until it thickens, then beat in the vanilla and almond extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold gently into the egg mixture.
- Fold in the chopped almonds and cranberries.
- Form the dough into a flattish, slightly tapered log about 25cm long. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
- Bake the dough for 25 minutes – it should be a pale golden colour. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for five minutes.
- Cut the log into 1cm thick slices, on a slight diagonal. Arrange the slices on the baking sheet and return to the oven.
- Bake for ten minutes, then turn the biscotti and bake a further five minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container.
Ten More Bites 
Delicious and perfect for dunking with their twice-baked-ness!