Cantuccini biscuit recipe

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A local pub/restaurant always serves cantuccini biscuits with their coffee and they are delicious. Looking in the supermarkets they are quite expensive to buy. Does anyone have any good....easy ...recipes?
Thanks
Gill

[jack daniels]

Makes about 60 biscotti

Ingredients:

325g (12oz) plain flour300g (11oz) caster sugar
1� tsp. baking powder
� tsp. ground cinnamon
� tsp. salt
325g (12oz) whole blanched almonds
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method:

Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to Gas Mk4 (180�C/350�F). Line two baking sheets with silicone paper.
Roughly crush a third of the almonds. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; stir well to mix, then stir in all of the almonds.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the vanilla then stir into the dry ingredients until a stiff dough forms. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide in half.
Roll each half under the palms of your hands into a cylinder a little shorter than your baking sheet. Place the logs of dough on the baking sheet, making sure they are neither too close to each other nor too near the sides of the sheet. Press down gently with the palm of your hand to flatten the logs.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the logs are well risen and have also spread to about double their original size. The logs are done when they feel firm when pressed with a fingertip.
Place the pan on a rack and let the logs cool down a bit. Leave the oven temperature at Gas Mk4 (180�C/350�F). Place one of the cooled logs on a cutting board and cut it diagonally into slices 0.5cm (1/4in) thick. Arrange the biscotti on the prepared pans, cut side down. It isn't necessary to leave space between them.
Bake the biscotti for about 15 or 20 minutes or until they are slightly toasted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Store the cooled biscotti between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Store just as you would ordinary biscuits.

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Thanks Jack. I have all those ingredients, will give it a go tomorrow.

[Clanad]

My favorite cook (other than myself) is Mrs. C who has several recipes for Biscotti as your request is more popularly known here in the U.S. This is probably my favorite of her collection. We really like the hazelnuts for crunchy tecture and is relatively simple:

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts (7 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups self-rising cake flour
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (Prefer real vanilla)

Special equipment: parchment paper; a stand mixer with paddle attachment

Preparation
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350�F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan until lightly colored and skins are blistered, 10 to 15 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute, then rub off any loose skins in towel while nuts are still warm (don't worry about skins that don't come off). Cool nuts completely, then very coarsely chop. (One can also find the pre-prepared, roasted hazelnuts. We sometimes sunstitute pinon nuts and a few drops of hazelnut flavoring).

Pulse together sugar and 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to bowl of mixer along with flour and beat at medium speed until combined well. Add eggs and vanilla and beat just until a dough forms. Reduce speed to low, then add remaining chopped hazelnuts and mix until incorporated. Turn off mixer and knead in any loose hazelnuts with your hands.

Contd.

[Clanad]

Contd.

Halve dough and, with dampened hands, form each half into a roughly 10- (long) by 2-(wide) by 1-i(thick) inch log on lined baking sheet, arranging logs 3 inches apart.

Bake until golden and set but still soft to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Cool logs on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes.

Transfer logs to a cutting board, discarding parchment, and cut logs with a serrated knife on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on unlined baking sheet. Bake slices, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes more. Cool biscotti completely on sheet on rack, about 30 minutes.
I think you can see that the recipe is simple other than preparing hazelnuts.

I think Mrs. C has two or three left in her Biscotti jar... Sweetned Cafe' Italiano and then me saying "Sono piena come un uovo" ... Buon appetito!

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Thank you for your replies. I now have a tin full of delightful biscuits/biscotti/cantuccini.
I might even have to leave one out for Santa instead of a mince pie. Lol.