Golden Biscotti

Farley Rezendes, a member of our Baker's Hotline team and one of the key teachers in our Life Skills Baking Program -- he's taught up to 750 middle school kids at a time to bake bread -- is a culinary school graduate, and loves all kinds of baking. These biscotti are one of his favorite cookies.

1 1/2 cups skinned hazelnuts, toasted
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/8 teaspoon lemon oil
1 1/2 cups King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons ground anise or aniseed
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Prepare a large baking sheet or two smaller sheets by lining with parchment paper or spraying with non-stick vegetable oil spray. Set aside.

Toast the hazelnuts in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Let the nuts cool, then chop them coarsely in a food processor. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon oil.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, ground anise or aniseed, baking powder, salt and chopped hazelnuts. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until the dough is cohesive.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a rough 13-inch log, and transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet(s). Press and pat the logs till they're about 2 1/2 inches wide; smooth the tops.

Bake the logs for 25 minutes, or until they're light brown around the edges. Remove the logs from the oven, and let them rest for 10 minutes. Then, using a serrated knife, gently slice the logs into 1/2-inch slices. Lay the slices, cut side up (and down), on the baking sheet(s).

Return the biscotti to the oven and bake them for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn them over, and bake an additional 7 minutes. Cool on a rack, and enjoy! Yield: About 4 dozen biscotti.



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