Delicious sweet dry biscuits with a curved shape, characteristic length and double baked - a popular Italian confection called biscotti. Let's find out all the secrets of the attractiveness of this pastry.
Recipe content:
- Varieties of biscotti
- Bisconny cookie recipe
- Biscotti with chocolate
- Biscotti with almonds
- Chocolate biscotti
- Video recipes
Biscotti is a bright word that evokes exotic, something sweet and beautiful. This is a traditional popular Italian pastry, which in our country is called "croutons". But, these are not ordinary croutons, but a real exquisite sweet dessert served with coffee, and sometimes even with sweet wine. It is customary to cook it at Christmas, but Italians do not deny themselves the pleasure of eating sweets all year round.
The basic principle of making Italian biscotti cookies is that specially prepared dough is formed into a roll and baked. Then it is cut into slices and dried in the oven to become crispy. After that, you can use it on its own, or dip it in melted chocolate. Such products are stored for about 3-4 months.
In terms of history, it is believed that the dessert appeared at least 2000 years old. Biscotti was used by Roman legionnaires during long campaigns, and Christopher Columbus took their stock for his expeditions. For many centuries, the product served as the main way of storing bread during long travels among the ancient Roman and Egyptian ancestors. For such long expeditions, crackers were baked 4 times and stored for up to six months. After such a heat treatment, they are no longer afraid of frost, cold, heat, rain, water, or mold.
Varieties of biscotti
The basic recipe for biscotti was written back in the 19th century by the Italian pastry chef Matei Antonio and it contained only 3 main components: flour, sugar and eggs. Unpeeled almonds and pine nuts have traditionally been used as additives. Now there are many different recipes for biscotti, and other types of it can be found in Italian establishments. Nowadays, cinnamon, pistachios, anise, orange peel, hazelnuts, seeds, chocolate, fruits, dried fruits, liqueurs and extracts are added to the dough. And for attractiveness, the biscotti is covered with chocolate icing.
Italian biscotti is always served with drinks, since no matter how tasty they are, they are, in fact, hard crackers. Products are usually slightly dipped in red wine, coffee, beer, tea, milk, juice and other drinks.
Bisconny cookie recipe
There is no single recipe for making biscotti. In the world of culinary, there are hundreds of its variants. The easiest way to bake is suggested below.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 358 kcal.
- Servings - 20-25 pcs.
- Cooking time - 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- Wheat flour - 350 g
- Sugar - 150 g
- Almonds - 150 g
- Soda - 1 tsp (can be replaced with baking powder or baking powder)
- Vanillin - 1 sachet
- Eggs - 3 pcs.
- Vegetable oil - for greasing the baking sheet
- Lemon zest - from 1 fruit
Step by step cooking:
- Beat eggs with sugar with a mixer until a strong foam forms.
- Add flour, soda, vanillin to the egg mass and beat again.
- Add almonds, lemon zest to the dough and mix everything thoroughly.
- Grease a baking sheet generously with vegetable oil and cover with parchment for baking.
- Form a "log" out of the dough, place on a baking sheet and send to bake in an oven heated to 180 ° C for half an hour.
- Remove the finished log from the brazier, cool slightly and cut into slices about 1 cm thick, place them on a baking sheet and put in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Biscotti with chocolate
A time-honored recipe - biscotti cookies with chocolate and almonds. Insanely amazing aroma, the most delicate taste with crunching of nuts and chocolate melting in your mouth.
Ingredients:
- Flour - 160 g
- Butter - 100 g
- Eggs - 1 pc.
- Vanillin - 1, 4 tsp
- Sugar - 80 g
- Salt - a pinch
- Sweet wine - 25 ml
- Cinnamon - on the tip of a knife
- Baking powder - 1 tsp
- Orange zest - from half of the fruit
- Chocolate - 70 g
- Almonds - 70 g
Step by step cooking:
- Beat eggs, vanillin and sugar with a mixer until foamy.
- Add flour crumbs to the egg mass.
- Add cinnamon, orange zest to the products and pour in wine.
- Put the chocolate in a bag and use a rolling pin to detail it.
- Substitute the dough, add whole almonds and chocolate chips.
- Wrap the dough with cling film and refrigerate for half an hour.
- Then roll the bars no more than 8 cm thick and 2 cm wide. Place them on a greased baking sheet.
- Send the products to a preheated oven up to 180 ° С for 20 minutes. During this time, it will bake a little. This should keep the cookies soft and not crispy and golden brown.
- Remove the bascotti from the brazier, let cool slightly, but not completely, cut into thin slices and put back on the baking sheet. Return them to the oven and dry for no more than 10 minutes.
Biscotti with almonds
Almonds are a sophisticated nut that gives aroma, flavor and satiety to baked goods. Let's prepare delicious biscotti cookies with it without a drop of fat. And in the absence of almonds, you can use walnuts or other nuts.
Ingredients:
- Flour - 400 g
- Eggs - 4 pcs.
- Sugar - 200 g
- Baking powder - 1 tsp
- Vanillin - 1 tsp
- Raisins - 50 g
- Almonds - 150 g
Step by step cooking:
- Divide one egg into white and yolk. Remove the whites, and beat the remaining eggs into the yolk. Beat them with a mixer until fluffy, along with sugar and vanilla.
- Dry the almonds in a frying pan until golden and chop into large pieces with a knife.
- Pour the egg mass into the flour and mix with your hands to make the dough dense.
- Add raisins, almonds and stir again.
- Divide the dough into 3 parts, and roll each of them with a log 4 cm wide.
- Place the sausages on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
- Grease the dough with the remaining protein.
- Send the products to bake in a heated oven up to 180 ° С for 30 minutes until golden brown. Check the readiness with a wooden splinter - it must be dry.
- Remove the finished product from the oven, let cool slightly and cut into slices 1 cm across.
- Place the croutons on a baking sheet and dry for 10 minutes.
Chocolate biscotti
Lovers of chocolate and coffee baked goods will definitely love the chocolate biscotti. This is a real brownie with an amazing aroma.
Ingredients:
- Butter - 60 g
- Sugar - 150 g
- Eggs - 2 pcs.
- Cocoa powder - 40 g
- Flour - 190 g
- Baking powder - 1 tsp
- Salt - a pinch
- Nuts - 100 g
Step by step cooking:
- Add the eggs one by one to the butter mixture and continue beating.
- Add cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt.
- Gently knead the dough with a spatula, as the mixer is unlikely to cope with this task.
- Add crushed roasted nuts, such as hazelnuts, into the dough and mix again.
- Form the dough with a sausage, which you press down so that it turns out to be 2 cm thick and send to bake in an oven heated to 180 ° C for 25-30 minutes. Check the readiness of the product with a skewer, it must be dry.
- Let the finished bascotti cool to a warm consistency, cut it obliquely into 1-1.5 cm slices and place on a baking sheet.
- Send the croutons to dry in the oven for 10 minutes.
Video recipes: