From My Recipe Box to Yours: White Chocolate-dipped Almond and Lemon Biscotti

I know, it's a mouth full. And it might seem like there are a lot of bold flavors in this, let me tell you, it's not. At least not for me.

If you're at all a coffee addict like me, you've probably had biscotti, or at least heard of it. It is a famous Italian shortbread, specifically for dipping in hot beverages (usually Italian espresso). There are lots of varieties. I'm not sure if Italians make them chocolate dipped, but they sure are delicious that way! I discovered this recipe when I received the cookbook Giada at Home from my in-laws. I've made this recipe a few different ways, and I've even tweaked it to my own liking. The latest way I made it is definitely my favorite.

I am going to give you MY version of the recipe, if you want the original you can find it at foodnetwork.com under the same name. :)

Ingredients:

2 c all-purpose flour

3/4 c WHITE cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 c sugar

3 large eggs

3 tbsp grated lemon zest

1 tsp almond extract

3/4 sliced almonds

White Chocolate, melted

Sliced almonds for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, bk powder, and salt.

In another large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Mix in the lemon zest and almond extract, and then the flour mixture, and beat until just blended. (The dough will be extremely sticky). Stir in the almonds. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Divide the dough evenly into 2 equal mounds and place on the prepared baking sheet. With moist hands (this is pretty important), space the dough evenly apart and form into 2 loaves, about 9 x 3 inches. Bake for 35 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 3/4 inch thick diagonal slices. Arrange the biscotti cut side up on the same baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are pale golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool COMPLETELY.

Using a rubber spatula, spread the white chocolate on the SIDE of the biscotti. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. and let the chocolate cool/harden before enjoying.

Notes:

-You can certainly use yellow cornmeal if that's what you have. The original recipe actually calls for it. I prefer the white cornmeal, though, because I find it less powering and less grainy.

-If you don't like almond extract, you can leave that out, too. I added it to my recipe because I LOVE almond extract and I didn't think the original recipe had enough almond taste in it.

-You can use chopped whole almonds, but I prefer sliced :) They also make the biscotti look pretty

-Baking time the SECOND time through can vary. Biscotti is supposed to be really hard, but the original called for 25 minutes and I thought that was way too long. 15 minutes is just perfect. If you like your biscotti slightly soft, though, cut that down to 10 minutes.

-You can certainly dip the biscotti in the chocolate instead of spreading it on the side, but I like it my way because then every bite of biscotti has white chocolate in it :)

-If you're not such a fan of white chocolate and would prefer to use real chocolate, I would substitute out the lemon for either orange or lime. They "go" much better with chocolate than lemon does. I have done this recipe, unchanged, with chocolate instead of white, and it still tastes good, but lemon and chocolate aren't the best combination.

NOM NOM!