Greetings fellow Magpies! No, this isn't a ghost...It's not that time of year, yet. As ya'll may have noticed, I pretty much forsook(?) this shiny new blog.
Heck, I forsook all blogging.
Why? I dunno.
But I'm back for the time being with another recipe!
Today's offering is that wonderful twice-baked Italian phenom known as BISCOTTI (which literally means twice-baked). So original. I think they should be called "Bastoncini Croccanti e Gustosi"--"Crispy and Tasty Sticks"...if you want, add the "Cagne" at the end for emphasis...it means "beeyotches".
Much better.
I love Bastoncini Croccanti e Gustosi.
Well, mostly.
There are a couple of things I don't love about commercial ones.
Firstly, they're usually so hard, they threaten to break my teeth. Yeah, I know they're designed to be dunked in coffee, tea, or cocoa...but c'mon! It's August in Texas, during a Super El Nino. Every day is over 100 degrees, and the prediction is that this oppressive heat isn't gonna let up until October, maybe November. I don't wanna have to drink hot stuff just to enjoy Bastoncini Croccanti e Gustosi.
Sheesh.
And B) Have ya'll priced these in the store? They're close to (if not more than) $10 a package for like 6. That's flipping ridiculous. So, I decided to REALLY learn the art of making Bastoncini Croccanti e Gustosi. How hard could it be? As it turns out, not at all. They're really simple. Maybe a bit labor-intensive, but simple nonetheless. So here it is y'all, my recipe for
Bastoncini Croccanti e Gustosi
The first part of this recipe is for the dough base. At the end I will list many, many variations! It's such a customizable recipe! So without further ado, let's do dis!
Base Dough Ingredients: Yield 3-4 dozen, depending on how thick you slice 'em
- 2 1/2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup avocado (or other neutral) oil (for pumpkin biscotti, omit this amount of oil)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
- Mix-ins (if desired...see list of variations at end)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 F (~165 C)
- In mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugars, oil, and extracts. Whisk until well mixed.
- In separate mixing bowl, combine flour (start with 2 1/2 cups save the rest if you need to thicken it after combining with wet ingredients), baking soda, salt. Whisk until well mixed.
- Add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredients. Stir with wooden spoon (or Danish dough hook like I did) until incorporated. Never heard of a Danish dough hook? Here's what one looks like. Isn't it cute? You can get them on Amazon.If mixture seems too runny, add more flour, a couple of Tbs at a time. Dough should look like a soft cookie dough. If it's too dry, add a little water.
- Gently stir in whatever mix-ins you want now.
- Using wooden spoon, blop dough onto silipat-lined (or foil/parchment-lined) baking sheet in 2 parallel "logs". Use wet hand to shape the logs evenly.
- Bake #1: Bake for 20-30 minutes until LIGHTLY golden.
- Remove from oven. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking pan. It's gonna have the consistency/texture of cake at this point.
- Gently transfer each log to cutting board and slice into 1/2-1 inch slices. NOTE: The Italians say to cut the slices on the "bias"...but I'm a Texan. We're not biased here. We're straight-shooters and straight-slicers (apparently).
- Put slices back on baking sheet and return to oven. Bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and flip all those little suckers over. Return them to oven and bake for 9-10 more minutes. They should be lightly golden. And I guess, technically, this is the 3rd bake, so that would make them Triscotti. Whatever.
- Remove them from oven. Let cool. Store in air-tight container (for up to about a week) (like they'll last that long). Can freeze them too! When cool, place in ziplock bag and freeze (for up to 4 months).
Now for the variations!
- Almond Pistachio: Add 1/2-2/3 cup roasted pistachios (whole), 1 extra tsp almond extract.
- Cherry Pecan: Add 2/3 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped along with 2/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted pecans...and 1 extra tsp almond extract.
- Cranberry Orange Walnut: Add 2/3 cup roasted walnuts coarsely chopped...1-2 tsp fresh orange zest and 2 Tbs fresh orange juice (or 1/2 tsp orange extract). NOTE: Because you're adding extra moisture, you may need to add a bit more flour.
- Apricot Pistachio: Add 1/2-2/3 cup roasted pistachios (whole), 1/2 cup dried apricots coarsely chopped.
- Chocolate Almond: Add 2-3 Tbs cocoa powder, 1/2 cup roasted sliced almonds coarsely chopped. NOTE: Because you're adding extra dry ingredients (cocoa), you may need to add a bit of water.
- Lemon: Add 1-2 tsp fresh lemon zest, and 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice (or 1/2 tsp lemon extract). NOTE: Because you're adding extra moisture, you may need to add a bit more flour.
- Cinnamon Sugar: Add 1-2 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar toward end of last bake.
- Pumpkin Spice: Substitute the 1/2 cup oil for 1/3 cup solid pack pumpkin, 2 Tbs oil, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1 tsp allspice.
- Mocha Latte: Add 2 tsp instant coffee, 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips.
- Peppermint Bark: Add 1 tsp peppermint extract, 1/2 dark chocolate chips, 1/4 cup crushed peppermint candies (like candy canes or starlight mints)
I could go on and on...but that'll get you started.
OH...and you can fancy up ANY of the above by dipping their bottoms in melted white, milk, or dark chocolate then drizzling a thin zig zag of the same over the top. I like mine naked (without the drizzle/dip), but you do you!
Buon Appetito!
