Mm Mm Candied Almond Biscotti

Well, this is a little awkward. You thought you clicked the wrong blog, didn't you?

I promise, it's still me here, Anum from SummerxSkin. I'm super excited to introduce a new category today and it's going to be all about FOOD. Every Friday, you can come here to find a new recipe that has been tried, tasted, touched up and perfected. Maybe we can call it Food Friday? TGIFood? I'll try to think of a better name...

To be completely transparent, I originally started this blog thinking it would be a great way for me to teach myself how to cook and share my learnings with you. Of course that didn't work out as planned and instead, I eventually married my husband who is an INCREDIBLE cook. He prepares almost 100% of our meals, but I've always been the better baker (shh, don't tell him that). It works out well because he will make dinner and I sweeten things up with dessert! He'll be helping me with this series and together, we will share AWESOME recipes with you + tips and tricks from the expert himself. Let me know what you think of the first one!

Candied Almond Biscotti

I spent a good two weeks trying different variations of biscotti recipes to find one that I really liked. James and I like our biscotti to be sweet with a touch of saltiness, perfect for dipping in coffee or tea. However, if you prefer your biscotti to be more salty, add less sugar and a bit more salt.

Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes (including prep and baking)

Serves: 30-40 pieces

What you'll need:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large white eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup candied almonds

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
• Mix your flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together
• Slowly beat in the eggs and vanilla extract with an electric mixer for a dough-like consistency - Tip: I add a VERY tiny amount of water to prevent the dough from becoming dry
• Continue using the electric mixer as you add in the candied almonds
• Split your dough in half so it looks like two linear ovals and place them on your baking sheet - Tip: I always line mine with parchment paper so nothing sticks
• Bake for 10 minutes and then rotate the sheet to then bake for another 10-15 minutes until the dough looks firm from the outside but presses easily
• Take it out of the oven and let it sit on a wire rack (photographed above) for about 30 minutes
• Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into logs that are 1/4-inch pieces - Tip: for fun styling and serving purposes, I tend to make some pieces a bit bigger than others for a nice variety
• Once you've cut all your dough into pieces, place them back on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes until they are browned and crisp

If you've followed the steps above correctly, you should now have warm, delicious Candied Almond Biscotti to serve with coffee or tea!

Let me know if you give this a try or if there is a biscotti recipe YOU really like that I should experiment with. Stay tuned for more fun foodie posts!