Who doesn’t love an old-fashioned almond biscotti. With no butter in sight, these hard cookies are (nearly) guilt-free and as close to the original southern Italian recipe as can be. Enjoy them in the morning with coffee, in the afternoon with tea, or after dinner with a digestif, just as the Italians do. If you prefer a very strong almond flavor, feel free to add 1/4 tsp almond extract.

Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 3/4 cup organic sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, pinch of salt, 3 large eggs, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, 1 cup unsalted almonds toasted and chopped

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Mix the sugars with the eggs until evenly combined. This can be done by hand if you are feeling strong or in an electric mixer. Add the vanilla extract and beat or mix to incorporate. 

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk, eliminating any clumps. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture in 3 parts, mixing to combine. Doing this in three parts ensures that you do not dry out the batter. Add the almonds and mix. Pour the dough onto a well-floured countertop or directly onto your lined sheet pan. Separate into two sections and form each section into a log about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide, or however long you want your biscotti to be. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the pan and allow the logs to cool for 15 minutes. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to slice the logs on the diagonal into 3/4-inch wide biscotti, or however wide you want them to be. Place the individual biscotti back onto the sheet pan and bake for 40 minutes more, or until they are golden and crisp. Turn the biscotti over halfway through so that they cook evenly on both sides.