I bake a lot of cookies throughout the holiday baking season, from drop cookies to decorated cutout cookies. I always manage to fit a few batches of biscotti into my rotation. Biscotti are not only delicious, but the fact that they are twice-baked gives them a long shelf life, making them the perfect choice to keep your cookie jar filled throughout the season. These Brown Sugar Walnut Biscotti aren’t necessarily a Christmas cookie and can be enjoyed any time of the year. That said, their simplicity makes them a nice counterpoint to many of the sweeter treats of the holiday season if you want to bake some up in December.
The recipe is very straight forward and easy to make. The cookies get most of their flavor from brown sugar, which gives them a nice molasses sweetness. I recommend using dark brown sugar if possible for a more intense flavor in the finished biscotti. The cookies are studded with toasted walnuts, which bring in a nice buttery, nutty flavor. Be sure that you use toasted walnuts for the best results. If you don’t have toasted walnuts, you can toast yours by roasting them at 325F for about 15 minutes in a single layer on a baking sheet.
The cookies have no added fat in the recipe, making them very low in fat. Along with the double baking, the low fat content makes these cookies very crisp and allows them to stay fresh tasting for well over a week when stored in an airtight container. A big batch is nice to have around for snacking and the cookies can be packed up and shipped of as a holiday gift, as well. If you want to dress them up, drizzle the cookies with a bit of tempered white and dark chocolate after they have cooled.
Brown Sugar Walnut Biscotti
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar (pref. dark brown)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until very well combined. Gradually blend in the flour mixture until a stiff dough forms, then fold in the toasted walnuts.
Drop big spoonfuls of batter onto a prepared baking sheet to form two long lines of dough and, with well floured hands, shape the dough into logs about 3 1/2 inches wide and 1/2 inch high.
Bake at 325F for 30 minutes, until logs are a light golden color and are fully set (they will spring back slightly when touched with a finger, like a cake). Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack, then, using a bread knife, slice the log on a diagonal into 1/4 to 1/3 inch slices.
Arrange cookies upright on a baking sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes, or until crisp.
Makes bout 3 dozen.
What do you think?