lemon almond biscotti.

What better way to brighten up a rainy Sunday morning than with an enormous mug of tea and a few homemade biscotti?


My mom brought me a batch of these recently and I devoured them with shameless speed. Made with whole wheat flour and not too sweet, they're a satisfying (and satisfyingly crunchy!) treat. The original recipe is from Martha Stewart; I flipped the proportions of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, scaled back on the sugar, increased the lemon zest, and brushed them with egg whites and sugar before baking. YUM. Thanks for the recipe suggestion, Mom!


Lemon Almond Biscotti
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living (December 2009)

2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar + 1 tbsp. (optional: for sprinkling)
1/3 c. honey
zest of 3 lemons
3/4 tsp. sea salt
3 eggs + 1 egg white (optional: for brushing)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. almond extract
1 c. whole almonds (*I like the chewiness of raw almonds, but roasted would work just as well)

1. Combine flours and baking powder; set aside. Beat butter, sugar, honey, lemon zest, and salt on med. speed until light and fluffy (about 2 mins.). Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each one. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in flour mixture in 3-4 batches, scraping down bowl after each one. Fold in almonds with rubber spatula. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (*Note: this dough never got completely firm, like certain cookie doughs might. Not to worry.)

2. Flour a work surface. Divide dough in half and gently pat/press each one into a rectangle about 3x13". (*Martha suggests 2x15"; it seems like variation doesn't matter too much here.) Transfer these to one parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about 4" apart, and refrigerate for 30 mins.

3. Preheat oven to 325F. [Optional: brush the top of each rectangle with egg white and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Makes them shiny!] Bake for 35 mins., until golden and slightly firm. Remove from oven and let cool slightly; reduce oven to 300F. When rectangles are cool enough, transfer to cutting board. Cut into slices 1/2" to 3/4" thick - I found it easier to cut slightly thicker slices because of the almonds. Return to baking sheet on their sides (I added another baking sheet at this point and used one for each batch of slices) and bake about 30 mins. more. Flip them over halfway through the baking so that they brown evenly on both sides. Let cool on sheets.