Anise Almond Biscotti Recipe

This recipe is the closest I’ve found to the handwritten index card written by my great-grandmother that she credited to her cousin and called Alice’s Anise Cookies. During the holidays, the Italian women in my family — a generation before me — labored over home baked cookie tins for sharing and while most of the variety of delights were standard seasonal American favorites, biscotti had their place. To me they are a comforting not-overly-indulgent treat with a coffee — a cookie that counts as breakfast, perhaps? It’s a recipe I make every year when cozy season arrives and whether it’s the family memories it conjures or the warmth of flavors, I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

 

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr

Additional Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins

Yield: 5 dozen

 

Tips  before starting— 

This recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar, but I think it works just as well with 1 1/4 cups.

Toasting the almonds before adding them to the other ingredients enhances their flavor.

While this was not on great-grandma’s recipe card, I do recommend melting dark chocolate and dipping half of each cookie or drizzling over the tops. Taking the extra step to properly temper the chocolate would make for better storage.

 

Ingredients —

  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup butter, room temp
  • 4 eggs, room temp
  • 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup brandy
  • 1 ½ teaspoons anise extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped almonds
  • 2 tablespoons anise seed

Directions —

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine brandy, anise extract and vanilla in a small bowl or measuring cup. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add dry ingredients and brandy mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir in the almonds and aniseed.
  3. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto prepared sheet, forming two 2 x 13-inch long strips on each sheet. Smooth dough into logs with moistened fingertips.
  4. Bake about 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch. Place cookie sheets on racks and cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
  5. Cut cooled logs on the diagonal into 3/4-inch thick slices using a serrated knife. Place slices on cookie sheets.
  6. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes, until dry and slightly brown. Remove to a rack and cool.

 

Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee or tea — biscotti are intentionally crispy and meant to be dunked. Will keep well stored in an airtight container.