Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti

Biscotti are one of my favorite treats to make around the holidays.  They’re good keepers so they make excellent gifts for friends and family.  Plus, there are tons of possible flavor combinations so they’re infinitely adaptable.  This particular recipe stood out to me immediately because it was a biscotti recipe that did not include nuts, which is pretty rare among the many biscotti recipes I’ve seen.  I don’t personally like nuts and I’m always a little afraid to put them in treats I’m giving to others, especially if I don’t know how they feel about nuts or whether there might be an allergy.  That’s not to say I haven’t made the recipes that call for nuts and simply omitted them, but it’s just nice to see one that was never intended to include them :)  My other big complaint about biscotti?  When they’re so hard and crunchy that eating them without a beverage to dunk them in is practically impossible.  Thankfully, you won’t have that problem with this recipe.  These biscotti are crunchy, but not dangerously so, and loaded with cinnamon flavor.  I sent most of this batch to Di over at Di’s Kitchen Notebook and left the rest in Shane’s parents’ freezer when I was house sitting last month.  Pulling these photos out of my archives today has left me thinking it might be time to whip them up again.

We woke up this morning to find gorgeous blue sunny skies and promises of temperatures climbing to 60 – practically unheard of for November in New England.  We’ll enjoy it while we can because I know it won’t be long before we’re standing out in freezing temps shoveling snow for hours on end :)  Happy weekend everyone! 

Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti
from Bon Appetit, December 1997  (as seen on Joy the Baker)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the egg and then the egg yolk, beating well after each addition.  Mix in the vanilla.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until everything is incorporated and the dough comes together.

Divide the dough in half.  On the prepared baking sheet, shape each half into a log that is 9 inches long and 1 1/2-inch-wide.  Space the logs at least 4 inches apart.  Brush the tops and sides of the logs with the beaten egg.  In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and sugar for the topping, then sprinkle about 2/3 of it generously on the logs.

Bake until the logs are golden and slightly firm to the touch, about 40-45 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven but maintain the oven temperature.  Once the logs are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to cut each log into 1/2-wide slices on the diagonal.  Place the biscotti cut-side down on the baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar topping.  Bake the biscotti again until pale golden, about 10-15 minutes.  Remove and cool on wire racks.