Lemon Anise Biscotti

Great for gifts these low-fat biscotti are surprisingly easy to make. If you want indulge, dip them in chocolate.

Preheat the oven to 350°

Sift together into a large bowl:
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar

Grate and set aside
2-3 tablespoons lemon rind
And add 1 tablespoon ground anise seed to the lemon

Beat lightly
2 whole eggs
1 egg white

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and then add the lemon and anise seed.

Mix them together and mash and blend until the dough is smooth. It will be quite stiff. You can add a little lemon juice if you think it is too dry.

Making the biscotti

  1. Put some parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
  2. With your spoon or spatula divide the dough into two equal parts.
  3. With floured hands, take one of the halves and put it on one side of the cookie sheet. Roll and prod and poke and pat it until it is a long narrow log about 2" in diameter and about 15" long.
  4. Do the same with the second half of the dough, keeping the two logs well apart.
  5. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes until the logs are firm when you touch them on top.
  6. Remove them from the oven and gently transfer them to a wire rack to cool. (12-15 minutes)
  7. Turn the oven down to 325°
  8. Put one of the cooled logs on your cutting board and with a very sharp knife start cutting them at a very sharp angle into 1/2" thick slices. The slices will be 3 to 4" inches long.
  9. Lay these slices back on your parchment papered cookie sheet and bake for another 15 minutes.
  10. After they've thoroughly cooled you can serve them or store them for several weeks. I like to dip them in chocolate.

    11. Chocolate dipping mixture

    • Combine 8 ounces of dark chocolate to 1 ounce of white chocolate. This combination makes a dip that will harden nicely. If you want it to be more glossy you can add another 1/2 ounce or so of white chocolate.
    • An easy way to do this is to melt the chocolate in a wide mouthed 1/2 to 1 pint jar (a "french working glass" works perfectly). Put the jar in a small heavy pot with water and set the heat on the lowest possible temperature. The chocolate will melt instead of burning and just liquid enough for dipping.
    • I dip the biscotti 1/2 the way into the chocolate, 'brush' off some of the back flat underside with a small knife, and lay the dipped biscotti back on the parchment. It takes an hour or so to set up.
    • I also dip dried apricots, candied ginger, dried mango, dried papaya - whatever, in this chocolate mix.

    Wonderful!

    From the kitchen of Jennifer Miller