These Orange Almond Biscotti are buttery, crunchy, flaky, and made without eggs. So if you are looking for an eggless and delicious biscotti recipe, you have landed at the right place!
About Orange Almond Biscotti
Biscotti are Italian cookies, and it literally means twice baked. It is very easy to customize the biscotti recipe by adding our choice of nuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruits. The recipe is easy to follow, and the dough comes together quickly. However, the process is long as these cookies need to be baked twice. But it is not difficult as the baking time is more than actual hands-on time! We need basic ingredients for making biscotti. They are most likely available in our pantry. I have used butter and not oil in this recipe. Actually, I have tried the recipe using both oil and butter. But I loved the buttery flavor of the biscotti with almonds and orange. I have lightly toasted almonds before chopping them. The toasting nuts enhance the flavor, so I will highly recommend it. Also, coarsely chop the almonds rather than using the whole. If we throw whole almonds into the dough, cutting the dough log after the first baking is difficult. To handle the dough, place it onto a clean and lightly floured surface and turn the dough into two logs. Bake it, and then allow them to cool down a bit. And when they are still a little warm, slice them. Bake the biscotti slices again until they are lightly brown on the edges.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
The biscotti are buttery, crispy, and flaky. They are loaded with almonds. These cookies are refreshing with fresh orange flavor. The recipe is easy to follow, with step-by-step instructions. Orange Almond Biscotti are eggless and perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Directions
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line the baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside. Lightly toast almonds and chop coarsely. Set aside.
Mix 2 tablespoon cornstarch with 4 tablespoon of water in a small bowl, and set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk everything well and set it aside.
In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium to high speed until creamy, light, and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add the cornstarch and water mixture, vanilla, and orange zest, and beat until everything is well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
Add the dry ingredients and orange juice and mix on low speed to combine.
Next, add the chopped almonds, and mix to distribute thoroughly. However, make sure not to overmix.
Place the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface or baking mat. Divide the dough into two equal parts.
Place the dough balls into a prepared baking sheet. Shape each dough into a log, about 9 inches long and 2 inches wide. Keep both logs on a baking sheet with at least 3 inches of space between them. If using a small baking sheet, bake one log at a time.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is firm to touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet. However, do not let the logs cool completely.
Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board when they are still warm. Use the serrated knife to cut the logs into even diagonal slices. There will be a total of 26-28 slices.
Note: It is essential to cut the biscotti logs when they are still warm. If they are left to cool completely, it will be difficult to slice the biscotti. Also, make sure to use a sharp knife.
Transfer the biscotti back onto a baking sheet, laying them flat and just a small space between them.
Return the biscotti to the oven and bake them again at 325° F for 15-25 minutes or until they begin to brown around the edges. Because every oven is different, you may need to bake the biscotti a little longer than 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the biscotti to cool on the baking tray.
The biscotti can be kept in an airtight container for at least two weeks.
Helpful Tips
Flour: For the perfect biscotti, make sure to measure the flour correctly. I will suggest using a kitchen scale. If using the cup method, fluff your flour with the spoon and then spoon it into a measuring cup. Then, level it off with the knife. Do Not Overmix: Do not overwork the dough; otherwise, it will end up in dense and crumbly biscotti. Butter: Butter should be softened to room temperature before creaming the butter and sugar. Almonds: Lightly toast the almonds for the best flavors and chop them roughly. Instead of almonds, you can use other nuts as well.
Can I Skip Almonds?
Yes! You can entirely skip almonds from the recipe. Or you can substitute them with your choice of nuts. Instead of almonds, we can also use pecans or hazelnuts. But for any nuts you add, make sure to toast them lightly before using them in the recipe. Also, you can use chocolate chips instead of nuts if you prefer.
Why Does This Recipe Call For Cornstarch Mixture?
Some recipes really don’t need any extra ingredients to make it egg-free. But for some recipes, we need an extra element to make eggless recipes successful. Especially for certain recipes, we need something for binding and moisture. And that is why I have used a mixture of cornstarch and water. However, for each recipe, there is a different requirement; we can not use cornstarch mixture as a standard egg substitute. But for this recipe, it worked like a wonder. It binds and moistens biscotti. If we do not use this mixture, the dough will be stiff and crumbly. And cornstarch is a general ingredient and is mostly available in everyone’s pantry. So, there is no need to buy any store-bought fancy egg replacer.
Why Is My Biscotti Falling Apart While Cutting After First Bake?
There are a couple of major reasons for this issue. When you bake the biscotti logs the first time, do not overbake. Bake until the logs are firm to touch and a toothpick inserted in the log comes out clean. If we overbake at this point, the logs will become harder and dry, and the biscotti will fall apart while cutting. The other reason is that if we let the logs cool down completely, it will be difficult to cut them into biscotti. Slice the logs after the first baking when they are still warm. Also, remember that there are almond chunks in the biscotti logs, so use a sharp knife for cutting.
More Eggless Cookies
You May Like More Eggless Recipes
Lemon Pound Cake (Eggless) / Lemon Loaf Cake Almond Orange Nankhatai / Almond Shortbread Cookies Marble Loaf Cake (Eggless) Shortbread Cookies (Eggless) Chocolate Almond Blondies (Eggless)
