Sheet pan cooking seems to be all the rage now, but seldom do I see recipes for sheet pan desserts. Now you've got one. Biscotti to the rescue. Yes, biscotti. They're easy, economical to make at home, and you can bake them on one cookie sheet or sheet pan for minimal fuss and cleanup. The recipe I'm offering today is for Orange-Almond Biscotti. The cookies are crispy but not tooth shattering. I like them because they're sweet but only a little. Instead of just sugar, the biscotti taste of orange and almonds with a touch of cinnamon. They're quite good with a cup of coffee or tea. And if you don't mind getting crumbs in your after-dinner drink, you could certainly dip them in some sweet dessert wine, as my husband's students (all adults) during a taste test suggested would be good. Wine connoisseur that I'm not, I prefer the biscotti "as is" or with after-dinner ice cream.
Orange-Almond Biscotti -- Makes 24-36
2 eggs
2/3 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of canola oil
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of almond flour
1 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of sliced almonds
Sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together well the eggs, sugar, oil, orange zest, vanilla, and almond extract. Stir in the flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sliced almonds until thoroughly combined. The batter will be stiff. Form two logs--each about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide--on the prepared pan. The easiest way to do this is to plop batter onto the baking sheet and then, with slightly wet hands (keep a bowl of water nearby), coax the batter into log shapes as though you were working with damp clay. It's okay if the logs are a bit wet on top. The dampness will help the sugar mixture to adhere. For the sugar mixture, mix about a teaspoon of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle the mixture over the tops of the logs. Bake the logs for 30 minutes or until firm but not hard. Remove the logs from the oven and let the logs cool for a few minutes (they'll still be hot, so be careful). Using a very sharp knife (I use a very thin ceramic chef's knife) slice down on the hot logs crosswise, cutting the logs into 1-inch slices. Turn each slice down flat on the cookie sheet (it's okay if the pan is crowded, as the cookies won't spread). Bake the slices for 8 minutes and then flip them over (use a couple of forks to flip them to spare your fingers!) and bake them another 8-9 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before removing them to cool completely. The biscotti will continue to crisp up as they stand.
