Sunday, October 30, 2016

Cornmeal Biscotti

These are my current biscotti obsession: flavorful and crunchy but not jaw breaking because butter is included as an ingredient. Perfect cookies for an afternoon snack.


Cornmeal Biscotti with Walnuts and Dried Fruit

1 cup plus 2 Tbs. AP flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup dried fruit (I've used cranberries and chopped figs)
1 cup walnut pieces

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the nuts and dried fruit.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.  Stir one tablespoon of this mixture into the bowl containing the nuts and fruit. This will help prevent these ingredients from sticking together.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs, vanilla and lemon zest and beat until light. Stir the flour mixture into the sugar and butter mixture, then add the fruit and nuts.

The dough will be sticky. You are going to shape the dough into a log measuring around 12" by 3". Begin by using a large spoon and scooping out portions of the dough to create the 12" length. Then with wet hands, pat the dough into its final rectangular shape.

Bake the dough for 35 to 40 minutes, until light brown and slightly cracked on top. Cool the baked dough for at least 20 minutes. Then transfer the dough to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut it into slices about 1/2" wide. Stand the slices on the cookie sheet making sure there is some space between each piece.

Bake the slices for an addition 15 to 20 minutes, until the pieces are beginning to turn brown. The cookies will get crunchy as they cool.

Enjoy!

Adapted from Alice Medrich, “Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies,”