Italian cuisine is rich and generous with goodies. Even when the meal is over and dessert has been eaten, there are still treats to enjoy. What do the Italians enjoy alongside their post-meal coffee? Biscotti, of course! Follow this biscotti recipe to produce crispy and nutty biscotti biscuit to enjoy as the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee for Chinese New Year open house.
Biscotti cookies are baked twice to produce the extra crispy texture. There is no raising agent used, only air whisking of the egg whites. You can use any nuts you like, but our favourites are almonds and either pistachios or walnuts.
After baking the batter for the first time, you need to cut the biscotti into thin slices. You should do this with a very sharp knife, a serrated bread knife would be ideal. To get cardboard-thin biscotti, leave it in the freezer for at least 5 – 6 hours after the first baking, then cut it with a serrated knife into 2 – 3 mm thin slices.
Ingredients
| 4 | QL Deli Fresh or QL Omega egg whites |
|---|---|
| 100 g | caster sugar |
| Pinch of salt | |
| 150 g | plain or all-purpose flour |
| 100 g | almond |
| 50 g | pistachio or walnut |
Method
- Whip egg whites with electric mixer on high speed till soft peak.
- Gradually add in sugar and salt and whisk till stiff peak.
- Fold in flour into the meringue with a rubber spatula until well mixed.
- Scatter nuts into the batter and fold in well.
- Pour the batter into two rectangular loaf tins (10 inch x 5 inch) greased and lined with grease-proof or parchment paper.
- Bake at a 170 C preheated oven for 45 minutes. Let cool and peel off paper. Leave in freezer for at least 5 – 6 hours.
- Remove from freezer and leave aside for 5 - 10 minutes. Cut into thin slices (about 2 - 3 mm thick) and bake for the second time at 150 C for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp. Turn over the biscottis if you want both sides to be brown and crisp.
QL Kitchen Tips:
If you prefer thicker biscotti, you can cut the biscotti with a serrated knife after it is cooled from the first baking without freezing overnight.
QL Omega & QL Deli Fresh eggs are available at major hypermarkets and supermarkets. For more information on QL Eggs, click here.
