Sometimes going for it can feel intimidating. “It” can be a career change, signing up for that dance class, or maybe making something like biscotti.
I’ve got to admit, biscotti seemed too fancy and complicated for me to even try learning to make. I’m not sure why I assumed this, but, just as with anything else in life, once you can erase uncertainty (even if it’s a slow process) things can begin to look much clearer and less daunting.
As soon as I looked up the ingredients and process for making it though, I was pleasantly surprised with how simple it was to make. I dropped in some of my favorite ingredients like mango and orange zest and enjoyed these crunchy delights with a hot cup of tea. Hope you like it!
THE INGREDIENTS
- 1 stick of unsalted, room temperature butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup dried mango
- 1/2 cup almonds (lightly crushed)
- zest of 1 orange
HOW TO MAKE IT
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter, sugar, and salt until smooth.
- Once smooth, add the eggs and whisk again until smooth.
- Now, use a mixing spatula to add the baking powder and flour. *Add the flour a 1/2 cup at a time to control the consistency. You want the dough to be slightly sticky, not dry like a bread dough.
- Once the dough is ready, drop in the dried mango, almonds, and orange zest. Mix this until everything is evenly blended.
- Form a ball with the dough (used extra flour to dust if it’s too sticky to work with) and wrap it in plastic. Let this rest in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- After the dough has rested in the refrigerator for an hour, take the dough out of the plastic wrap and drop it on a dusted surface to begin shaping it into a thick rectangle. *Don’t press the dough too flat, it should be 1-2 inches thick.
- Transfer the dough to a flat baking tray and bake it in the oven at 320˚ F for 40 minutes.
- After about 40 minutes (or until the biscotti has turned lightly golden), remove it from the oven and let it cool down completely. *Don’t rush and cut while it’s still warm or it will break.
- Once cool, cut the biscotti into 1 inch slices and then place back onto the baking tray to cook at 280˚ F for another 40 minutes.
- Let these cool on a wire rack and then enjoy all your hard work with a nice cup of tea! Easy, right?
Love it!!