Ahh the good ole days – when you just popped in at family and friends and had spontaneous visits and dinners! Every mom & Nonna would have a section of the freezer dedicated to cookies and food for when company came over. It wasn’t a matter of if but when so you didn’t dare be caught off guard:)
This was one of the cookies my mom always kept on hand and now I see why. These anisette biscotti are so easy and quick to make, freeze well, and look nice on a platter when serving, yup – of course – espresso! Depending what decade you grew up in, right now you may be picturing the tablecloth covered in plastic with a little 3-tiered cookie tray being served with hot coffee and a shot of sambuca or brandy while everyone talked quite loudly!
Biscotti means that it is baked twice which gives it the dry texture that soaks up coffee so well and also gives them a longer shelf life if you’re not freezing them. I know most people hear biscotti and think of a long hard cookie with nuts in it but that’s not the case here. These are flavoured with anise and that’s it – a very simple cookie. You could substitute the extract with anise liqueur if the extract is a bit overbearing for you but for those who like the flavour go for the extract!
The dough is quite soft as you can see in this video. The refrigeration time is a must to be able to work with this dough. We make 2-3 logs out of the dough to form a traditional biscotti shape but you could also bake all the dough in a 9×13 pan and then cut into your desired-sized strips. Another option would be to make little balls and bake them like drop cookies. They will work either way you choose.
Anisette Biscotti
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Description
An anise flavoured biscotti that’s super quick and easy to make. A great introduction to biscotti making!
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp anise extract
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- Beat the eggs, sugar, oil, and anise extract together in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine the flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture a little at a time while mixing until all the flour is incorporated into a soft dough.
- Cover with food-safe plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350 and prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from fridge and divide into 2 or 3 portions. Form each portion into a thick log and place onto baking tray.
- Bake for 25 minutes or just until they begin to turn a golden colour.
- Remove from the oven and as soon as you can touch the loaves, carefully transfer to a cutting board and cut them into diagonal strips.
- Place them back on the baking pan and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
Notes
The dough is quite soft. The refrigeration time is a must, to make this dough workable. These biscotti freeze well in freezer safe bags or air tight containers.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: cookies
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: anisette biscotti, italian cookies, baking, biscotti
Susan E
05.12.2019 at 21:21Can I add almonds to the recipe?
Angela DeSalvo
17.12.2019 at 19:52Can’t say I have added to this particular recipe but biscotti are pretty forgiving so tweaking recipes is the way to come up with new combinations! I would imagine adding almonds to this would be great – I will try it next time I make them!