Hazelnut Cinnamon Biscotti
Biscotti are traditionally dry and crisp Italian cookies, and when loosely translated, means “twice baked” owing to the fact that they are usually baked twice. Different regions in Italy have also developed their unique ways of flavouring or consuming these endearing cookies.
Finding good and value-for-money biscotti in Italy is not an issue at all, but once you step out of that quaint boot-like shaped country I’ve come to adore so, you’d better not set your expectations too high. In this part of the world where I belong to, good biscotti are hard to come by. They are almost always over-priced and more often than not, also faring poorly in the taste faculty.
Quite honestly speaking, I’d never thought of baking biscotti in my own little kitchen at home. But this has come to an end after attending Joycelyn Shu’s workshop. I tasted samples of the biscotti she baked using her recipe, and I must say they are not bad at all! In fact, good enough to rival those found in the country where it originates from , I should say!
- The sliced biscotti after their first bake, and waiting for the second go. -
Unlike many of my other countrymen who like to dunk their biscotti into their espresso shots, I like to have mine neat on its own, completing the experience with a cup of earl grey tea by the side. And in a bid to reprise the wonderful experience we had in Italy, I was eager to try out the recipe at first opportunity.
- My twice-baked Hazelnut Cinnamon Biscotti -
I have to say that my biscotti turned out just wonderful! And I like the fact that I can bake it a few days in advance (it keeps for at least a week in an air-tight container) for a evening gathering over at a gal friend’s on Friday night.
While I do not have the liberty to share the recipe I obtained from attending Joycelyn’s workshop, I would like to share this recipe adapted by Ivonne of Cream Puff in Venice, an Italian lady residing in Canada. Her biscotti looks equally impressive, and I can’t wait to try it out too!
