Walnut Biscotti with Sea Salt
Chock-full of walnuts and finished with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt, these biscotti are equally good dunked in an afternoon cup of coffee or served with a sweet wine for dessert. Biscotti means “twice-baked” in Italian, and that double baking is the secret to their crunch. If you like your biscotti a little more or less crunchy, try adding or subtracting a minute or two from the second cooking time.
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups (9 oz./280 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) (4 oz./125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (6 oz./185 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup (4 oz./125 g) walnuts, coarsely chopped
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease and flour a large baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and kosher salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and brown sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla until blended. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low speed or stir with a wooden spoon just until incorporated. Add the walnuts and beat on low speed until incorporated.
Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface and divide in half. With well-floured hands, transfer one-half to the prepared baking sheet and shape into a log about 12 inches (30 cm) long and 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter. Place on one side of the sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the logs. (They will spread as they bake.)
Bake the logs until the edges are golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the logs cool for 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs, still on the pan, on the diagonal into slices 1/2 inch (12 mm) wide. Carefully turn the slices on their sides, sprinkle lightly with sea salt and return them to the oven.
Bake until the edges are golden, about 10 minutes more. Let the biscotti cool completely on the pan on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 4 dozen biscotti.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen
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