12 Days of Christmas Treats: Almond Lemon Biscotti Dipped in White Chocolate

Editor’s Note: Welcome to the 2013 edition of The 12 Days of Christmas Treats! Every day from now until Christmas, we’ll bring you a new, scrumptious recipe for a holiday cookie, cake, or other dessert treat. Whether you leave them out for Santa or simply sample them all yourself is up to you, we just encourage you to try them all! Leave your comments below each recipe and upload a photo if you make your own batch at home. Season’s Eatings!

by Amy Johnson, Managing Editor, HockeyPub.com

PHILADELPHIA, PA — If you know someone who enjoys coffee or tea, today’s recipe is the perfect thing to gift them with this Christmas!  Place a few of these tasty biscotti cookies upright in a pretty teacup or coffee mug, tuck in some specialty tea or coffee and wrap in festive cellophane with a ribbon.  It’s a memorable and delicious present!

Almond and Lemon Biscotti Dipped in White Chocolate
Recipe Courtesy: Giada De Laurentiis, FoodNetwork.com

Prep/Cook Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Yield: 20 biscotti

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest (from about 3 to 4 lemons)
3/4 cup coarsely chopped whole almonds
18 ounces white chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.

2. In another large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs with an electric mixture until pale yellow, about 3 minutes.

3. Mix in the lemon zest.

4. Then add in the flour, and beat until just blended. (The dough will be sticky).

5. Stir in the almonds. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

6. Divide the dough evenly into 2 equal mounds and place on the prepared baking sheet. With moist hands, space the dough evenly apart and form into 2 (9 by-3-inch) logs.

7. Bake for 35 minutes until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick diagonal slices. Arrange the biscotti cut side down on the same baking sheet.

8. Bake until the cookies are pale golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.  Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the pan does not touch the water. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

9. Dip the end of each biscotti in the chocolate. Transfer the dipped biscotti to a wire rack, set over a baking sheet, until the chocolate has hardened.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for our next holiday recipe – Almond Orange Shortbread! And if you missed any of our previous recipes in this series, take a moment to check them out below:

Day 1 – Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Day 2 – White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Cookies
Day 3 – Apricot Rugelach
Day 4 – Hot Cocoa Cake
Day 5 – Eggnog-Panettone Bread Pudding
Day 6 – Cherry-Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Day 7 – Marshmallow Pops

Photo credits: Amy Johnson

Tags: almond, biscotti, christmas, cookies, featured, holidays, lemon, recipes, treats