Biscotti

These Italian cookies are traditionally served with Tuscan dessert wine, Vin Santo. Biscotti has now become so popular that people now dip them into all kinds of sweet wine, coffee, and for the kids, hot cocoa.

Makes 4 dozen.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup plus 1 T. sugar
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/3 cup sliced almonds
2 T. cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. whole aniseed
1/8 tsp salt
8 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 T. Vanilla extract
1 T. Pernod
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour sugar, almonds, cornmeal, aniseed, baking powder and salt in a bowl, mix thoroughly. Add butter and mix until the dough has the consistency of wet sand.

Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and Pernod until a soft dough is formed.

Divide the dough in half and form into 2 logs, each 4x15 inches. Place the logs on a greased cookie sheet. Brush with lightly beaten egg white. Brush evenly and sprinkle with 1 T. sugar. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. The logs should be firm. Cool to room temperature.

When logs are cool, cut them into 1/2 inch thick slices with a serrated knife. Lay the sliced cookies out on the cookie sheet. Lower the oven to 300 degrees and bake until lightly golden and crisp, about 20 minutes. Cool and store in air-tight container.

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