Don’t be surprised at how sticky this dough is as you’re trying to shape it into a log for the first baking! After it comes out of the oven, it’s easy to cut into biscotti slices. Cooking the slices slowly on both sides gives it that nice biscotti crunch.

　　

Ingredients

makes 2 dozen

　　4 large eggs

　　1 cup sugar

　　1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest

　　2 tablespoons vegetable oil

　　1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　1/2 teaspoon orange juice

　　1 teaspoon almond extract

　　3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

　　2 teaspoons baking powder

　　1 cup chopped almonds or nuts of your choice

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

　　

Step 2

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together at high speed with an electric mixer for 5 minutes, or until foamy. Add the orange zest, oil, vanilla, orange juice, and almond extract, beating until blended. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add to the sugar mixture, beating well. Fold in the almonds by hand. Cover the dough in the mixing bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator 2 hours until firm.

　　

Step 3

Divide the dough in half. Shape each portion into a 5 × 8-inch log on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until firm. Cool the dough logs on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

　　

Step 4

Using a serrated knife, cut each log diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Return the biscotti to the greased baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the cookies over and bake for 15 more minutes. Cool on wire racks.

　　

From Trisha

Step 5

I usually leave the fancy recipes to my sister, and this is one of hers, but it’s easy to make. They look so fancy on the plate, and sound so cool, though, that people will think you worked really hard to make them.

　　Reprinted with permission from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes from My Family to Yours by Trisha Yearwood with Gwen Yearwood and Beth Yearwood Bernard. Copyright © 2008 by Trisha Yearwood. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Trisha Yearwood is a three-time Grammy-award winning country music star and the author of the bestselling cookbook Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen. She is married to megastar Garth Brooks.