The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book - Camilla V. Saulsbury [108]
Bake for 26–28 minutes or until the logs are deep golden brown and spring back in the center when touched. Remove sheet from oven; keep oven on.
Using two pancake turners, lift logs, one at a time, from the cookie sheet to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut one of the logs into ¾-inch-wide slices. Note: for longer biscotti, cut at a deep diagonal; for shorter biscotti, cut log crosswise. Repeat with second log. Place slices on the same cookie sheet (do not worry about the spacing).
Bake slices for 5 minutes; remove from oven and turn over all of the slices. Return cookie sheet to oven and bake 5 minutes longer. Remove sheet from oven and immediately transfer biscotti to a wire rack; cool completely.
MAKES 28 BISCOTTI.
Baker’s Note
For half batches of biscotti, follow all of the directions above but halve the ingredients. Make one biscotti log instead of two and proceed as directed above. Or make a full batch and wrap and freeze the second half of dough for a future batch of biscotti or cookies.
WHITE CHOCOLATE–CRANBERRY BISCOTTI
This biscotto is as beautiful as it is delicious and makes an especially appealing gift. You can transform this recipe into a dark chocolate treat by substituting chocolate cake mix for the vanilla cake mix and semisweet chocolate-chips for the white chocolate chips.
1 (18.25-ounce) package vanilla cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F. Position rack in center of oven. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Place the cake mix, flour, melted butter, eggs, almond extract, cranberries, and white chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer set on low speed for 2–3 minutes until well-blended, scraping down sides of bowl (dough will be very stiff).
Transfer dough to prepared cookie sheet. With floured hands, shape dough into two 14 x 3-inch rectangles, ¾-inch thick, spacing them 4–5 inches apart on sheet. Mound the dough so it is slightly higher in the middle than at the edges.
Bake for 30–35 minutes until firm to touch; remove from oven (leave oven on) and cool on sheet for 10 minutes.
Cutting on the cookie sheet, use a sharp knife to slice each rectangle into ¾-inch slices on the diagonal. Carefully turn these slices onto their sides.
Return cookie sheet to oven. Bake biscotti 10 minutes. Turn oven off and let biscotti remain in oven until crisp, 30–40 minutes longer. Remove from oven and transfer biscotti to a rack. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container or plastic zip-top bag for 2–3 weeks.
MAKES ABOUT 32 BISCOTTI.
ALMOND BRICKLE BROWNIE BARS
These bars showcase two favorite flavors— chocolate and toffee—in all their delicious glory. The peanut butter in the filling adds a creamy nuttiness, but the almond extract makes the filling distinctively almond, a delicious complement to the toffee.
1 (19.5- to 19.8-ounce) package brownie mix
2 1/3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup English toffee baking bits
½ cup slivered almonds
Preheat oven to 350°F (325° for dark-coated metal pan). Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Spray the bottom only of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray (or foil-line pan; see page xxiv).
Mix the brownie mix, oats, and melted butter in a medium mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until just blended and all dry ingredients are moistened. Press 2/3 of mixture evenly into prepared pan.
Beat condensed milk, peanut butter, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer set on medium until smooth. Spread evenly over base layer.
Combine reserved crumb mixture with toffee bits and almonds in a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle mixture