Guilt-free Almond Biscotti

Guilt-free Almond Biscotti

Sweet twice-baked cookies deliver a satisfying crunch without using butter, oil

Giorgio Celmo

The dough can be sticky, so lightly flour your hands or coat them with cooking spray before shaping it into logs. Making the logs as uniform as possible ensures even baking

Ingredients:

• 21/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and levelled)

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Add almonds and beat until combined.

 Divide dough in half and transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Form each half into a 21/2-inch-wide, 3/4-inch-tall log. Bake until dough is firm but gives slightly when pressed, about 20 minutes to 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack, about 20 minutes.

 With a serrated knife, cut logs into 1/4-inch slices on the diagonal and arrange, cut side down, on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake until biscotti are crisp and golden, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets and flipping biscotti halfway through. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. (Store in an airtight container, up to 2 days, or freeze, up to 3 months.)

Makes about 40.

Grandma’s Snickerdoodle Cookies

Giorgio Celmo

Ingredients

1 C soft shortening, like Crisco (not something I generally use,  but this is after all grandmas’ recipe, and it does make a difference)

1 1/2 Cups sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 Cups flour

2 Teaspoon cream of tarter

1 Teaspoon baking soda

1/2 Teaspoon salt (I used kosher, but I am sure grandma used iodized)

4 Tablespoon sugar

1 Teaspoon cinnamon

Process

Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside. Cream together shortening, sugar, and eggs with a stand or hand mixer. Then slowly mix in flour. Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes or more.

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts (this was the word my grandmother used!). Roll each ball in sugar and cinnamon mixtures. Flatten on un-greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-14 minutes or until set (it will take longer depending on how big your walnuts are).

Note: Be sure to cover the dough and put it back in the refrigerator between pans unless you roll them all and sugar them ahead.

Makes  48.

MAMA'S SUGAR COOKIES

Recipe by Giorgio Celmo

Ingredients:

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

1/3 tsp. baking powder

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.

Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients in two parts, mixing thoroughly between each addition. Mix the dough until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl.

Roll dough into one large log and wrap in plastic wrap and chill to firm for 30 minutes to slice into ½ inch cookies. Place sliced cookies on baking sheet.

Bake 8 minutes, and rotate the pan, then bake another 8 min. in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand for a few minutes to make it easier to handle before removing to fully cool.

Yields 4 dozen cookies

Cicerata

 Giorgio Celmo

Honey-soaked cicerata, so named because the bits of dough are shaped to resemble chickpeas (ceci in Italian), is a sweet dessert that's served during the Christmas holidays.

Ingredients

6 egg whites
5¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
12 egg yolks
¼ teaspoon salt
2¾ cups extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup anise liqueur
¼ cup sugar
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 cup finely diced candied fruit
juice of 8 oranges
3 cups honey
zest of 4 oranges, julienned
¼ cup colored sprinkles

Directions

Make the dough: Whip the egg whites until soft peaks hold. Place the flour in the bowl of an electric mixer; work in the egg yolks, salt, ¾ cup of the olive oil, anise liqueur, and sugar. Gently fold in the egg whites with a wooden spoon; the dough should be soft and elastic. If it is too dry, add more liqueur; if it is too wet, add more flour.

Snip into chickpea-sized pieces and roll into tiny spheres. Heat the remaining olive oil until it registers 325 degrees on a thermometer; fry the bits of dough until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and blot dry on paper towels; arrange on 8 plates, and top with the slivered almonds and candied fruit, and sprinkles

Italian Christmas Cookies

Giorgio Celmo

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

2 teaspoons Vanilla

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon e Vanilla

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Colored sprinkles

Directions

Pre Heat Oven 350°

In a bowl combine butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well. Beat in ricotta and vanilla. Combine flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

In a bowl, combine butter, sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cooled cookies and immediately decorate with sprinkles. Store in cool dry place makes about: 100 cookies

Italian Fig Cookies

This recipe has been in my family for generations. We make them at Christmas, and My family called them Buccis, but no matter what you call them they taste like the holidays.

Giorgio Celmo

Ingredients

1 cup packed soft dried Mission figs -hard tips discarded

3/4 cup raisins

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

3/4 cup whole almonds toasted and coarsely chopped

3/4 cup walnuts toasted and coarsely chopped

Pastry Dough:

Refrigerated pie dough

1 egg mixed with water for egg wash

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp fresh orange juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make filling:  Pulse figs and raisins in a food processor until finely chopped, and then stir together with remaining filling ingredients in a bowl.

On a floured work surface, roll out the dough 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut out large (3-inch long) circle shaped pieces from the dough. Transfer the pieces to a sheet pan; then chill.

To form the cookies:  Have ready the filling, the chilled dough pieces, the egg wash with a pastry brush, and a sharp knife. Paint the edges of the dough pieces with egg wash and place 1 teaspoon of filling shaped into an oval in the center of the pieces. Fold over dough around filling to form almost and almond shaped form and carefully pinch the edges together to seal.

Brush the cookies with the egg wash.

Bake the cookies until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile make the Icing: In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.

Ice the cookies once they have cooled.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Biscotti Almond Orange

Biscotti Almond Orange

Giorgio Celmo

Ingredients:

¾ cup (175 g) sugar

3 large eggs

3/4 cup (80 g) slivered almonds

2 tablespoons minced orange zest (about half an orange's zest)

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons Vanilla

2 teaspoons almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups (250 g) flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Break two large eggs into the large mixing bowl and add the sugar. Whisk to combine. Continue whisking the sugar and eggs until the color has lightened to a pale yellow. I like using a spare piece of mesh cabinet liner to keep the bowl from shifting while I'm whisking.

Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, orange zest, and slivered almonds to the egg and sugar mixture, using a spatula, stir once or twice to combine. Working in batches, pour enough of the flour mixture to cover the surface of the egg mixture. Use a spatula and fold in the flour using as few strokes as possible. Add more flour and fold until all the flour has been integrated. Folding is performed by using a spatula to scoop from either the side or the middle of the mixture and lifting and "folding" (basically moving the spatula laterally and then flipping it over to drop the mixture) onto another part of the mixture. Rotate the bowl each fold.

Split the batter in half and place the two rough balls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. With your hands, form the batter into two loaves of approximately 10-in. (25 cm) by 2 in. (5 cm) each. Wetting your hands just a bit may help with molding the loaves since the batter will be fairly sticky.

Bake the loaves at 350°F (175°C) for 40 minutes (rotating the pan once after twenty minutes). The loaves should have just started to crack. (Don't wait for big cracks or you might overcook the biscotti.)

Remove the loaves from the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool for at least ten minutes. This cooling step is extremely important to your non-dominant hand as it will be holding the loaf while you cut it in the next step.

After some cooling, move a loaf to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 3/8-in. (1 cm) thick pieces. Do the same to the other loaf. The interior of each biscotto should still be just a little moist (while the exterior is nice and hard). The crust of the loaf will probably be quite hard, so use a large serrated knife such as a bread knife for this job.

Place the biscotti with a cut side facing up on a half sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the pan and flip all the biscotti over so the other cut side is now facing up. Bake for another 7 minutes. Set all the pieces on a wire rack to cool making sure that none of the biscotti are touching each other. If the biscotti are placed too close together, they could get a little soft or soggy as they cool.

Once the biscotti have fully cooled, they can be consumed as is, or chocolate dipped. To chocolate dip, simply break up the chocolate of your choice (dark chocolate is Giorgio’s favorite) and place in a large metal mixing bowl. I find it easier to dip biscotti in large quantities of chocolate, so I usually make two batches of biscotti (4 loaves), and melt about 250 g (a bit more than 1/2 pound) chocolate. For one batch, 125 g (about 1/4 pound) chocolate should be enough. Using a flat bottomed mixing bowl also makes it easier to dip (otherwise you may need to transfer the chocolate to another container after melting to dip the biscotti).

Enjoy!!

Pistachio Biscotti

Pistachio Biscotti

Giorgio Celmo

1 1/2 cups pistachios
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay the pistachios on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes or until the nuts are lightly toasted. Remove from the oven.
In an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. With the mixer running, gradually add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla; mix until creamed. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dough until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the pistachios until evenly distributed.

Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Roll each half into a log, each 12 inches long by 1-inch high. Place the logs on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly brown. Let the logs cool for 5 minutes and then place on a cutting board. Slice each log on a diagonal into 12 1-inch thick pieces. Put the cookies back on the cookie sheet and bake 5 minutes. Turn the cookies over and bake the other side for another 5 minutes. Store cookies in an airtight container, or Chris would use a vacuum sealer machine and freeze some, last about 6 months that way

Nona's Lemon Drop Cookies

Nona’s Italian Lemon Drop Cookies

Giorgio Celmo

Ingredients

Cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for 2 hours