Rinfornati con Mandorle /Almond Biscotti/ Cantucci

 Rinfornati

Rinfornati di Mandorle

We recognize these Italian cookies by the name biscotti. The word biscotti is derived from latin biscoctus meaning "twice cooked. or baked." In Italy, the term biscotti is used to describe any cookie. Italians call these cookies "rifornati", meaning rebaked. If you are in the Tuscan region they call these cookies cantucci. There are many variations of rifornati and a great deal of these variations are not truly Italian. Nonetheless, they are delicious.  These cookies are golden brown, crunchy and hard. They are perfect for dunking into coffee, espresso, hot chocolate  and vin santo! We would eat these after dinner on special occasions and my mom would make lots during the Christmas season to give away as gifts. These are perfect for gift giving! They can be stored in a paper bag in your cupboard for about a week. They can also be frozen in baggies and taken out whenever needed.  Most recipes call for whole almonds. I measure out the 2 cups and then I give them a rough chop. I find that if left whole they cause the cookies to crumble when cutting them.  I also roast the almonds beforehand. Set oven to 375 and place almonds on a cookie sheet. Place in oven and after about 5 minutes give them a shake. They roast quickly. You know they are done when they turn a nice golden colour and you can hear them crackling. About 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let them cool on sheet. They will get nice and crunchy!

I have tried a variety of recipes looking for the one recipe that best emulates my mother's and I was very successful with this one! This recipe is taken from David Rocco's cookbook "Made in Italy." I love his cookbooks. He is an Italian Canadian chef who travels back and forth from Italy to Toronto. He has a great show and his cookbooks are authentic Italian recipes with beautiful pictures and great stories. I would highly recommend you take a look at them when considering some new books!

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of one lemon (organic is best)
• 2 cups of roasted almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees C.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a medium size bowl combine salt, flour and baking powder.
4. In a large bowl combine oil, sugar and vanilla extract until well blended and then beat in eggs.
5. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
6. Add lemon zest and almonds and mix in.
7. Continue mixing until a nice cookie dough has formed. If it is too sticky you may need to add in a small amount of flour. 
8. Remove dough mixture from bowl.
9. Cut into two parts and form two logs. You can do this right on the parchment paper. The logs should  about 3 inches x 9 inches. 
10. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown
11. Take out and let cool for 10 minutes
12. Using cutting board and serrated knife cut the logs into 3/4 inch cookies. 
13. Place biscotti back on sheet and into oven for another 15 minutes or so. Keep checking. The cookies are ready when they are a nice golden brown and are dry to the touch.
14. Remove, wait 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Fatto con amore,

Elena 💜